Abaris Composites

Advanced Composite Aircraft Structures, Structural Repairs, Adhesive Bonding & Electrical Characteristics
Michael J. Hoke Abaris Training Resources Inc. AEA 2008

Copyright Copyright2008 Abaris Training Resources Inc. 1
Who is Abaris Training??

We have been training in manufacturing,
repair, and bonding of advanced composite structures since 1983, with over 13,000 graduates to date. Three permanent training facilities:
Reno, NV Griffin, GA Cwmbran, Wales
We also do numerous on-site classes

Who do we train?
40% military 25% manufacturers (Boeing, Airbus,
Northrop-Grumman, Lockheed, General Atomics (UAVs), Cessna, etc.) 20% airlines and large MROs 10% Gov: FAA, NTSB, NASA, etc. 5% non-aerospace
Why Reno? - LearFan
Copyright Copyright2008 Abaris Training Resources Inc.
Whats up for today?

Basics of Composites Strings and Glue Fibers and Fiber Forms the Strings Matrix Systems the Glue Adhesive Bonding Damage and Inspection
Whats up for today?

Structural Repair techniques Vacuum Bagging Radome Repair Lightning Strike Protection Antenna Installations
What Are Composites?

Made up of two main types of materials:
Fibers Carry majority of the load Matrix Gives the part its shape, protects fibers
The Basics: Cloth and Glue Wet Layup
An alternative: Prepreg
Typical Sandwich Construction
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Fibers
The fibers give the part most of its strength and
distinctive characteristics: Glass or fiberglass (white) Good strength and stiffness, good impact
resistance, heavier
Carbon or Graphite fiber (black) Very high bending stiffness, high tensile and
compressive strength, poor impact resistance, light poor compressive strength, light weight
Kevlar fiber (yellow) Excellent impact resistance, high tensile strength,
The fibers carry most of the load!
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Matrix systems (resins)

Polyesters Vinyl Esters
Epoxies
Bismaleimides Cyanate Esters Phenolics Others
Each type of fiber and resin has different structural properties and temperature tolerance.
Fabric: material constructed of interlaced yarns, fibers, or filaments
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Many Weave Styles; This is Eight Harness Satin weave
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Unidirectional Tape: Non-woven

material in which the filaments are laid in a single direction within a resin matrix; multiple plies used.
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Military Aircraft
F-22
B-2: Approximately 85% of the structural weight is composite

F-35
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Boeing Bird of Prey
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Commercial Aircraft
Airbus A-380
Boeing 787
A-380 fuselage cross-section Boeing 777

High-Performance Sailplanes
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Diamond
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Cessna 300/350/400
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Cirrus SR-20 and 22
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Critical Areas of Damage
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New Honda Jet HF 118
Honda Jet employs an all-carbon fiber reinforced epoxy fuselage
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

Boeing UCAV
NorthropGrumman Global Hawk
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Titan IVB carbon fiber boosters: 114 long, 10 diameter
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Swedish Visby-class 240 foot (73m) all carbon-fiber low-observable ship
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Large Sailing Vessels

246' long with a beam of 48.6'. Her 30,042 sq. ft. of sail is carried by a 290' high carbon fiber mast built in five sections.
Even a J boat will look small next to Mirabella V. Mirabella V- 246 feet -Worlds largest composite yacht Cost: $55 Million
Large Windmill Blades
Blade Section
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Onshore Blade Transportation
Transport of a LM 38.8 m rotor blade
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So composites may be here to stay; not a passing fad.

There are many applications in a wide variety of industries, and the list is growing daily. However, this remains a somewhat immature technology; were all still learning lessons the hard way about these materials!
Advanced Composite Fibers and Fiber Forms

The stringy part of the string and glue!
Many Types of Fibers, but for advanced composites:

Glass
Quartz
Carbon/Graphite Aramid (Kevlar) Boron UHMW Polyethylene (Spectra) Ceramic

Fiberglass cloth
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Kevlar Aramid
fiber yarn
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Carbon Unidirectional Tape

Prepreg roll
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Fiberglass (White)

Good strength in both tension and compression Good energy absorption properties Low cost Easy to work with Moisture resistant Electrical insulator Heavy Some types can be affected by an alkaline environment
Kevlar
aramid fiber (Yellow)
Much lighter than fiberglass Very good energy absorption Excellent in tension, poor in compression Electrical insulator Moderately expensive Absorbs some moisture Sensitive to UV Bonds poorly to polyester resins
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Carbon (graphite) fiber (Black)

