Towards a practical structural health monitoring technology for patched cracks in aircraft structure

Although bonded composite patches often offer a far more effective repair than conventional mechanically fastened patches, full credit can not be given for their effectiveness in reducing crack growth when used to repair flight safety structure. This is because of the lack of non-destructive techniques to detect bonds with poor long-term integrity and ability to predict the likelihood and rate of patch disbonding. Structural health monitoring (SHM) may overcome this limitation, since patch health can be monitored on a continuous basis.After discussing some of the requirements and options for structural health monitoring of bonded repair patches, a case history is presented on the application of a simple strain-based SHM approach for monitoring the boron/epoxy patch repair of a critical fatigue crack in an F-111C wing. The effectiveness of the strain-based SHM approach is demonstrated, and improvements which would reduce its limitations and raise its practicality to the level (TRL8) where it could be used for in- flight application are discussed.Conventional strain gauges were used in the SHM system which, although found effective, have several limitations. A study on the option of using Bragg grating optical fibres as strain sensors is briefly described. Finally brief details are provided on an alternative longer-term approach and study to use acousto-ultrasonics as the basis of the SHM system.