Boeing and Airbus receiving 'conterfeit' titanium?!

[thewayne]

This is weird. Spirit Aerosystems reported to the FAA and notified Boeing and Airbus that they had detected 'counterfeit' titanium entered their supply chain through forged documents from a supplier.

So basically Spirit noticed a problem with the paperwork, which means a supply chain failure with the potential for low-grade or adulterated titanium having been used in aircraft. However, Spirit says that they have conducted "more than 1,000 tests ... to confirm the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the affected material to ensure continued airworthiness."

Both Boeing and Airbus say that this issue does not affect the airworthiness of the flying fleet and that suspect parts have been pulled from production and isolated.

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/boeing-airbus-may-used-counterfeit-titanium-planes-faa-investigating-rcna157160

Comments

[disneydream06]

Train or bus is sounding a lot better. :o :o :o
Hugs, Jon

[thewayne]

As long as you don't have to go trans-oceanic!  ROFLMAO!

[disneydream06]

Unless you have unlimited vacation time. :o

[kaishin108]

At this rate,I will not be getting up my nerve to fly anytime soon. It just gets worse and worse with Boeing.

[thewayne]

At least in this case it's a supplier selling sub-spec materials, not the fault of Boeing or Airbus.  But it's still a problem.

[armiphlage]

Counterfeit parts are a HUGE issue with the entire aerospace industry, not just limited to Boeing.

Let's say you need a bolt to hold the wings on your aircraft. It's exactly the same size, shape, and appearance as the bolt used to hold a bookshelf together. The bolts are made in the same factory, on the same machine. However, the holding-wings-on bolt is made from a specially-mixed batch of high-strength steel, after cutting and annealing each individual bolt has had X-ray fluorescence examination or other testing to confirm the right steel was used, and a non-trivial percentage of the bolts are destructively tested (and scrapped) to confirm they are strong enough. All the special treatment means that the bolts cost $100, instead of the $1 for a bookshelf bolt.

Aerospace companies insist on getting a signed Certificate of Conformance with each package of bolts, with objective evidence that all the special requirements have been met for that quantity of bolts. However, unethical bolt manufacturers might be tempted to change a "100" to "1000" on the test lab paperwork, and provide 100 boxes of $100 holding-wings-on bolts and 900 boxes of $1 bookshelf bolts.

Even if the bolt manufacturer is honest, the broker selling the bolts might not be. Bolt manufacturers don't want to do retail sales to every end user in the aerospace industry. Big aerospace companies don't want to have to maintain accounts with every manufacturer of every part they make. So, just as you buy bolts from a hardware store (or eBay), big companies buy from franchised distributors or brokers. Franchised distributors have a formal business relationship with the original manufacturer, and are (theoretically) less likely to slip fake parts into an order. Brokers are viewed as less trustworthy and more likely to provide fake Certificates of Conformance; aerospace companies usually refuse to buy from them unless extensive (and expensive) testing is done to confirm the parts really do meet requirements.

(bias note: I work in a factory making aerospace electronics; we have extensive precautions in place to prevent counterfeit parts from entering our processes).

[thewayne]

I was hoping you'd reply and waiting for it as I knew you'd explain it infinitely better than I could.

[thewayne]

I should tag acelightning73 so she sees your reply.

[kaishin108]

Oh dear, some of these unscrupulous companies. That is horrible. I may never fly again. :(

[thewayne]

Greed and capitalism go hand in fist.  I can't remember which maker, but one of the Big Three car makers is now making major front end suspension components out of PLASTIC.  It's high-strength plastic, to be sure, but it's still plastic.  And after X number of miles - guaranteed to be after the warranty expires, that plastic is going to fail and you'll be stuck with a repair bill that you might not see if they were made out of metal.

[kaishin108]

That is horrible plastic cars. If someone has to park in the sun all the time or snow, that won't be good.

[moxie_man]

I have never been a fan of flying. Did it 'cause I had to in grad uni. 30 years ago. I've been on a plane only twice since then: once to go the the scout leader training center at Philmont in New Mexico, and once to attend wife's Divinity graduate degree graduation. This just gives me another excuse to avoid it as much as possible.

[thewayne]

I could not count the number of times that I've flown.  The first time I remember was when I was 11 and flew to Odessa, TX to spend a few weeks with my aunt and uncle for the summer.  Now I usually fly annually to DC for my check-in at Nat'l Institutes of Health.  But to each their own.

[silveradept]

That's very dangerous, potentially. Hopefully they can trace the inaccuracies to the right people and impress upon them that these are not the kinds of places to cut corners.

[kellan_the_tabby]

The Ea-Nasir jokes have been flying 'round these parts.