Even though adhesively bonded composite repairs exhibit significant advantages in terms of mechanical efficiency compared to mechanically fastened ones, they are at the same time extremely sensitive to process parameters variations. Small deviations against the repair specifications (e.g. surface preparation) may lead to disproportionally larger consequences to the final mechanical performance of the repair and, consequently, to the integrity of the structure. Moreover, the inevitable differences between laboratory and repair shop conditions, may lead to the cancellation of promising technological achievements for “practical” reasons, because the required conditions could not be easily met in standard practice.

The scope of this proposal was to examine from a practical application point of view the innovations achieved within GRA Task 1.3.6-02 for bonded composite repairs, in order to facilitate their transfer to production conditions. For this reason, the whole chain of process steps which have to be followed for the performance of a typical repair was executed in standard repair shop conditions, in terms of facilities, equipment, tooling and personnel training. Potential contradictions of innovations developed by the GRA to standard repair practices were identified and alternative solutions were proposed, to facilitate their efficient transfer to production standards and requirements. The project success was guaranteed from the background of the consortium:

1. GMI Aero, a bonded composite repair equipment manufacturer and supplier of major airlines and MROs, with over 25 years experience in the development of repair equipment, techniques, advanced solutions and technicians personnel training, and
2. NTUA, a leading institute in the research of bonded composite repairs, cooperating with GMI Aero for more than 15 years in the development of advanced bonded repair processes and having participated to several research projects on composite and metal bonding.