Aircraft Composite Materials and Repair Quiz

Aircraft Composite Materials and Repair Overview

• Composite components for aircraft lightning strike protection use layers of conductive materials, such as nickel-coated graphite cloth, metal meshes, aluminized fiberglass, and conductive paints.
• Technicians repairing these structures must ensure the electrical conductivity is restored, often requiring a conductivity test with an ohmmeter.
• Approved materials, like potting compounds, sealants, and adhesives, must be used from authorized vendors for repairing these structures.
• Thermosetting resins, such as polyester, vinyl ester, phenolic, and epoxy, are widely used in aircraft composite materials due to their diverse properties and curing methods.
• Polyamides are used in high-temperature environments for circuit boards and hot engine and airframe structures, requiring high cure temperatures.
• Poly benzimidazole and bismaleimide resins are used for high-temperature resistance in aircraft components like aero engines, with processing similar to epoxy resins.
• Thermoplastic resins offer advantages like processing speed, and their properties vary based on whether they are semicrystalline or amorphous.
• Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a high-temperature thermoplastic used in aircraft components and can be reinforced with glass and carbon.
• Thermosetting resins undergo three curing stages: A, B, and C, with prepreg materials being cured with elevated temperatures and stored in freezers.
• Dry fiber materials, such as carbon, glass, and Kevlar, are used in aircraft repair procedures through a wet layup process, offering the advantage of long-term storage.
• Thixotropic agents are used to create adhesive materials that are gel-like at rest but become fluid when agitated, with high static shear strength and low dynamic shear strength.
• Film adhesives for aerospace applications are generally supplied as thin film supported on a release paper and stored under refrigerated conditions.

Test your knowledge of aircraft composite materials and repair with this overview quiz. Explore topics such as conductive materials, resin types, repair procedures, and adhesive technologies used in the aerospace industry.