FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B
Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices
Aircraft Inspection and Repair
AC 43.13-1B | 4. Metal Structure, Welding, and Brazing | 4. Metal Repair Procedures | 4-62. Selective Plating in Aircraft Maintenance
9/8/98
(1) To prevent or minimize disassem
bly, or reassembly.
AC 43.13-1B
(7) MIL-C-14550, Copper Plating.
(2) Resizing worn components (plate to
size).
(3) Filling in damaged or corroded ar
eas.
(4) To plate small areas of extremely
large parts.
(5) To plate electrical contacts.
(6) To plate parts too large for existing
baths.
(7) To supplement conventional plating.
(8) To plate components which become
contaminated if immersed in a plating bath.
(8) MIL-G-45204, Gold Plating.
c. General Requirements.
(1) Areas to be repaired by this process
should be limited to small areas of large parts,
particularly electrical or electronic parts.
(2) All solutions should be kept clean
and free from contamination. Care should be
taken to insure that the solutions are not con
taminated by used anodes or other plating so
lutions. Brush-plating solutions are not de
signed to remove large amounts of scale, oil,
or grease. Mechanical or chemical methods
should be used to remove large amounts of
scale or oxide. Use solvents to remove grease
or oil.
(9) To cadmium-plate ultrahigh strength
steels without hydrogen embrittlement.
(10) On-site plating.
(11) Reverse current applications (e.g.,
stain removal, deburring, etching, and dynamic
balancing).
b. Specifications. Selective plating
(electrodepositions), when properly applied,
will meet the following specifications and
standards.
(1) QQ-C-320, Chromium Plating.
(2) QQ-N-290, Nickel Plating.
(3) QQ-P-416, Cadmium Plating.
(4) QQ-S-365, Silver Plating.
(5) QQ-Z-325, Zinc Plating.
(3) Brush-plating solutions are five to
fifty times as concentrated as tank solutions.
The current densities used range from 500 to
4,000 amps/feet2. The voltages listed on the
solution bottles have been precalculated to
give proper current densities. Too high a cur
rent density burns the plating, while too low a
current density produces stressed deposits and
low efficiencies. Agitation is provided by an
ode/cathode motion. Too fast a motion results
in low efficiencies and stressed deposits, and
too slow a motion causes burning. A dry tool
results in burnt plate, coarse grain structure,
and unsound deposits. The tool cannot be too
wet. Solution temperatures of 110 °F to
120 °F are reached during operation.
(4) Materials such as stainless steel,
aluminum, chromium, and nickel (which have
a passive surface) will require an activating
operation to remove the passive surface. Dur
ing the activating process, do not use solutions
(6) MIL-T-10727, Tin Plating.
Par 4-62
Page 4-47