Composite Panel Repair Using Disposable Steel Patches

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Solution Overview

Problem

The repair of large composite airplane panels with irregular contours is laborious and costly due to the extensive process of cleaning, sanding, and reapplying composite material, often requiring specialized infrastructure and technology, and resulting in a larger affected area than the initial damage.

Innovation Solution

A method involving locating and sanding the damaged area, making a predefined cut in the composite material, and securing a predefined steel piece with a matching geometry to cover the damage, eliminating the need for autoclave curing and specialized materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the traditional repair process is used (cleaning, sanding, and reapplying composite material), then the repair reliability is maintained, but the repair time and cost increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverepair reliabilityVSAvoidrepair time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs disposable steel repair pieces that are used once and then discarded, eliminating the need for complex curing processes. These pre-fabricated steel pieces provide immediate structural reinforcement and can be simply mechanically fastened to the damaged panel, significantly reducing repair time while maintaining reliability through proven steel material properties

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the material parameter from composite to steel for the repair piece, and changes the bonding mechanism from chemical curing (autoclave) to mechanical fastening. This parameter change allows the repair to be completed without specialized equipment and reduces repair time from days to hours while maintaining structural integrity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the traditional repair process is used (cleaning, sanding, and reapplying composite material), then the repair reliability is maintained, but the repair cost increases due to specialized infrastructure requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverepair reliabilityVSAvoidrepair accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The disposable steel repair pieces eliminate the need for expensive autoclave equipment and specialized composite materials. The simple mechanical fastening system can be implemented with basic workshop tools, making the repair accessible to any maintenance facility regardless of specialization, thereby reducing cost while maintaining reliability through the inherent strength of steel

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the repair process from the constraint of requiring specialized composite curing infrastructure. By removing the autoclave curing step and replacing it with simple mechanical fastening of steel pieces, the repair process becomes independent of specialized facilities, improving ease of manufacture and reducing overhead costs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the traditional repair process is used, then the damaged area is fully addressed, but the affected area becomes much larger than the initial damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverepair completenessVSAvoidaffected area

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The steel repair pieces are designed to fit precisely over the damaged area only, providing localized reinforcement without requiring removal or modification of surrounding undamaged composite material. This localized approach maintains repair completeness by directly addressing the damage while minimizing the affected area to only what is necessary for structural restoration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

4Stability of the object's composition

If specialized composite repair materials and processes are used, then the original composite structure is preserved, but the repair complexity and time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomposite structure integrityVSAvoidrepair process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The repair solution uses a composite structure consisting of a steel repair piece combined with composite fastening elements. This composite approach provides the strength of steel while maintaining compatibility with the original composite panel through specialized fasteners, preserving the original composite structure integrity while simplifying the repair process to basic mechanical operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS8800149B2Process for repairing airplane panels

Publication Date: 2014.08.12 AIRBUS OPERATIONS SL

AI summary

A repair process for a composite material panel that forms part of a fuselage, wings, or stabilizers of an aircraft, with the panel having large dimensions and including irregular contours in some areas and edges prone to damages occurring from handling and assembly of the panel. The process a) locates the damage in the element of the composite material panel; b) sands the area that includes the damage in an area larger than the damage, makes a cut in the panel, having the cut of a same form as a piece that will serve to repair panel; c) places the piece in the cut, so that it is perfectly flush with the panel to be repaired; and d) attaches the piece to the composite material panel.