A technique for repairing the damaged skins of various military aircraft that is rapid, effective and repeatable, using a high power diode laser (HPDL) has been demonstrated. Using the HPDL, a thermoplastic adhesive interlayer was melted forming a joint between an APC-2 (PEEK/graphite composite) repair patch and an Alclad substrate. When subjected to various standard aerospace tests, the HPDL generated bonds were found to be superior to those produced using more established techniques. In single lap shear tests, the shear strength of the HPDL bond was 47.8+- 4.7 MPa, compared to 32.4+- 3.7 MPa for induction welded samples and published strengths of 41.7 MPa for restive implant welded samples. When subjected to the Boeing wedge test, the HPDL samples had a 1 h crack growth rate that was rated as very good (1.9+- 0.5 mm/h); for the induction welded samples the 1 h crack growth rate that was rated as good (2.7+-1.2 mm/h). Of great significance was the processing time achieved with the HPDL, which was reduced from 11.75 mins when employing induction welding to 2.75 mins with the HPDL. These preliminary results demonstrate that the HPDL-based technique is a feasible solution to the possibly debilitating problem of grounded aircraft in a combat context by rendering the aircraft airworthy again in a very short time. What is more, the nature of the HPDL lends itself to battle field deployment. Moreover, the HPDL has been shown in this work to be a tool for bonding that is superior to its contemporary counterparts. It is, therefore, distinctly possible that even stronger bonds could be achieved with the HPDL if different adhesives were used.
A high power diode laser (HPDL)-based technique for the bonding of composite patches to aluminium alloys on various military aircraft
Verfahren zum Aufkleben von Verbundflächen auf Aluminiumlegierungen für Militärflugzeuge mit Hochleistungs-Diodenlaser (HPDL)
2005
5 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 12 Quellen
Conference paper
Storage medium
English
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