Excellent in tension and compression Excellent in bending stiffness Partial absorber of microwaves; dont use in a radome! Poor at impact energy absorption - brittle Expensive Electrically conductive! Can cause galvanic corrosion problems with carbon steel, cad-plated fasteners, and especially aluminum!
Material
Magnesium Zinc Aluminum 7075 Clad Aluminum 2024 Clad Aluminum 7075-T6 Cadmium Aluminum 2024-T4 Wrought Steel Cast Steel Lead Tin Manganese Bronze Brass Aluminum Bronze Copper Nickel Inconel Type 303 Stainless Titanium Monel Silver Carbon Fiber
Galvanic Scale
12 11 10 9 9 8 7 6 6 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
Copyright Training Resources Inc. Copyright2008 Abaris 0
ANODIC
CATHODIC
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Boron fiber
Excellent in tensile strength Even better in compressive strength an
unusual property for a fiber Very high modulus Tungsten core Brittle Expensive Difficult to cut Now used mostly for bonded repairs to cracked metallic structures.
Polyethylene
(Spectra )
fiber
UHMW Polyethylene Excellent in tension Very resistant to impacts

Bulletproof vests, helmets, etc. Impervious to water Difficult to bond to matrix systems Poor at high temperatures (+212F) Occasionally seen in radomes or antenna covers.
Quartz fibers
Another form of glass Good at high temperatures Good tensile & compressive strength Microwave transparent Expensive Sometimes used in radomes, especially
on Airbus aircraft
Ceramic fibers
Usually used in short forms, with ceramic
or metal matrix systems Excellent at really high temperatures Often used in ballistic armor Very expensive Difficult to process
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Forms of Reinforcement
Filaments/tows/strands/yarns/rovings Mats (chopped strand, continuous) Unidirectional tape Woven roving Woven textile fabrics
Plain weave, satin weaves, twills, etc.
Stitchbonded fabrics Braids

Sizing/Finishes
Used to coat filaments to improve bonding Many different types, compatible with
different resin systems Some polyester-compatible sizings are not compatible with epoxies, and vice versa Special surface treatments for some fibers (e.g.: ion bombardment for UHMW polyethylene) Carbon almost always sized for epoxies
Fiber/Resin Ratio
Too little resin: resin starved
Compressive properties strongly degraded
Too much resin: resin rich

Heavy, brittle, weak If the right amount of resin is good, more resin is
NOT better!
For most woven cloth, about 60% fiber,

40% resin by weight is OK.
Costs
Tremendous variation in cost:
Fiberglass: $1 - $6/lb. Kevlar: $8 - $15/lb. Carbon fiber: $8 - $4,000/lb. Boron: $650/lb
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Types of Glass Fibers

A High-Alkali E Electrical S Structural S-2 Commercial grade S-glass D Dielectric grade M High-modulus (Boron-rich)
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Types of Glass Fibers (Cont.)

C Chemical Resistant E-CR Corrosion Resistant R High-strength, high modulus Lead Radioactivity resistant Lithium-Oxide X-Ray transparent
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Fabric roll terminology
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Ply Orientation
Warp Clocks
CCW
90 +45 0 -45
CW
90 -45 0 +45
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Symmetry
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Balance
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Quasi-Isotropic
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Nesting vs. Stacking
Nested Layers
Stacked Layers
So to build a part properly:

Depending on the weave style, one might
make a quasi-isotropic, balanced, symmetrical, nested layup.
This is as opposed to the usual repair

technique: slap some plies on, and its Miller time!
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Practical issues with fibers:

Dont use carbon fiber with polyester or
vinylester resin systems Make sure fiberglass has the proper sizing for the resin system you are using Worry about UV attack on Kevlar it must be painted. Dont use Kevlar with polyester resins; vinylester is OK; epoxy is best.
Practical issues with fibers (continued):

Be very meticulous about surface
preparation and cleanliness for adhesive bonding. Pay close attention to fiber orientation on woven cloth or unidirectional structures.
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Matrix Systems
The glue that holds the strings together!
Matrix Systems must:

Transfer loads from fiber to fiber Keep fibers from buckling Give the component a rigid shape Protect the fibers from the environment Handle temperature extremes
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Matrix required to attain these structural properties:

Compression
Fibers can carry compressive loads, but only if they are prevented from buckling!
Shear Bending stiffness
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Matrix dominates these structural properties:

