Optimization of Structural Damage Repair with Single and Double-Sided Composite Patches through the Finite Element Analysis and Taguchi Method

Abstract

Over the last four decades, numerous studies have been conducted on the use of bonded composite repairs for aircraft structures. These studies have explored the repair of damaged plates through experimental, numerical, and analytical methods and have found that bonded composite repairs are effective in controlling crack damage propagation in thin plates. The use of double-sided composite repairs has been found to improve repair performance within certain limits. This study focuses on these limits and optimizes double-sided composite repairs by varying adhesive bond and composite patch parameters. The optimization process begins with a finite element analysis to determine the stress intensity factor (SIF) for various variables and levels, followed by the application of the Taguchi method to find the optimal combination of parameters for maximizing the normalized SIF. In conclusion, we successfully determined the stress intensity factor (SIF) for various variations and normalized it for optimization. An optimization study was then performed using the Taguchi design and the results were analyzed. Our findings demonstrate the repair performance of bonded composite patches using a cost-effective and energy-efficient approach.