DOT/FAA/AR-08/54 Guidelines for the Development of a

240 Pages·2009·1.94 MB·English

by  Charles Seaton

DOT/FAA/AR-08/54
Guidelines for the Development

Air Traffic Organization of a Critical Composite
Operations Planning
Office of Aviation Research
Maintenance and Repair Issues
and Development
Washington, DC 20591
Awareness Course

February 2009

Final Report

This document is available to the U.S. public
through the National Technical Information
Services (NTIS), Springfield, Virginia 22161.

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S.
Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The
United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or use
thereof. The United States Government does not endorse products or
manufacturers. Trade or manufacturer's names appear herein solely
because they are considered essential to the objective of this report. This
document does not constitute FAA certification policy. Consult your local
FAA aircraft certification office as to its use.

This report is available at the Federal Aviation Administration William J.
Hughes Technical Center’s Full-Text Technical Reports page:
actlibrary.act.faa.gov in Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF).
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

DOT/FAA/AR-08/54
4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date

GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CRITICAL COMPOSITE February 2009
MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR ISSUES AWARENESS COURSE

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

Larry Ilcewicz1, Lester Cheng1, Joe Hafenricher2, and Charles Seaton3
9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

1Federal Aviation Administration 3Edmonds Community College
FAA/Seattle ACO 728 134th Street SW, Suite 128
1601 Lind Avenue, SW Everett, WA 98204
Renton, WA 98057

2The Boeing Phantom Work
Structural Technology R&D
410 118th Avenue, S.E. #12 11. Contract or Grant No.

Bellevue, WA 98005

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered

U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report
Federal Aviation Administration
Air Traffic Organization Operations Planning
Office of Aviation Research and Development

Washington, DC 20591 14. Sponsoring Agency Code
AIR-110
15. Supplementary Notes

The Federal Aviation Administration Airport and Aircraft Safety R&D Division COTR was Curt Davies.
16. Abstract

This report documents the results of a Federal Aviation Administration Cooperative Agreement with Edmonds Community
College to develop a standard for teaching an introductory course on critical composite maintenance and repair issues. The
course will serve as an introduction and provide an awareness of safety issues regarding the maintenance and repair of composite
materials used in aerospace. The course will also provide a background for further study for those interested in becoming
qualified practitioners. This course is intended for engineers, technicians, inspectors, and other personnel involved with the
maintenance and repair of composite structures.

The framework for the awareness course is defined by Terminal Course Objectives, which are summarized further into terminal
course modules. The four main areas at the highest outline level include base knowledge, teamwork and disposition, damage
detection and characterization, and repair processes. Content includes text, laboratory instructions, and videos in support of the
course objectives. Materials for evaluating the effectiveness of the course content in meeting the standards represented in this
report are provided with reference to industry documents, especially CACRC AIR report 5719, which provides a checklist of
detailed teaching points. An instructor’s guide is also included to assist in developing the course. Additionally, several
collaborative workshops and other forums that were held during the development process, involving industry, academia, and
government regulatory agencies are described.

17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement

Composite materials, Awareness, Safety, Critical This document is available to the U.S. public through the
maintenance, Repair National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield,
Virginia 22161.
19. Security Classif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price
Unclassified Unclassified 240

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The planning and execution of this project was a collaborative effort with many individuals in
industry, academia, and government. The following individuals played key roles:

Federal Aviation Administration
Curt Davies
Peter Shyprykevich, retired

Industry
Mike Hoke and David Casteller
Abaris Training Resources Incorporated
5401 Longley Lane, Suite 49
Reno, Nevada 89511

Howard Banasky and Eric Casterline
Heatcon Composite Systems
600 Andover Park East
Seattle, Washington 98188-7610

Edmonds Community College
Cyndi Schaeffer

iii/iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY xiii

1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Report Organization 1
1.2 Industry Standard for a Course on Composites Maintenance 1

2. OVERVIEW 2
2.1 Product Development and Substantiation 2
2.2 Continued Airworthiness and Operational Safety 3
2.3 Other Essential Elements 4
2.4 Technical Issues 5
2.5 Teamwork and Disposition 5
2.6 Roles and Responsibilities 5
2.7 Information Contained in Documentation 8
2.8 Damage Detection and Characterization 9

