SAE International Damage and Repair of Aerospace Composite Materials

Damage and Repair of Aerospace Composite Materials reports the latest developments on the detection and repair of composite structures in the aerospace industry, with an outline of general damage inspection and repair processes. This includes porosity inspection, damage detection using acoustic ultrasonic and radio frequency methods, and the automated defect-inspection system integrated in the production line by utilizing laser sensors and cameras. Fiber reinforced composites have been increasingly used for large-scale structural applications in the aerospace industry due to their ability of reducing airframe weight, improving fuel economy, and lowering overall operating costs. Conversely, this new trend has brought up tremendous challenges on the repair side. Like other structural materials, composites can contain or develop various defects and damages, which can occur during the manufacturing stage, and throughout the service life of the aircraft. If they go unobserved or untreated on time, the results can be catastrophic. Damage and Repair of Aerospace Composite Materials also offers insights into the design of a bonded repair technique for multilayer laminate composite panels, the analysis on the performance of bolted repair vs. bonded repair, and how to economically repair holes, and the use the 3D-printing to repair gaps and steps in large composite panels.