Interlaminar shear (resistance to
delamination) Interlaminar tension (peel) Service Temperature
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Matrix types:
Organic (Plastics)
Thermosets Thermoplastics
Carbon Metal Ceramic
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Thermoset Matrix Systems

Crosslinking One-time irreversible chemical reaction Cannot be re-formed or melted after curing Difficult to recycle
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Thermosets include:
Polyesters Vinylesters Epoxies Phenolics Cyanate Esters Bismaleimides Some Polyimides Polyurethanes
Thermoplastic Matrix Systems

Long-chain molecules Undergoes a physical change from a solid
to a liquid when heated Can be re-heated and re-formed, melts at high temperatures, easier to recycle than thermosets
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Thermoplastics include:
Plexiglas ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) Polyethylene PEI (Polyetherimide) PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide) Nylon Many others
Temperature considerations in thermosets:

Curing temperature and time Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) Heat deflection or distortion temperature;
service temperature
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Polyester Advantages
Inexpensive Good water resistance Available in wet or a few prepreg systems Well-understood, easy to work with Commonly available
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Polyester Disadvantages
Weaker than the other resin systems Brittle - low elongation to failure (1% - 3%) Shrinkage when curing - up to 7% in some
cases Relatively low max. use temperatures (Tg) Relatively poor adhesion Styrene emissions Toxic smoke
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Vinylester Advantages
Stronger, stiffer than polyester Better environmental resistance than
polyester Higher elongation to failure (3% - 6%); this means its less brittle Less shrinkage when curing Higher Tg Better adhesion than polyester
Vinylester Disadvantages
Higher cost than polyester Not available as prepreg Styrene emissions Toxic smoke No long cure times possible, a
disadvantage when building very large structures.
Epoxy Advantages
Stronger than polyesters or vinylesters Cure times from minutes to years available No styrene emissions Less shrinkage Higher Tgs available Excellent adhesive properties Commonly available wet and in prepreg
Epoxy Disadvantages
Higher cost Precise mix ratios mandatory
Cannot be mixed hot Hardener Vs. Catalyst discussed below
Toxic smoke
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Phenolic advantages
Good electrical insulating properties Good chemical resistance Stable at high loads and temperatures Good fire-smoke-toxicity performance Good ablative Often used in interiors
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Phenolic disadvantages
Can be difficult to process Brittle; weaker than epoxies Poor adhesive characteristics
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Curing Polyesters & Vinylesters

Cure initiated by the addition of a catalyst Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide - MEKP (liquid) Benzoyl Peroxide BPO (paste) Both have significant health & safety concerns These initiators kill off inhibitors, and allow the resin
molecules to cross-link Exact mix ratios not critical can mix hot or mix cold Mix timing and sequence is critical Styrene emission problems
Curing Epoxies
These resins are cured by cross-linking with a
hardener, not by adding a catalyst Exact mix ratios are critical, especially as one moves away from 50/50 mixes; 2% by weight needed with the strongest aircraft-grade systems One cannot mix hot or cold Different hardener speeds are available for many epoxy resin systems
Epoxy curing temperature considerations

While many are room-temp curable, almost all
develop full strength only after a high-temp post-cure: 150F 200F for 1-10 hours. Higher cure temperatures also result in a higher glass transition temperature Outgassing can be an issue in high-temperature cure cycles Crosslinking rate doubles for every 10C (18F) temperature increase
Things to watch out for

Improper mix ratios
By weight or by volume they are different!
Incomplete mixing Wrong ingredients Wrong mixing sequence Exotherms - A good way to get OSHA on
your case! Excessive moisture Old materials
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The Least You Need to Know

When you laminate, unlike with aluminum, You
are the Creator of the material properties do it right! Repairs and assembly cures are secondary bonds excellent surface preparation is critical! Errors here are NOT detectable with ANY NDI process! Use resins with adequate properties those approved by the airframe manufacturer ONLY!
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Structural Properties Result From Many Design Choices and Fabrication Processes
Material Choices
Fibers Fiber Forms Resins Cores Fiber Alignment Process Contact Layups Vacuum Bagged Layups Elevated Temperature Cure Peel Ply Use
Practice Safe Composites

Epoxy Sensitization
Through the Skin Inhalation Fillers and Fibers Vapors Blindness Polyester Activator (MEKP) Resin Uncontrolled Exotherms Electrical Motor Shorts Carbon Dust
Top 10 List
1. Protect Your Health 2. Peel Ply Is Your Friend, EXCEPT for
secondary bondline surface preparation! 3. Mix Epoxy Resins Accurately 4. Use The Right Materials When Making Structure
Fiber Finish Structural Resin Wet Layup/Honeycomb usually turns out ugly.
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Top 10 List (cont.)

