Structure of the inspection plan

TM 38-260

this section. The plan was developed within the limitations of available historical data for current types of storage. It is

applicable to both DOD and contractor activities and is intended only for major items of precision equipment.

b. Structure of the inspection plan. A system of inspection must take into account the complexity of different types

of storage. When devising a comprehensive sampling and inspection procedure, the major factors that must be

considered include:

(1)

The general, climatic, and atmospheric conditions of the storage location.

(2) The degree of protection afforded by different storage techniques and their combinations such as

preservative oils and/or exercising, 50 percent or less relative humidity, heated storage, and nonhumidity controlled

storage.

(3)

The minimum limits of protection.

(4)

The number of machine tools in the installation.

(5)

The frequency and inclusiveness of inspection procedures.

(6)

The type of corrosion deterioration involved such as atmospheric, galvanic, or chemical.

(7)

The susceptibility of different types of machine tools to corrosion or deterioration.

(8)

The relative value and importance of various types of machine tools.

(9)

The thoroughness of cleaning and preservation activities.

(10) The length of time between intermittent preservative treatments.

c. Historical data. Because historical data on these factors is lacking, a simplified approach to the problem of

inspection has been developed. While it first appears over-simplified, the approach seems justified by existing

circumstances. First of all, only two conditions which judge the quality of preservation shall be recognized, namely

corroded and unaffected. A machine tool shall be called corroded when there is any evidence of rust, exclusive of

discoloration on a machined or precision surface. Although contingent conditions such as moisture, condensation, tom

shrouds, should be noted, recorded, and corrected, they should not be construed as evidence of Corrosion. The

corrosion of nonprecision surfaces shall also be noted and the cause determined and corrected, even though such a

condition shall not be used as a basis for rejecting a storage facility. The plan applies only to major items of IPE and

OPE. Minor items such as tooling, are less subject to corrosion; therefore, their condition is not an acceptable criteria for

judging the characteristics of a storage environment. Since available inspection reports do not usually differentiate

between the types of machine tools, there is no factual basis for assuming a difference in susceptibility to corrosion

between items in storage. It has been assumed that it is

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