Boeing designed and fabricated a prototype, aluminium aircraft interface pallet system, called Slipper, to load cargo directly to and from a C-17 Globemaster III without the need for specialized material handling equipment. The Slipper comprises seven, extruded, 6005A aluminum alloy profiles of three different configurations that were welded together along twelve weld joints six on the bottom and six on the top using simultaneous 2-sided friction stir welding. The joint design dictates the weld be partially penetrated. Incomplete penetration is not considered a liability because service usage is limited to static overloads. The overall size of each Slipper is 1.27 m long x 2.24 m wide x 7.62 cm high. A heat treatment study determined the preweld and postweld heat treatments that were needed to satisfy the design requirements. A heat treatment consists of aging the extruded profiles at 171 C deg for 7h, welding them together followed by a postweld age at 171 C deg for 7 h was judged to best meet the three criteria, high strength, ability to withstand the FSW clamping forces, and compatibility with production aging practices. As low-cost design of pallet system don't include coatings, potential corrosion problems are investigated. Exfoliation testing per ASTM G34 for 48-hours resulted in no noticeable corrosion. A 96-hour test resulted in minor pitting. Intergranular corrosion testing per ASTM G1 10 for 24-hours resulted in minimal surface reaction. Exposure to neutral salt spray resulted in reactions that occurred within .076 mm of the surface. Exposure for two weeks to acidified salt spray per ASTM G85-98 'Standard Practice for Modified Salt Spray (Fog) Testing' resulted in reactions that were similar to those observed after the neutral salt spray tests. They underline that 6000-series aluminium alloys are very resistant to corrosion.


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