5. Secondary Bonds Require Careful Preparation
Cleaning Solvents usually contaminate, not clean!
6. Epoxies Do Not Reach Their Full Properties

Unless Post-Cured 7. Only Low Viscosity Resins Will Encapsulate The Individual Tiny Reinforcement Fibers 8. Laminate Only When The Temperature And Humidity Are Correct For The Resin In Use 9. Vacuum Bagging Improves Material Properties 10. Face Sheet To Core Bonds Are Critical!
More on surface prep for bonding:

Nylon peel plies ALL contain release
agents, usually silicone-based, even those advertised as being heat-cleaned! If there was no release agent in them at all, they would never release, and would have to be ground off. Polyester peel plies may or may not have release agents in them.

Corona-treated polyester peel plies do
not have release agents, but do have a limited shelf life, about one year. Even these peel plies cause a problem; the weave texture of the peel ply leaves thousands of small sharp-edged grooves in the resin. These grooves are not filled later by the adhesive; the viscosity is too high.

The best solution is GENTLE grit blasting
to remove the peel ply impressions in the surface, without damaging the fibers of the surface ply. However, grit blasting with compressed air will contaminate the surface with oil, water, etc. Dry nitrogen works, but is expensive. So what to do?

First of all, NEVER use nylon peel plies on
a surface which will be accepting an adhesive bond later. Its fine on nonbonding surfaces. Probably the best workable solution is to use corona-treated polyester peel plies, followed by GENTLE hand sanding to remove the peel ply weave texture.

Use cheap sandpaper, which does not have
anti-clogging properties. The expensive papers are coated with release waxes to help the sanding residue fall off the paper.
Use a fine grit paper, 320 or higher. You are
NOT trying to get tooth in the bondline. This will break fibers. Bond strengths improve all the way up to 600 grit.
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Still more on surface prep for bonding:

Do NOT solvent wipe after sanding, dry wipe! The final sanding step should be done as close
as possible to the application of adhesive; preferably within 4 hours. Do not wait overnight. The sanding produces a high surface energy on the part. This effect goes away after a few hours, as the broken cross-links on the surface link back together. Cleanliness in all steps is mandatory!
How can you tell if your surface preparation is OK?

Try the water break test. However, you
must dry the parts thoroughly, using CLEAN white (no printing) paper towels and a hair dryer. If the water avoids an area on your surface, so will the adhesive. The adhesive must uniformly wet out the entire bonding surface.
Water Break Testing - before
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Water break test after: right side clean, left side contaminated
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So the details matter!

Creating long-lasting, durable composite
STRUCTURAL bonds is not easy. Even more difficult in aluminum bonding. The difference between good surface preparation and slipshod surface preparation means obtaining a joint which will last many years under load, as opposed to perhaps only a few months, especially in a hot-wet environment.
Composite Damage and Inspection Issues

Visual inspection is not enough!
Introduction
A vast majority of damage occurs on the ground. Brittle nature of matrix/fiber combination contributes to ease of damage. Composites are not as tough as metals, (dont yield and bend like metals); damage is often hidden to the eye.
Unusual Damage Mechanisms

To those untrained in these materials, there are unexpected ways to cause damage:
Water ingress into honeycomb cores Paint stripper! Minor impacts such as tool drops, etc. Heat, Hydraulic fluid, UV, etc.
Lightning Strikes
100
Bird Strikes
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Impact Damage
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Water Damage
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Battle Damage
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Jackstands
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Mid-Air Collisions
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Your flight has arrived in the gate area!
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Sheet metal damage assessment is not covered in this presentation
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Damage Assessment
Impact energy affects visibility, as well as
severity, of damage: High and medium energy impacts, while severe, are easy to detect. Low energy impacts can easily cause hidden damage.
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Impact Energy Levels

Low Energy Impact
0 0 + 45 -45 0 90 90 0 -45 + 45 0 0
Medium Energy Impac t
Pyramid P attern Matrix Crack from im pac t.
Delaminations
Back side fiber fracture
High Energy Impact

0 0 + 45 -45 0 90 90 0 -45 + 45 0 0
T hrough penetration small damage zone
Delamination
Why NDI? Delta II launch
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Primary NDI Technologies used in Composite Structures

