Expanding What's Possible with Composite Repairs: Vitrimer Patches for Rapid Aerospace Grade Fixes

Composite materials are increasingly used as a construction material for aircraft parts and components because of its light weight and high mechanical strength. This is why WingXpand currently uses on its aircraft deployed with US DoD members and commercial enterprise users. However, these composite materials have intrinsic limitations when it comes to repairing damages, as current methods resulting in a loss of material strength at the impact site in addition to presenting time and logistics constraints to perform the repairs. New, robust capabilities are critically needed for repairing damaged aircraft composite parts in contested environments that overcome these limitations. Vitrimers are a relatively new composite material, with intriguing properties that offer a high degree of potential. WingXpand, in partnership with Ranken Technical College, which has a 100+ year legacy in manufacturing, as well as with the support of WingXpand's existing composites research and development collaborative partner, would confidently be able to determine the feasibility of vitrimer patches for repairing damaged aircraft composite parts.