Design and analysis of aeronautical repair: fastened x bonded

During the normal aircraft operation, some structural damages might occur due to, for example, bird strike or fatigue cracks. In order to keep the aircraft airworthiness, these damages could be repaired by bonded or fastened patches setting a new load path relieving the damaged structure. Bonded patches presents some advantages when compared with fastened ones, featuring better fatigue endurance and better finishing. The present work presents a study of advantages of bonded repair when compared to fastened repair, using a finite element analysis in order to model both type of structural repair. Thus, it is showed the repaired structure load redistribution, as well as, the nearby damage stress field modifications. Besides, the bonded repair is evaluated by a specific software for bonded join analysis (SAJ) developed by Aeronautical Structural Group of São Carlos Engineering School.