Visual Tap Testing Ultrasound X-Ray Thermography Laser Shearography / Interferometry Acoustic Emissions
Visual Inspection
One can visually detect (to some extent):
Burns Disbonds Delaminations Contamination Over-stressed or fractured areas
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Paint Removal
Paint must be removed before a visual
inspection can be performed. DO NOT USE PAINT STRIPPER!! It will attack and eat the resin. Use gentle hand sanding to remove paint; DO NOT SAND INTO THE FIBERS!
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Wing impact loading on aft attach points causes floor to break here
(Picture courtesy of Cirrus Design)
Composite turns white at the point of fracture
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Look at flat angle to detect small defects
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Tap Testing
Effective Cheap, .25 & Up Less Effective On
Thick Laminates Wont Go Through Core Possible False Readings Must Be Able To Hear Quiet Area Needed
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Tap Testing
Wichitech Electronic Tap Hammer
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Ultrasonic Inspection
A-Scan
Pulse-Echo Display
C-Scan
Through Transmission
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Ultrasonic A-Scan Inspection
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Ultrasonic Inspection
A-Scan Display A-Scan
Noise From Imperfections Material Attenuation

Kevlar Reads Poorly, Carbon Reads Better Autoclave cured reads better than vacuum bag cured
Hidden Delaminations
Through-transmission ultrasonics
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Through-transmission ultrasonics: C-scan display of F-18 carbon fiber upper inner wing skin
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X-Ray Inspection
Sees Changes In Density May see Delaminations When Viewed
From An Angle Shows Some Inclusions Can Show Water
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X-Ray Inspection of F-18 horizontal stabilizer
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Thermography
Uses Infrared Video Camera Sees small changes in temperature
Can see many kinds of defects Cutting Edge: Pulsed Thermography
Computer enhanced MOSAIQ Software
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Pulsed Thermography
Disbonded Honeycomb Panel
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Methods of limited value in composites:

Eddy Current Dye Penetrant
Thoroughly contaminates laminate no repair possible.
A-300 Vertical Fin Spar Failure
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Not The First Time
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Problems in Composite NDI

Hidden Damage more prevalent in
composites than in metals. Therefore there is more of a requirement for NDI, but if no one is even aware the component may be damaged, NDI will likely not be utilized.
131
More Problems
Water in honeycomb core
Can easily be detected if there is a lot of water. Moisture not so easy to detect, and often causes skins to blow off sandwich cores during high-temperature cured repairs. Difficult to detect moisture, therefore difficult to know if the component is dry enough to proceed with repair.
Yet More Problems

Heat damage
Easy to detect if severe, especially in fiberglass, but essentially impossible to detect in carbon fiber if it is less severe but still significant damage. Resin matrix becomes more brittle, crack-prone Caused permanent grounding of a Navy A-6
Intruder after engine fire; no one could determine the extent of the heat damage to the new allcarbon fiber wing. Led to the write-off of a ~$40 million aircraft.
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More Problems Still

Cannot detect a weak but still-stuck
adhesive bond.
Easy to detect destructively Unknown how to detect non-destructively. Big problem, relatively common occurrence Aging epoxy degrades, especially hot-wet Improper surface preparations common Many process control issues
So this is an Opportunity!
The industry badly needs the ability to
measure the strength of an adhesive bond non-destructively. Many organizations manufacturers, military, airlines, etc. would pay dearly to have this capability. Probably the biggest missing link in the advanced composites field at this time.
Composite Damage Repair Techniques

Field-level repairs conducted without an autoclave.
Introduction
Damaged composite structures are
definitely repairable. However, there are problems:
Hidden damage issues, including manufacturing defects. Unexpected damage sources. Best repair techniques heavily dependent on details of the structure.
Impact spreads in a cone-shaped area from the point of impact
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Damage Removal
Additional damage assessment must be
performed after paint removal or Tedlar film removal, as hidden damage often becomes more apparent. Damaged composite skin may be removed by careful routing or grinding through the damaged surface.
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Diamond Router Bit Good for Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass, not for Kevlar
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Single Helix Router Good for Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass, not for Kevlar
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Split Helix Router for Kevlar
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Sanding Drum Good for Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass, not for Kevlar
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Diamond Hole Saw Good for Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass, not for Kevlar
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Kevlar Hole Saw with pilot bit
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Die Grinder with 180 grit disk
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Die Grinder with ScotchBrite pad
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Damage Removal
For a solid laminate with through damage,
routing is recommended. For a sandwich skin, with damage into the core, routing also works well. For a thick solid laminate with damage only on surface plies, use careful sanding until undamaged plies are reached.
148
Damage Removal
Damaged core should also be removed Remove damage in circular or oval
shapes, and do not use sharp corners. If an irregular shape must be used, then round off each corner to as large a radius as practical.
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Drying laminates, especially cored structures, is crucial for hightemperature cured repairs.
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Composite Repair Principles

