Efficient On-Aircraft Composite Repair Process Requiring Minimal Support Equipment

Currently, the Navy uses a Double Vacuum Debulk (DVD) process to repair damaged graphite/epoxy and fiberglass/epoxy composite components. This process is done by impregnating dry fabric with resin, manually laying up the plies, and debulking in a separate piece of support equipment. The debulked ply stack is then placed on the repair area and cured. This process, which limits the size of the repair, is expensive and creates logistical challenges when repairs are needed on aircraft in small detachments. A Navy SBIR contract was awarded for the development of a repair process that provides repair patches of the same or better quality but minimizes required support equipment and is less labor intensive. Through this SBIR project, Luna Labs has developed a wet layup, co-curing, debulk on-part repair procedure that generates superior repair quality. This advanced single vacuum bag process utilizes a novel breathable, resin barrier (BRB) to fabricate high quality aerospace laminates with <1% void volume directly on-site, while eliminating the size restrictions and complexity of the DVD process. ĀThe proposed Phase II.5 will enable formal technical specification and qualification of the co-curing material system and developed repair process. The co-curing system will be incorporated into the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) database and the BRB readied for commercial purchase as part of the NavyÆs Qualified Products List (QPL).