AIRBUS IHDUSTRIE

PROCESS AND MATERIAL

SPECIFICATION

PROCESS SPECIFICATION

01-01-14-2

WET BLASTING

Printed in Germany

AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
LIST OF EFFECTIVE PAGES
SUBJECT

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RECORD OF REVISION

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LIST OF EFFECTIVE PAGES

Aug 01/95

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUBJEC T
1 .
1 .1
1 .2
1 .3
2.

PAGE

GENERAL

Scope
Limitations of use
Health and safety statement

1
1
1

EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS

2 .1 Equipment
2 .2 Materials

1
2

3.

PROCESS

3 .1 Flow chart
3 .2 Degreasing
3 .3 Masking
3 .4 Wet blasting
3 .5 Cleaning
3 .6 Subsequent treatments

2
3
3
3
4
4

4.

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS

4 .1 Visual inspection
4 .2 Material inspection
4 .3 Equipment control
4 .4 Process control

5
5
6
6

5.

REFERENCED DOCUMENTS

Appendix 1
Appendix 2

7
8

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AIRBUS IHDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

1.
1 .1

GENERAL
Scope
This Document shall not be used as a basis for manufacture and supply of
original and replacement parts to AIRBUS INDUSTRIE unless specifically
required in a contract or purchase agreement .
This specification establishes the requirements and defines the necessary
operations for the abrasive cleaning of materials by means of wet
blasting .

1 .2

Limitations of use
The wet blasting shall not be applied on steel with TS > 1450 MPa, nor
on spring, and neither is it applicable for forming operations nor for
the removal of defects .
When dye penetrant
wet blasting .

inspection is required, this shall be performed before

In order to avoid contamination on materials, an abrasive may only be

used on similar materials .
1 .3

Health and safety statement

This specification does not necessarily detail the precautions necessary
to meet the requirements of health and safety .
It is the responsability of the user of this specification to consult
and establish appropriate health and safety precautions and the method
should be operated only by trained personnel .

2.
2 .1

EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS
Equipment
The blasting equipment shall be fitted with :
An abrasive impulsion system by pressure air .
Controls to regulate the pressure, direction and application time .
A device for entraining the abrasive in a high velocity stream of
water .
The cabinets shall be built up with stainless steel and their inside
shall be protected against the corrosion and abrasion by means of
rubber sheets fitted to the walls .

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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

2 .2

Materials
Alumina (free of lead and it will
iron) (see Appendix 1, Table 3) .

not contain more than

Glass microbeads

Table 4) .

Chemical
3.
3 .1

(see Appendix

2,

0 .1% of

additives .

PROCESS
Flow

chart

Degreasing
per PMS 01-01-01

Masking

Wet blasting

Cleaning

Subsequent
treatments

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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

3 .2

Degreasing
It shall be performed per PMS 01-01-01 and its purpose is to avoid
abrasive contamination .

3 .3

Masking
Those areas not requiring blasting must be adequately masked prior to
the start of the process .

3 .4

Wet blasting
A choice of abrasive shall be made to suit the material to be blasted
and the operation to be carried out .
For information, Table 1 and Appendix 2 give a List of abrasives and
glass microbeads and their sizes for wet blasting .
The relevant Design Authority shall determine the applicability for this
process, the use of other abrasives and the corresponding sizes depending
on the different types of materials to be processed .
Chemical additives shall be used to avoid the forming of oxide in the
installation and to improve the effects of the abrasive .
In order to avoid lumping, if required by the relevant Design Authority
it is acceptable to add glass bead to the abrasive at an abrasive/glass
bead ratio of 2 :1 . This mixture concentration shall not exceed in any
case 40% in volume .
The abrasive blast must be directed at the part, forming an angle
between 45 and 60 0 .
If the process is apply to thin materials, the stream of abrasive must
be directed at a suitable angle to avoid damage .
The distance between the nozzle and the surface of the material shall be
maintained between 150 and 200 mm . During the operation, the nozzle must
be moved from one side to the other of the part with constant traverse
rate using pressures comprised between 2 and 6 .5 bars . The treatment
time shall be a function of the surface finish .

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AIRBUS IIVDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

Materials to be
blasted
All kinds of metals
and alloys except
steels treated to
1450 MPa or higher,
and titanium alloys

Titanium alloys with

thicknesses equal or
greater than 1 .6 mm

Operation

Alumina
(mesh)

DescaLing and
deburring

90'- 325

Cleaning of surfaces
with roughness over
125 RHR

180 or finer

Cleaning of surfaces
with roughness of
125 RHR or less

---

Glass microbeads
(mesh)
170

400

170 - 400
400

Threaded areas

180 or finer

---

Cleaning

180 or finer

400 or finer

Abrasives and sizes used for wet blasting

Table 1
3 .5

Cleaning
After the wet blasting operation, the parts shall be rinsed with water
jet, to remove rests of abrasive or additives . The quality of this water
must be Class B according to PMS 01-01-18 .
After rinsing the parts shall be dried at room temperature or
at a temperature up to 60 5C .