Taper edges of repair plies in doublers.
This is true whether the doubler is to be bonded or mechanically fastened, and is mounted inside or outside the skin.
Avoid stress concentrations
Cross-sections
Composite Fastener Styles

Blind
Access to one side only Cherry / Textron Huck Monogram Two-Part Require access to both sides Huck Hi-Lok
Blind Fasteners
Access to one side
only Pulls stem through rivet body Expands back side Stem breaks flush Sets locking ring
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Blind Fasteners
Access to one side
only Pulls stem through rivet body Expands back side Stem breaks flush Sets locking ring
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Two Part Fasteners

Access From Both
Sides Required Hi-Shear,Hi-Lok,HiTigue Lock Bolts Mechanism Fastens By Threading Or Swaging
Metallic vs. Composite Fasteners
Bearing Area Dramatically Increased To Reduce Tipping and fiber crushing
Bearing Area
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Metallic vs. Composite Countersinks

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Countersinks Come In Two Types; 100 for metals;
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and 130 for composites.

Materials
Fasteners For Composites
A282 Stainless Titanium Monel Corrosion Considerations
158
Fastener Installation
Variety Of Installation Tools Frequently Heavy / Cumbersome Each Manufacturer Has Their Own Go /
No-Go Criteria
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Fastener Removal
OEM Removal Systems
Monogram (Composi-lok II) Huck International Cherry Textron

YES YES * NO
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Fastener Removal
Basics
Disengage Locking Ring (if blind) Drive Out Pin Drill Through Head Only Using Slightly Undersized Bit Remove Head Drive Out Shank
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Fastener Removal
Basics
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Fastener Removal
Basics
163
Fastener Removal
Basics
164
Fastener Removal
Basics
165
Fastener Removal
Basics
166
Fastener Removal
Old Methods Cannot Be Used:
Grinding Head Heats Rivet Excessively Cold Chisel To Cut Locking Ring Will Not Cut Titanium Drilling To Cut Locking Ring Risk Slipping / Wandering Off Head On To
Laminate
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Fastener Removal
Drill Fixture
Necessary To Stay Centered & Prevent Wandering Several Approaches
Carbide Tools
Required For Cutting Titanium Cobalt May Work For Stainless Steel
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Fastener Removal
Monogram Fasteners
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Fastener Removal
Monogram Fasteners
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Fastener Removal
Not Well Addressed By Most
Manufacturers
Exception: Monogram Removal Tools Are Cumbersome Disengage Locking Ring Use Only Carbide Tools Only Drill Deep Enough To Remove Fastener Head
Stick To The Basics
Scarfed (taper sanded) repairs

After initial damage removal, we usually
scarf (taper sand) gently around the repair area.
Rule of thumb - crude approximation - is 1/2 per ply. Lightly loaded structures may be able to tolerate a smaller scarf; heavily loaded structures may require more.
Scarfing
Scarf distance is often referred to by angles,
rather than distance per ply. 20:1 up to as much as 100:1 The flatter the scarf, the larger the adhesive bond, and the lower the load per square inch on the bond. The steeper the scarf, the less undamaged material is removed. 0:1 - Butt joint;
:1 New Part
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Scarfed Repairs
Scarf distance
Double-sided
Scarf distance
Single-sided
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Repair Sequence for Scarfed Repair:

Inspect for extent of damage:
Visual Tap, Ultrasonic, and/or X-rays
Get best access possible, both sides if feasible. Remove all damaged and delaminated material.
Circular or rounded corners
Grind away scarf angle taper:

Smooth, flat ground surface
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Repair Sequence for Scarfed Repair

Determine ply orientations and materials of
original structure. Replace plies:
Adhesive layer first One or more filler plies, orientation not important. Repair plies - match orientations with original structure. Extra plies - usually orientation matches original outer ply. Often an outer adhesive layer.
Scarfed Repair sequence
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Basics of Vacuum Bagging

