Digital Continuity in the Inspection and Repair of Composite Structures

Abstract

Composite structures present very particular challenges in aviation maintenance. They require tailored and complex inspection and repair solutions. Currently, there are different levels of repair, ranging from cosmetic repair over standard repair solutions according to structural repair manuals up to custom large-scale repair involving extensive engineering support. A key motivation for using composite materials is the aim to build lightweight structural components. Current repair strategies and technologies can be further improved to maintain these lightweight properties. This, however, requires a comprehensive and continuous overall process in order to deliver proper inspection data, assess the extent and effect of damage, derive individual and optimized repair solutions, and execute such repair. Today, these activities involve a large degree of manual work, which is not scalable to an extent, that would allow individual solutions for each damage. This chapter describes methods and technologies to establish digital continuity in repair processes and lays the foundation for optimized repair solutions.