3 .6

in an oven

Subsequent treatments
Surfaces treated with wet blasting are particularly active and vulnerable
to corrosion, for this reason, the subsequent treatment shall be applied
within 4 hours after the completion of wet blasting (2 hours for
titanium alloys) .
If the parts are not to be treated immediately after the blasting
operation, they must be protected with an approved anti-corrosion
protection .
The temporary protection must be preceded by a chemical treatment,
according to the following procedures :
NOTE :

3 .6 .1

Care must be taken in the choice of temporary protection where it

could be detrimental to subsequent processing eg . bonding or
painting .

Aluminum alloys
Perform an immersion in the following bath :
-

Chromating per PMS 01-02-05 .

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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

3 .6 .2

Titanium and titanium alloys

An immersion shall be made into a solution of nitric acid 40 - 42 Be
35 - 45% in volume, at room temperature for 20 - 60 minutes . Then rinse
and dry the parts .

3 .6 .3

Magnesium alloys
Perform an immersion in a bath with a chromic acid solution 160-200 g/l
at a temperature of 75 5 C for 2-10 minutes . The rinse and dry the
parts .

3 .6 .4

Stainless steel
The parts shall be immersed in a solution according PMS 01-01-08,
para . 3 .3 .6 .
Rinse with water, quality Class B per PMS 01-01-18, for at least
3 mintues before introducing the parts into the sodium dichromate
solution .

4.

QUALITY REQUIREMENTS
Quality Assurance shall verify compliance with the requirements of this
specification .
The control covers the materials, equipments and the process .

4 .1

Visual inspection
All wet blasted parts shall be visually inspected before performing
subsequent operations .
Check that the treatment has been applied to the whole surface of the
parts these must remain free of grease, corrosion, abrasives and other
contaminants .
The surfaces must be uniformly smooth and they must not present
distorsion notches or other defects . The parts must meet the dimensional
and roughness requirements established in the drawings .

4 .2

Material

4 .2 .1

Abrasive control and glass microbeads control

inspection

The type of the abrasive and glass microbeads used, shall be in

accordance with the requirements of this specification .
Ensure that the same abrasive or glass microbeads are not used for
blasting different materials .
4 .2 .2

Size control
Screen and clean or replace the abrasive or microbeads as often as
necessary to remove undersize material and contaminants .
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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

4 .3

Equipment

control

Check that the blasting chambers are free of oxides which might
contaminate the abrasives and that the material of the nozzles are
suitable and unobstructed .
4 .4

Process control
Check that the pressure is correctly applied and that the angle is
correct in each case, as established in para . 3 .4 and the time as
required . Check also the correct masking of those areas indicated on the
drawings .

5.

REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
PMS 01-01-01

Degreasing using chlorinated solvent in vapour phase

PMS 01-01-06

Acid pickling of aluminum alloys

PMS 01-01-08

Cleaning and passivation of stainless steel, nickel

and cobalt alloys

PMS 01-01-18

Water for chemical treatment

PMS 01-02-05

Chromating of aluminum and aluminum alloys

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AIRBUS IHDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

Grade Size
No .

All
passing
m (No .)

36 1000

100

250

180

180

Screen
Retained '

Accumulated

Passing
5% max .
m (No .)

/. min .
. /. min .
% max .
(Screen No .) (Screen No .) (Screen No .)
(35)
(18) 15
(25) 50
(35) 80
and 350
(50)
(40)
(120)
(60) 25
(100) 30
(120) 55
and 63 (230)
(140)
(200)
(200)
(80) 20
(170) 30
and
(230)
(230) 60
and
--(270)

Size and screen requirements for alumina

Table 3
(1)

According MIL-A-21380 Type 1 .

Appendix 1

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AIRBUS INDUSTRIE
PROCESS AND MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

us

STD
Screen
Mesh
10
12
14
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
100
120
140
170
200
230
325
400

Head size - X round min . '- I passing

4
5
6
7
8
9

60%
60%
65%
70%
70%.
Round Round Round Round Round

80%
80%
Round Round

80%
Round

10

11

12

13

-80%
90%
90%
90%
95%
Round Round Round Round Round

100
95-100 100
0-15 95-100 100
0-5
0-15 95-100 100
0-5
0-15 95-100 100
0-5
0-15 95-100 100
0-5
0-15 95-1_00 100
0-5
95-100 100
0-15
95-100 100
0-5
0-15
95-100 100
0-5
0-15
95-100 100
0-5
0-15
95-100 100
0-5
95-100 100
0-15
95-100
0-5
0-15
0-5
0-15
_
0-5
0-15
0-5

Size and screen requirements for glass microbeads

Table 4

Appendix 2

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