2.8.1 Damage Types and Sources 10
2.8.2 Damage and Repair Inspection Procedures 13

2.9 Repair Processes 15

2.9.1 Bonded Composite Repair 16
2.9.2 Bolted Composite Repair 19

3. SAFETY MESSAGES 22
3.1 All Aspects of Composite Maintenance are Interlinked 23
3.2 Damage Disposition Must be Based on Approved Data 24
3.3 Use of Approved Sources is Vital to Proper Aircraft Maintenance
and Repair 24
3.4 Correct Processing of Composite Components is Critical 25
3.5 In-Service Inspections of Composite Components is Necessary for Safety 25
3.6 Correct Processing is Critical to the Elimination of Defects in
Bonded Composite Repairs 25
3.7 Misuse of Equipment or Misinterpretation of Inspection Results may be
Detrimental to Safety 26
v
3.8 Improper Bolted Repair may Impair Flight Safety 26
3.9 Each Member of the Repair Team has a Role and Responsibility 26

4. TERMINAL COURSE MODULES AND OBJECTIVES TO THE
AWARENESS COURSE 27
4.1 Base Knowledge 27

4.1.1 Understand the Basics of Composite Materials Technology 27
4.1.2 Understand the Basics of Composite Materials Maintenance
and Repair 28
4.1.3 Understand Other Critical Elements of Composite Maintenance
and Repair 28
4.1.4 Be Aware of Composite Maintenance Research and Industry
Developments 29

4.2 Teamwork and Disposition 29

4.2.1 Understand Roles and Responsibilities 30
4.2.2 Identify and Describe Information Contained in Documentation and
Regulatory Rules 30
4.2.3 Demonstrate Awareness of Course Principles Applied to Composite
Damage Disposition and Repair 31
4.3 Damage Detection and Characterization 31

4.3.1 Recognize Composite Damage Types and Sources 32
4.3.2 Describe Composite Damage and Repair Inspection Procedures 32

4.4 Repair Processes 33

4.4.1 Describe Composite Laminate Fabrication and Bonded
Repair Methods 33
4.4.2 Perform a Simple Bonded Composite Repair 34
4.4.3 Describe Composite Laminate Bolted Assembly and Repair Methods 34
4.4.4 Perform a Simple Bolted Composite Repair 35
vi
5. COURSE STRUCTURE AND DESIGN 35
5.1 The TCO Framework 35

5.1.1 Example of TCO Arrangement in a Traditional Classroom 35

5.2 Curriculum Format 41

APPENDICES

A—Instructor’s Guide
B—Curriculum Development Process and Outcomes

vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page

1 Course Structure: Monday Morning 36
2 Course Structure: Monday Afternoon 36
3 Course Structure: Tuesday Morning 37
4 Course Structure: Tuesday Afternoon 37
5 Course Structure: Wednesday Morning 38
6 Course Structure: Wednesday Afternoon 38
7 Course Structure: Thursday Morning 39
8 Course Structure: Thursday Afternoon 39
9 Course Structure: Friday Morning 40
10 Course Structure: Friday Afternoon 40

viii
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page

1 Critical Safety Issues 22

ix
LIST OF ACRONYMS
3D Three-dimensional
AC Advisory Circular
AD Airworthiness Directive
ADL Allowable damage limits
AMC Acceptable means of compliance
AMM Aircraft Maintenance Manual
AOG Aircraft on ground
ATA Air Transportation Association of America
AWM Airworthiness Manual
BAA Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement
BASA Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement
BVID Barely visible impact damage
CACRC Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee
CAR Canadian Aviation Regulation
CATT Computer-assisted tap test
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CFRP Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic
CMM Component Maintenance Manual
CS Certification Specification
DER Designated engineering representative
DVD Double vacuum debulk
EASA European Aviation Safety Agency
EC European Commission
emf Electromotive force
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FEP Fluorinated ethylene propylene
GA General aviation
GFRP Glass fiber-reinforced plastic
IPA Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness
ISO International Organization for Standards
LSP Lightning strike protection
MAUS Mobile automated scanners
MIA Mechanical impedance analysis
MIBK Methyl isobutyl keytone
MOR Maintenance Occurrence Report
MPD Maintenance planning document
MRO Maintenance and repair organization
MIL HDBK-17 Military Composite Material Handbook 17
MRB Material Review Board
NDI Nondestructive inspection
OEM Original equipment manufacturer
P/E Pulse-echo
PMB Plastic media blast
PSE Principal structural element
x