Working together with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing & Machining (NCDMM), Polymer Technologies Inc. (PTI) recently developed a transparent calibrated moisture boot, which protects the rotating shaft and seal in the UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter pitch trim actuator. The UH-60 pitch trim actuator is a flight control component designed to maneuver and stabilize the helicopter while it™s in flight. During normal operation, hydraulic fluid can seep past the seal and collect in the boot. Because the boot currently being used is an opaque black, it is difficult to determine the amount of hydraulic fluid that is collecting in the boot, until so much has accumulated, that the boot detaches from the actuator end cap. When the boot detaches, the hydraulic fluid spills onto the upper flight deck, and the pitch trim actuator is assumed to be unserviceable and turned in for repair. It is estimated that 20 percent of the pitch trim actuators turned in for this reason are actually still serviceable. For more information visit www.polymertechnologies.com or call (973) 778-9100.
