Insitu Wins!

Congratulations to Insitu’s Integrator! Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary, has won the competition to supply the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps with a Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System (Stuas). The Integrator was selected over entries by AAI, General Dynamics/Elbit and Raytheon and will become operational in Fiscal 2013, replacing the Insitu ScanEagle currently in service. Insitu uses BSI’s CAs and accelerator in their construction processes.

FAA Approves Use of IC-2000

BSI's IC-2000, our black carbon and rubber toughened CA, has been very popular among R/C car enthusiasts for gluing their tires to their wheels. Modelers have also been using IC-2000 to modify the treads on their Rock Crawler R/C vehicles to get more traction. R/C aircraft modelers have been using IC-2000 to bond advanced composites like carbon fiber in the structure of models. Lockheed-Martin uses it in their UAVs. Golfers also use it for the repair of their gold clubs, although they may not know it since IC-2000 and BSI's Royal Onyx are the exact same adhesive.

Now the FAA has approved the use of IC-2000 on their fleet of Beechcraft King Air 300 aircraft. The previous adhesive that the FAA used to bond stall strips to the de-icing boots on the King Air's wings took 72 hours to fully cure, had to be mixed at a 17-to-1 ratio, needed two coats and was highly flammable. IC-2000, along with being one part and non-hazardous, now bonds the strips with more than twice the strength, in less than 1/24th the time at a fraction of the cost. The FAA now has some very happy technician! The following is the FAA report:

Executive Summary
Purpose: This test was run to determine if Bob Smith Industries1 IC-2000 Cyanoacrylate Adhesive (Extra Strength and Rubber Toughened) possesses sufficient peal strength to be used to attach stall strips to the leading edge de-icer boots on FAA, FF series BE-300 aircraft.
Background: The FAA owned and operated FF series of Beechcraft airplanes are equipped with two relatively small aerodynamic stall strips located their inboard edges at wing station 164.735. (P/N 130421-01 100 .STRIP, STALL) These two triangular shaped rubber strips are attached to the de-icer boots of the aircraft originally with Bostic 1008A&B adhesive. This adhesive was superseded through a Raytheon Customer Service Request for Action 170-131 to Combi-Bond Cold Adhesive. This product was in turn superseded by AMEG Company Order allowing the use of 3M Brand Scotch Grip rubber and gasket adhesive 1300 and 1300L2. The disadvantage to all of these products is that they require 72 hours (three full days) to be fully cured. At a maintenance meeting that was discussing the prolonged delay of an aircraft to return to service it was suggested that the subject cyanoacrylate adhesive may work just as well in the application.

Summary Result: Bob Smith Industries1 IC-2000 Cyanoacrylate Adhesive does possess sufficient peal strength to be used to attach stall strips to the leading edge de-icer boots on FAA, FF series BE-300 aircraft. However, the greater bond strength of the IC-2000 will prevent the removal and reuse of these stall strips from one damaged de-icer boot to a new installation.


Test Methodology:
Target Values: Test results provided by Richwood Industries 3, the maker of Combi-Bond Cold Bond Adhesive indicate that this product has nominal value of 49.6 Pounds per Inch (PPI) peel strength when subjected to a 90-degree Peel Test. The Peel Test bonds two one inch wide samples together then applies a perpendicular; 90 degree load to the bond line. The load at which the bond fails is the PPI value.

Test Apparatus: A damaged section of Beech 300 de-icer boot was obtained and cut into four test sections. Three sections were cut to 1”x 6” strips to provide the test specimens. Brass grommets were installed at both ends of each of the test strips to allow attachment of the spring scale load measurement device. The fourth section was cut into a 6-1/2” by 6-1/2” square to function as the base section replicating the de-icer boot on the aircraft. A holding fixture was fabricated from 0.125 thick scrap aluminum plate. The plate was precision cut using our water jet cutter; this task took less than an hour from start of design to finished product.

The 6-1/2” by 6-1/2” square base section was clamped between the upper and lower halves of the holding fixture by 10 #10 aircraft grade countersunk screws, washers and nuts. The base section and test strips were cleaned with MEK as called for in the Aircraft Maintenance Manual and the Combi-Bond Cold Bond Adhesive recommended practices.

