Flexural response of patch repaired composite cantilever beams loaded in Flapwise direction

Abstract Repairing damaged composite beams can significantly extend their lifespan, resulting in substantial cost savings over time. In general, repairing involves three steps: locating damage, damage removal, and then patching the resulting hole. Hence, it becomes imperative to understand the effectiveness of the repair process. To this end, a series of experiments were conducted to study the effect of different parameters like hole size, hole location, filler material, and repair techniques on the damage response of the undamaged, damaged, and repaired specimens. From the experiments on damaged specimens with different hole diameters (‘D’) and hole location (‘L’), visible cracks are found to appear for those specimens with an L/D ratio less than 10% of D. The specimen with critical hole size and location, thus identified, is used to study the effectiveness of different repair techniques. The patch repair technique is found effective in restoring the load carrying capacity of the repaired beams subjected to flapwise bending, but the effectiveness is dependent on the filler type being used in the plug to repair the damage. In particular, the specimens repaired using a plug made from part of the parent laminate and from impregnated fabric layers are found to be the promising repair technique. Highlights Critical combination of hole size and location for specimen is identified. Study focuses on the effectiveness of repair on flapwise bending. Effect of different filler materials on the effectiveness of repairs is studied. Effect of plug configuration on effectiveness of repairs is studied.