Monitoring of Crack Growth in a Structure Under a Composite Patch

In civil as well as in military aviation, boron, carbon and aramid fiber reinforced composites are employed for the repair of metal structures. After such composite bonded repairs, the monitoring of the repaired structure along with the composite patch and its bond is necessary.

The paper describes the possibilities of utilizing NDT methods for periodical check-ups and examinations. Also, a novel approach to continuous monitoring of the repaired structure is presented.