Purpose of Vacuum Bag:
To provide compaction pressure to laminate or bond Maximum 29.92 Hg @ sea level One atmosphere of pressure = 14.7 PSI @ sea level Loss of approx. 1 Hg (.5 psi) per 1000 ft. of elevation To extract resin, air, & volatiles Bleed excess resin to reduce content Distribute resin equally throughout the laminate/bond joint Remove trapped air, steam, & volatiles

Materials
Release Layer Peel Ply
Nylon/release treated-porous Can transfer release agent residue to part-laminate Polyester/Corona discharge treated leaves no release agent residue but harder to remove Teflon coated fabrics (TFP or TFNP) More expensive-easy to remove-does not transfer
179

Materials (continued)
Release films Solid films
Completely restricts resin bleed and limits volatile extraction
Perforated films
Allows resin/volatile movement through holes in film Hole diameters range from .015 (pin-prick) to .045 (full hole) Hole spacing ranges from 1/4 to 12 centers in commercial films

Flash-breaker tape Used to hold ancillary materials in place for
processing-removable after heat and pressure
Polyester or Kapton film in various widths available Available in .001, .002, & .005 inch thicknesses Cured silicone or non-silicone rubber adhesive face
181

Bleeder materials
Used to absorb excess resin and volatiles from laminate
layers. 2 oz. to 10 oz./yd2 non-woven, polyester or other synthetic fiber material
Breather materials
Used to maintain a continuous vacuum path under bag film provides for down force on laminate (atmospheric pressure)
2 oz. to 18 oz. non-woven synthetics 10 oz. to 40 oz. woven glass fabrics

Separator film Used as a barrier between bleeder and breather
layers
Solid or perforated film, same material as release film Keeps resin from saturating breather Prevents hydraulic lock and loss of down force on laminate under bag by protecting breather path
Sealant Tape Used to seal vacuum bag to mold

Plasticized rubber compound

Bagging film Used as a vacuum tight membrane that provides
down force pressure uniformly across laminate
6-6 Nylon, Kapton, or Hybrid film - available from .001 to .005 thick
Must be pleated to allow for differing heights and

to prevent bridging in inside radius corners within the bagged area.
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Typical bleeder, breather, & bag schedule


Equipment & Hardware
Vacuum Ports (vents) Used to connect to vacuum source using quick
disconnect fittings. Provides vents to breather mechanism to allow air/volatile extraction through vacuum/vent system
Rule of thumb: 2 ports required for every bag less than 10ft2 of area, and an additional port for every additional 10ft2 area of bag film. Place ports in the center of bagged area to maximize radial effectively of ports Impossible to have too many ports?
approx.2.5-3ft
Radial effective area, to pull air bubbles through high-viscosity resin before it gells.
Repair Sequence for Scarfed Repair

Vacuum-bag and cure repair plies as required. Trim to net edge dimensions after cure, if
necessary. Inspect repair for delaminations, inclusions, proper cure documentation, etc. Sand and finish as required.
Do not sand into fibers of repair plies.
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Thermocouples used to measure temperature under the heat blanket
189
Hot Bonders are used to control the heat blanket temperature
190
Cure temperature considerations

Four common choices, with variations:
Room temp - 77oF/25oC Room temp with post-cure at 150oF/66oC 200oF/93oC 250oF/121oC 350oF/177oC First two - wet layup Last two - prepregs
Cure temperature considerations

Which is best?
It depends!
Post-cures are very often required for roomtemperature laminating resins, in order to develop full strength in a reasonable time. Often, but not always, the higher temperature cured prepregs are stronger than room temperature cured materials.
192
Wingtip repair sequence damage mapping
193
Damage removed
194
Damage removal
195
Spar shear web repair
196
Ready for replacement trimmed wingtip installation
197
New tip temporarily held flush with super-glued wood scraps
198
New tip edge bonded in place
199
Edge gaps filled, ready for scarfing and final repair
200
After scarfing; top side repair plies in place, ready to lay up bottom-side repair plies.
201
Repair completed and painted
202
Structural Repair Summary

