A320FAM CARGO FLOOR STRUCTURE & BILGE AREAS - CORROSION PREVENTION

Reference: 53.00.00086 Issue date: 27-APR-2020 Last check date: 03-OCT-2023 Status: Open
A/C type/serie: A318, A319, A320, A321 ATA: 53-00
Engine manufacturer: Supplier:
Purpose / Reason for revision: updated for admin reason
Engineering Support Status: Open

PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE:

The purpose of this article is to provide A318/A319/A320/A321 operators a summary of information and recommendations to prevent
corrosion in the cargo floor structure and bilge areas.

Figure 1: FWD Cargo Floor Structure (picture from in-service A/C)

For more information on other fuselage areas and programs, please note references below:
 ISI 53.00.00085: A320FAM CABIN FLOOR STRUCTURE - CORROSION PREVENTION
  ISI 53.00.00082: A330/A340 FAMILY CARGO FLOOR STRUCTURE - CORROSION PREVENTION
 ISI 53.31.00001: A330/A340 FAMILY CARGO FLOOR STRUCTURE - CORROSION PREVENTION
 ISI 53.00.00089: A380 CABIN FLOOR STRUCTURE - CORROSION PREVENTION

APPLICABILITY:
A320 Family: A318/A319/A320/A321

REFERENCES:
- AMM 51-78-00 - SRM 51-23-12 - MPD 530000-01-1 - ISI 25.50.00058
- AMM 51-75-13 - SRM 51-74-00 - TFU 53.00.00.017
- AMM 53-00-00-210-001-A - SRM 51-75-12 - TFU 53.02.00.007
- AMM task 53-21-00-200-013-A - SRM 51-78-16 - TFU 53.21.00.007
- AMM task 53-41-00-210-014-A - TFU 53.41.00.009

BACKGROUND:
Several operators have reported corrosion in the cargo floor structure area. In particular, most impacted locations are in the cross
beams attachment holes, roller tracks lower flanges and in the bilge area all along the fuselage.

This document summarizes preventive maintenance actions related to the cargo floor structure, provides protection and packaging
transportation advices.

DESCRIPTION:
 TYPICAL FINDINGS:

- Cross beams attachment holes:

Figure 2: Cargo crossbeam detailed

- Roller tracks lower flanges:

 Figure 3: Roller tracks lower flange detailed view

- Aft water waste door cut out:

Figure 4: AFT water waste door

- Bilge areas:
The bilge areas are more prone to corrosion because of its exposure to fluids.
 Figure 5: typical pictures of clip corrosion on AFT Cargo area

Figure 6: Typical corrosion on lower skin (bilge area)

Based on reported findings to AIRBUS through TechRequest (out of SRM allowable in bilge areas) we are able to map corrosion
findings as illustrated in figure 7:
 Figure 7: mapping of the corrosion findings frequency in bilge area for A320 and A321 with frame/stringer location.

Hot spots are clearly identified. Most of corroded parts are located in the water pooling areas in front of the FWD Pressure Bulkhead
FR35/FR35.8 and at the deepest point of the rear fuselage and are directly attached to the skin, with strong influence of temperature
changes (see figure 8).
 Figure 8: Water pooling area in combination with corrosion on stringers around fasteners.

Corrosion findings on cleats are probably underrepresented in the statistics and in relation to stringer findings (see figure 9).
Operators’ feedback is that the cleats are replaced easily and are therefore not reported to AIRBUS.

Figure 9: example of the corroded cleats and stringer attaching fasteners in the FWD cargo compartment (red arrow: corroded part, orange: partly paint
adhesion loss on fastener and cored part, yellow: paint loss and corroded fastener and blue: paint adhesion loss on Ti crack stopper)
Based on in-service investigations, a deeper view on the corrosion locations in relation to the structural parts has been highlighted.
In general, the following conclusion can be drawn:
 70% of the corrosion findings are reported for stringer and cleats.
 The location of the highest corrosion frequency correlates with the water pooling zones in FWD and AFD bilge area in flight mode position.
 The corrosion findings are identical for FWD and AFD.
 The corrosion starts mainly at fastener locations, and partly at edges.
 Skin panel corrosion findings (20%) are mostly related to fastener installations.
 Water stagnation in some areas clearly identified as aggravating factor.

