FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS FOR THROUGH THICKNESS REINFORCEMENT REPAIR OF DELAMINATED CARBON-EPOXY PANELS

摘要

This paper outlines and examines a Through-Thickness Reinforcement Repair (TTRR) technique for delaminated polymer matrix composite (PMC) laminates. This involves drilling fine holes through the delaminated region and bonding pins into these holes. A rapid finite element technique was developed to rank different configurations' as to their effectiveness as a repair technique. A previous experimental study found the TTRR technique to be highly effective, with 8 pins bonded in a ring within a 50 mm circular delamination. This repair restored the open hole compression strength to 93% that of the undamaged laminate. A further increase in pin density was found to provide no additional improvement in the repair efficacy. These results were confirmed by the finite element analysis.