Proposed Framework for a Risk-Based Approach for the Environmental Certification of Adhesively Bonded Repairs

摘要

Bonded composite repairs have been successfully applied to damaged aircraft structure since the early 70s. One of the major restrictions preventing widespread usage of the technology on primary aircraft structure is the lack of any defined statistical processes to guarantee the environmental durability of the bonded repair for periods that may approach the service life of the aircraft. This paper describes a proposed framework for a risk-based approach to certify the environmental durability of bonded repairs. The proposed approach is based on both laboratory-based performance data of a variety of surface treatments and the durability of repairs that have been in service for a period of time. The approach provides flexibility in repair application choices that are tailored to the criticality of the repair task. The expected outcome is to gain a quantitative understanding of environmental durability issues which will provide a sound basis for making engineering decisions.