1.

2 Background of Study
The use of composites in aircraft structures and components is constantly growing and
more importantly increases fuel savings by reducing weight without losing the aircrafts
structural strength. These characteristics are essential in meeting the demands of the
aviation industry. Besides its high strength to weight characteristic, additional properties
such as fatigue and corrosion resistance also provide extended design capabilities.
Damage on composite structures usually occurs during maintenance and operation of the
aircraft. As much as composite is growing in the aviation industry, the maintenance and
repair of composites are still considered very complex as composite material properties
vary and unique. Proper knowledge and skills are vital to ensure the continuity of the
airworthiness of the composite structures.
The repaired structure is required to achieve a minimum of 90% of its original strength
and the repair procedures are mostly available in the Structural Repair Manual (SRM).
However, some repair is so complex that it requires a further assistance from the
manufacturers.
Sheet metal aircraft construction dominates modern aviation. Generally, sheet metal
made of aluminum alloys is used in airframe sections that serve as both the structure and
outer aircraft covering, with the metal parts joined with rivets or other types of fasteners.
Sheet metal is used extensively in many types of aircraft from airliners to single engine
airplanes, but it may also appear as part of a composite airplane, such as in an instrument
panel.
Sheet metal is obtained by rolling metal into flat sheets of various thicknesses ranging
from thin (leaf) to plate (pieces thicker than 6 mm or 0.25 inch). The with the higher
gauge denoting thinner metal. Sheet metal can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes.
However, as aircraft development advanced, a breakthrough occurred in the aircraft
aluminum industry. Metallurgists found that mixing, or alloying aluminum with other
metals resulted in a much stronger material. Airframe of the aircraft construction has

depended for many years on the three group of aluminum alloy which is the nickel free
duralumin , aluminum-zink-magnizium group, and derivative of Y alloy. As the need for
aluminum alloys grew, manufacturers continued to refine them to produce materials with
better corrosion resistance and greater strength
Damage to metal aircraft structures is often caused by corrosion, erosion, normal stress,
and accidents and mishaps. Sometimes aircraft structure modifications require extensive
structural rework. For example, the installation of winglets on aircraft not only replaces a
wing tip with a winglet, but also requires extensive reinforcing of the wing structure to
carry additional stresses.
Numerous and varied methods of repairing metal structural portions of an aircraft exist,
but no set of specific repair patterns applies in all cases. The problem of repairing a
damaged section is usually solved by duplicating the original part in strength, kind of
material, and dimensions. To make a structural repair, the aircraft technician needs a
good working knowledge of sheet metal forming methods and techniques.
In general, forming means changing the shape by bending and forming solid metal. In the
case of aluminum, this is usually done at room temperature. All repair parts are shaped to
fit in place before they are attached to the aircraft or component.