The more nearly the structure operates at the
true limits of the underlying material, the more difficult the repair. Even heavily-loaded primary structural composites have been successfully repaired for many years - it is not an impossible problem. However, good training in these complex repair techniques is a must!
203
(Note: More radome repair information can be found in the Jan. 2008 issue of B/CA magazine.)
Radome Repair Issues
Radomes are generally constructed of

fiberglass or Kevlar skins, bonded to honeycomb core. Operational performance standards are called out in RTCA DO-213: Minimum Operational Performance Standards for noseMounted Radomes; www.rtca.org.
(Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics.)
204
Radome Classes
Class A: Average of 90 percent efficient with no one
area being less than 85 percent. Class B: Average of 87 percent efficient with no one area being less than 82 percent. Class C: Average of 84 percent efficient with no one area being less than 78 percent. Class D: Average of 80 percent efficient with no one area being less than 75 percent. Class E: Average of 70 percent efficient with no one area being less than 55 percent.
Problems:
Newer radars typically use less power, so
are more sensitive to radome degradation. Moisture trapped in the honeycomb is a very common problem, often in more than one area. Paint thickness is critical; multiple coats of paint will definitely degrade radar performance.
Repair pointers:
Sand off all paint, and inspect entire radome for
damage and/or moisture. Be sure to use ONLY the approved resins and fiber reinforcements for repairs (transparent to microwaves). Not all resins and fibers are! Repair thickness and resin content is critical, so is paint thickness; 0.005 can make a significant difference.
207
Radome testing
Transmissivity testing is a must; requires a
specialized test facility, using 9.375 GHz X-Band equipment. Testing needed both before and after the repair. Its very common for a radome to come in for an impact damage repair to the tip, and find water trapped in other areas of the radome as well. It may be possible to do small repairs near the back edge of the radome without needing transmissivity testing.
Lightning strike meshes: Aluminum and copper
209
Copper mesh on Cessna 400 control surface skin
210
Aluminum mesh on fiberglass after partial sanding
211
Paint thickness zones for lightning strike performance
212
Paint color zones
Paint color zones
214
Antennas and composites: RF transmissivity

Fiberglass and Kevlar are electrical
insulators, and are transparent to RF they will not work as ground planes. Carbon Fiber is a conductor it acts like aluminum, and is not transparent to RF.
215
Corrosion issues
Carbon fiber skin can sometimes be used
as a ground plane, but corrosion issues with fasteners, antenna foot plates, etc. is a concern. A thin layer of fiberglass/epoxy can be a good barrier. Titanium fasteners wont corrode, but they will conduct electricity into aluminum, so a non-conductive sealant can be used.
Internal Antennas
Internal antennas are sometimes found in wooden, fiberglass or Kevlar airframes. Separate ground planes may be needed. Special antennas for internal mounting are rarely available, except for experimentals. Internal antennas must have windows through any lightning strike mesh. These must be designed in at the factory.
217
Ground plane installation
218
So thats it!
Questions? Now is the time.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING FOR A VERY LONG DAY! Michael J. Hoke Abaris Training Inc. www.abaris.com

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Advanced Composite Aircraft Structures, Structural Repairs, Adhesive Bonding & Electrical Characteristics

Michael J. Hoke Abaris Training Resources Inc. AEA 2008

Who is Abaris Training??

We also do numerous on-site classes

Why Reno? - LearFan

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Whats up for today?

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Whats up for today?

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What Are Composites?

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The Basics: Cloth and Glue Wet Layup

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Typical Sandwich Construction

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Kevlar fiber (yellow) Excellent impact resistance, high tensile strength,

The fibers carry most of the load!

Matrix systems (resins)

Bismaleimides Cyanate Esters Phenolics Others

Fabric: material constructed of interlaced yarns, fibers, or filaments

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Many Weave Styles; This is Eight Harness Satin weave

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Unidirectional Tape: Non-woven

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B-2: Approximately 85% of the structural weight is composite

Boeing Bird of Prey

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A-380 fuselage cross-section Boeing 777

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Cirrus SR-20 and 22

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Critical Areas of Damage

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New Honda Jet HF 118

Honda Jet employs an all-carbon fiber reinforced epoxy fuselage

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

NorthropGrumman Global Hawk

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Titan IVB carbon fiber boosters: 114 long, 10 diameter

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Swedish Visby-class 240 foot (73m) all carbon-fiber low-observable ship

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Large Sailing Vessels

Large Windmill Blades

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Onshore Blade Transportation

Transport of a LM 38.8 m rotor blade

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So composites may be here to stay; not a passing fad.

Advanced Composite Fibers and Fiber Forms

Many Types of Fibers, but for advanced composites:

Carbon/Graphite Aramid (Kevlar) Boron UHMW Polyethylene (Spectra) Ceramic

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Carbon Unidirectional Tape

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aramid fiber (Yellow)

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