Accelerating MRO procedures for composite materials using innovative detection techniques

The development of large commercial aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 787, together with military aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin F35, with a large share of composite components of up to 50%, make it necessary for attention to be focussed on the development of new and effective maintenance strategies. In this paper, we address the development of ultrasonic measurement techniques, with a focus on structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques that are able to quickly inspect large structural parts of the aircraft. The combination of real-time SHM techniques, together with the parallel development of automated repair techniques for bonded structures, will make it possible to operate the aircraft at lower costs and for longer periods of time, thereby increasing the economic life of these aircraft structures.