For more details and follow-up solutions for bilge areas, please refer to TFU mentioned below:

 TFU 53.21.00.007 - FWD BILGE FUSELAGE INTERNAL STRUCTURE BETWEEN FR24 and FR35 STRG 38 LH/RH
 TFU 53.41.00.009 - AFT BILGE FUSELAGE INTERNAL STRUCTURE BETWEEN FR46 and FR65 STRG 38 LH/RH

SOLUTION / RECOMMENDATION:
Airbus recommends operators the following protection tasks and transportation actions:

 PACKAGING:
- Follow the recommendations of ISI 25.50.00058 (“Cargo - Fluid Spillage in Cargo - prevention, decontamination, deodorizing”) and
Livestock Transportation Manual (LTM)
- Load seafood in Unit Load Devices (ULD) as pallets or containers. Seafood should be packed in containers that are watertight (figure 10):
 Figure 10: A320 equipped with Cargo Loading System for ULD transportation

- Containers should be stowed in upright position. "THIS WAY UP” labels should be used (figure 10):

Figure 11: Example of cargo package box with labels/marks

- In case of spillage, apply special cleaning procedure AMM 51-78-00 or SRM 51-78-16.
- Reapply water repellent and corrosion inhibitor after cleaning

 DRAINAGE SYSTEM MAINTENANCE:

- Inspect and clean drain valves per MPD tasks 530000-01-1. Leaking drain valves indicate polluted bilge areas.
- Adjust inspection interval to aircraft operation (for example: every hangar check in case of seafood transportation). Renew any drain hole
covered by structural repair.
- Accomplish AMM TASK 53-00-00-210-001-A (Remove and Detailed Inspection of Piston Type Drain Valves in Lower Fuselage Shell) in
order to check if drain holes are not blocked by fluids spillage.

 CARGO COMPARTMENTS AND BILGE AREAS INSPECTION:

- In case of seafood transportation, inspect for fluids spillage every "A" check.
- Adjust inspection interval to findings.

 SURFACE PROTECTION AND SEALING RENEWAL:

- In case of damage, renew surface protection and sealing at the earliest opportunity (SRM 51-75-12, SRM 51-23-12, AMM 51-75-13).

 CORROSION DAMAGE REPAIR:

 - In case of corrosion, repair the aircraft structure as per SRM 51-74-00 at the earliest opportunity.

Key points for corrosion prevention:

- Use adequate containers
- Maintain structure cleanliness
- Maintain structure protections
- Adjust inspection program

For corrosion findings, Airbus recommends to follow MPD introduction, description of the different corrosion levels that can be found
during the inspection and corresponding adjustment of the inspection interval to reach the right level of condition in the structure
(cf. MPD; 3 – SECTION STRUCTURE; item “7. CORROSION PREVENTION AND CONTROL PROGRAM (CPCP)”).

Besides, to avoid any other potential damage, Airbus recommends to check the area under the floor structure of FWD and AFT cargo
bay as per AMM task 53-21-00-200-013-A and AMM task 53-41-00-210-014-A.

LAST IMPROVEMENTS ON-GOING IN 2019:

Taking into account our fleet monitoring of corrosion findings and spares consumption, Airbus has launched several initiatives to
improve the corrosion protection. For more details on modifications proposed, please refer to:

 TFU 53.00.00.017 - A320FAM CORROSION PROTECTION ENHANCEMENT OF FLOOR STRUCTURE (CABIN AND CARGO)
 TFU 53.02.00.007 - A320FAM SEALANT IMPROVEMENTS ON FLOOR PANELS (CABIN AND CARGO)
 TFU 53.21.00.007 - FWD BILGE FUSELAGE INTERNAL STRUCTURE BETWEEN FR24 and FR35 STRG 38 LH/RH
 TFU 53.41.00.009 - AFT BILGE FUSELAGE INTERNAL STRUCTURE BETWEEN FR46 and FR65 STRG 38 LH/RH

Survey for the Engineering Support section

 Annex

General Information
Potential impact: Maintenance, Parts and Spares Configuration
Key information: Ageing A/C, In-Service Issue, Linked Items - MISP
Solution benefit:
First issue date: 10-APR-2017 Issue date: 27-APR-2020 Last check date: 03-OCT-2023

Technical parameters
ATA: 53-00
A/C type/serie: A318, A319, A320, A321
Engine:
Engine manufacturer:
Fault code/ECAM
warning:
FIN:
Part Number:
Supplier:

Attachments
N/A

Links
Other articles (ISI/TFU):
- 25.50.00058, 25.50.00058, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00.017, 53.00.00082, 53.00.00082,
53.00.00082, 53.00.00082, 53.00.00082, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085, 53.00.00085,
53.00.00085, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00089, 53.00.00112, 53.02.00.007, 53.02.00.007,
53.02.00.007, 53.02.00.007, 53.02.00.007, 53.02.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007, 53.21.00.007,
53.31.00001, 53.41.00.009, 53.41.00.009, 53.41.00.009, 53.41.00.009, 53.41.00.009

© Airbus SAS, 2023. All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary document.The technical information provided in this article is for convenience and information purposes only. It
shall in no case replace the official Airbus technical or Flight Operations data which shall remain the sole basis for aircraft maintenance and operation. These recommendations and
information do not constitute a contractual commitment, warranty or guarantee whatsoever. They shall not supersede the Airbus technical nor operational documentation; should
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