The test strips were applied with three slightly different methods. The first strip was applied to the base, having only been cleaned with MEK. The IC-2000 was applied and the test strip was bonded to the base with moderate pressure. In this case the IC2000 was allowed to cure for 20 minutes at room temperature. The second strip was applied to the base, this time both surfaces were mildly abraded with a brass brush then been cleaned with MEK. The IC-2000 was applied and the second test strip was bonded to the base with moderate pressure. In this second case the IC-2000 was allowed to cure for 20 minutes at room temperature. The third strip was applied to the base, again both surfaces were mildly abraded with a brass brush then been cleaned with MEK. The IC-2000 was applied and the third test strip was bonded to the base with moderate pressure. In this third case the IC-2000 was allowed to cure for 2 hours at room temperature.
A Chatillion brand model LG-100 push-pull spring tension gage (s/n R00067, calibrated through 12/02/09) was attached to the vertical arm of the press. The holding fixture was allowed to hang from the spring tension gage to obtain vertical alignment below the gage. The fixture clamped to the base of a manual bearing press found in our machine shop.

Test Process:
A spring tension gage was set to record maximum load. A load was applied to the bearing puller arm by hand. The load was applied at rate of roughly 10 pounds of force every second until the gage indicated 50 pounds. The load was stopped at this point to verify that the load did exceed the 49.8 ppi load of the bonding agents now in use. Once verified that the IC-2000 bond had not failed then further force was applied to the bearing press until the part failed, or in one case the gage reached its maximum reading of 100 pounds force.

Test Results:
CONDITION, A SIDE MAX LOAD & B SIDE MAX LOAD

MEK Wash 20 Min Cure, 75 Pounds - sample broke at eyelet hole, 75 Pounds - sample broke at eyelet hole

Rough Surface with MEK Wash 20 Min Cure, 67 Pounds - sample tore at glue line, 76 Pounds - eyelet pulled out of sample

Rough Surface with MEK Wash 2 Hour Cure, 69 Pounds - sample tore at glue line, 90+Pounds - no failure of glue line or sample, hit max load on gage!

Conclusions:
IC-2000 Cyanoacrylate glue exceeds the 49.8 pound peel strength of Combi-Bond adhesive. It cures to useable strength in 5 minutes and to full strength in three hours. Recommend generating a Company Order identifying IC-2000 as a product suitable for attaching FAA owned BE-300 stall strips.

NOTE: Use of IC-2000 is ONLY applicable to the 18 FAA owned and operated Beech Model 300F aircraft, authorized under the FAA's own FAR Part 135 operating certificate, and NOT AUTHORIZED for use on any other aircraft, without further testing and approval by the FAA or the Authorized Aircraft Manufacturer, or appropriate DER:/DAS/ODA."

Test conducted and submitted by Thomas Solinski, AJW-3452, 405-954-6240, 09/18/2009.

Not Just for Models

A lot of engineers that work for aerospace firms are also modelers. This has resulted in major corporations being introduced to the performance and price advantages of BSI’s adhesive line. Cessna has used BSI CA and accelerator on every 350 and 400 Corvalis that has been produced.

These aircraft are the certified versions of the original Lancair high performance homebuilts that have from the very beginning included BSI adhesives as part of the kits.

Epic Aircraft has followed Lancair’s lead by also using BSI.

BSI’s cyanoacrylates are also used by several aerospace firms specializing in providing custom interiors for aircraft ranging from small business jets on up to the Boeing 737 & 767. One of the largest suppliers of armor for the US military uses more Insta-Cure and Insta-Set than anyone on the planet.

The drones used by the Defense Dept. that have become so crucial in the War on Terror have their roots in model aircraft. So naturally, many of these UAVs also rely on BSI, especially when repairs are needed for the aircraft in such far away places as Iraq and Afghanistan. Aerovironment has produced more UAVs than any other company. In the field, their Raven, Wasp and Puma use BSI’s Super-Gold+ and Insta-Set.

Lockheed-Martin has found BSI’s IC-2000 to be unmatched for use on their Desert Hawk UAS.

Insitu, a subsidiary of Boeing, uses BSI products in the development of their highly successful ScanEagle and the new Integrator.

Many other manufacturing firms, including Northrop Grumman, Orbital Science Corp, All American Racers, SAIC, BAE Systems and Siemens, depend on the performance and reliability of BSI’s adhesives, the exact same products you can purchase at your local hobby shop and other retail outlets.

Safe Use of Adhesives

Before using any adhesive, adequate ventilation of your work area needs to be addressed. A window or door should be open and/or a small fan placed to circulate the air over your workbench. When using CA, especially super-thin INSTA-CURE, always loosen the top and then retighten it before carefully cutting off the end of the nozzle. This relieves any pressure that may have built-up inside the bottle that could cause the CA to spurt out. This is definitely an issue when CA is used at higher altitudes. Never have the bottle pointing close to your face while opening it.

