Airbus has developed a new composite repair solution |
| Romain Guillot |
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07 JUN 2017 | 212 words
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An Airbus working group from company locations in Spain, Germany, the UK and France has developed a new process for composite repairs which could soon be used in maintenance centres and directly on aircraft.
The working group developed a portable robotic repair jet that uses water mixed with an abrasive to remove up to 500 sq. cm. of damaged material for replacement with new carbon fibre. The replacement composite material is cured on site - at an airport or maintenance centre, for example - eliminating the need for the large autoclave traditionally employed in the manufacture of composites.
"The repair jet is a new, Airbus-qualified tool," explained Sebastien Hanser, the major repairs technical project manager. "The machine's advantages include its ability to repeat tasks and contain carbon dust. It is suited to difficult locations on the aircraft, such as where an operator would be working upside down, and it has a development potential."
Airbus has also developed an inflatable clean room to be able to control the temperature, dust and humidity conditions specific to this type of repair. This new technique of composite repairs was also tested in Toulouse in real conditions on A350-900 MSN003 flight test aircraft at the end of last year.
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Romain Guillot
Chief editor
Cofounder of Journal de l'Aviation and Alertavia
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