The fumes produced by CA are an evaporated form of the CA itself. Develop a habit of never having your face above the objects that you are bonding together. Always keep them well in front of you. The fumes that rise during the curing process, while not toxic, can be very irritating to the eyes and nose. Repeated heavy exposure can cause some people to become sensitized to the fumes. For these people, any exposure to CA fumes can result in cold or flu-type symptoms. If you find yourself falling into this category there are two options. First, you can switch to another adhesive such as BSI's odorless SUPER-GOLD. Second, you can use protective gear such as a respirator. 3-M makes a dual-cartridge paint spray mask (R-6211) with #6001 Organic Vapor Cartridges that works very well in preventing adverse reactions to CA. 3M 5010 pre-filters can be attached for additional protection.

Cyanoacrylates do not have an adverse effect on body tissue. The heat that is generated when CA comes in contact with human skin can result in some burning, however. Do not wipe-off CA that gets on your hands with a dry paper towel! Most paper towels seem to have just the right chemistry to instantly set off CA with a resultant burst of heat. While not dangerous, this can be very uncomfortable. The primary difference in CA's developed for medical use is the very low heat that is produced when they cure.

Surgical gloves for your hands are recommended when using slower curing epoxies. This is a matter of both convenience and safety. It is a rule that you will have some epoxy on your hands when the phone rings or you need to open a door. It is a nice feeling to know you can just peel off a glove and have a clean hand. While protective creams safeguard your skin, they still can result in epoxy coated doorknobs. Hand protection is much less an issue with faster curing epoxies such as BSI's QUIK-CURE since they are thicker and are less likely to run and they remain sticky and gooey for a much shorter period of time.

How to Install CA Hinges

By Troy Newman
With CA hinges I'm very picky about CA. Get a fresh bottle of glue. This can make a huge difference. I like the small capillary tips for hinges they make a huge difference in applying the CA in the right spot with just the right sized drops. It’s very important to have fresh glue. As it ages it will start to thicken and will take longer to soak into the hinges. So a fresh bottle of glue is important. I actually buy a fresh small bottle just to hinge with. I tried the new INSTA-Flex CA and its great for CA hinging. This glue was specially formulated for CA hinges as it is rubber toughened to keep from getting brittle.

A couple of tricks will make the hinge installation process go smoothly. Using a 1/16” drill bit drill a small hole in the hinge slot right in the middle of the hinge location. This hole is parallel to the hinge and only needs to go in as far as the hinge will go. This will allow the glue to flow easier deep into the wood and the hinge surface. I do this for all the hinge slots on the wing, stab and fin, as well as the control surfaces themselves.

Next trick is to use a small straight pin or “T” pin in the middle of the hinge. This insures the hinge material is not getting pushed too deep into the surface and not getting good bite on the other side. These pins are only used while aligning everything and inserting the hinges. Remove these pins before gluing as they will not allow you to get the gaps tight. Below is a photo of the pins I used. Once the surface is up tight against the pins then remove them and push the surface tight together.


CA hinges offer the benefit of getting very tight hinge gaps. The larger this gap the more effect the gap will have on way the model performs. Large gaps can cause nightmares with control linkages, surface effectiveness and even flutter that can cause you to crash the model.

For glue application take one hinge at a time. Put a drop using the fine capillary tip on the glue bottle. Place one drop at a time on one side of the hinge and watch for it to soak into the fiber hinge. Too Much glue will run down the hinge line and make a mess only a small drop right on the fiber of the CA hinge. This drop will soak in, and then add another drop. Continue this process until the drops don’t soak in as fast. Then flip it over and drop by drop the same process on the other side of the same hinge. Never use Accelerator this will make the hinges brittle.

Once the hinge can’t take anymore CA move to the next hinge. Again drop by drop until it will not soak up anymore… Be sure to apply some to both sides of the hinge in the drop by drop manner. The reason to do one hinge at a time is if the CA kicks off before the hinge gets saturated it will not let anymore glue in and will not have enough for the bond. The idea is to keep it wet and absorbing until it can’t absorb anymore. Then it has enough….So watch the drop soak in then apply another immediately until it is saturated. Once you have all the hinges on a surface glued set it aside. Don’t go messing around with the moving the hinge just let it cure.

After about 10-15mins the hinges will be glued in place. The surface will be a stiff…Move it back and forth and the glue will break free right in the middle and the surface will move freely. It may crunch or making a cracking noise at first but this is normal. This is not the hinge breaking it’s the glue on the surface popping loose.

Your surfaces are now hinged!

Troy Newman