Page 14 - AAA JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 Online Magazine

Aircraft designed in the 1970s used compos-
ite sandwich honeycomb structure for lightly
loaded secondary structure, but new large
aircraft use thick solid laminates for primary
structure instead of sandwich honeycomb.
These thick solid laminate structures are
quite different from the traditional sandwich
honeycomb structures used for flight con-
trols, landing gear doors, flaps, and spoilers of
today’s aircraft.

New generation large aircraft are designed with
all composite fuselage and wing structures,
and the repair of these advanced composite
materials requires an in-depth knowledge of
composite structures, materials, and tooling.
The primary advantages of composite materi-
als are their high strength, relatively low weight,
and corrosion resistance. “They present a chal-
lenge to repair and are difficult to repair with worldwide will need to adapt to new technology to maintain prof-
a bonded repair method,” says an official of itable margins,” Douglas adds. The industry also is putting some
a leading MRO service provider. He also had effort into training. “Airframers have been working with specialist
a word of caution when he says: “Whenever schools and MROs to train technicians on the latest bonding and
possible, replace, rather than repair.” bolt repair techniques,” Terner of AFI KLM E&M says.

Repairs in composite parts are either prohib- Service Manual from OEMs
ited (leading to extensive replacements) or Airbus had released an ASR (Air vehicle or Aircraft Structural

executed with metals (aluminum or titanium). Repair) manual for managing in-service damage on A350 aircraft.
“Currently the repair of composite parts is either The OEM stated the ASR documentation was evolved from the
prohibited, leading to an extensive replacement former SRM (Structural Repair Manual) for the widebody. The
programme, labour intensive and therefore Toulouse-based airframer says the reason for the new manual is
expensive, time consuming or executed with due to the A350 being a completely new programme with a high
traditional metal materials, such as aluminum use of composite material, new design principles and associated
or titanium,” he says. Steve Douglas, VP of methods had to be adopted.
CAVOK, a division of Oliver Wyman, notes that
the industry, which currently employs 350,000 A350 operators will take delivery of the new manual in two stages:
people worldwide, will approach US$100 billion first at service entry for allowable damage definition and tempo-
- four percent annual growth - by 2026. rary repair solutions, and then two years later, when data related
to internal structure allowable damage, repairs and permanent
“With the new generation aircraft coming into repair is added. OEMs continue to increase their presence in the
the global market over the next 10 years, MROs aftermarket and take market share from established, independent
MROs. The sheer number of new aircraft deliveries is accelerating
OEM growth. Small MROs particularly are feeling the squeeze, as
OEMs maintain a firm grip on the newer technology and the older
technology components retire with the increase in parked aircraft.
The year ahead will pose a growing problem for owners of small
MRO businesses.

Examples are carriers such as Cathay Pacific Airways, which has
selected Airbus to provide Flight Hour Services (FHS) components’
support for its new fleet of 48 A350 XWBs on order (22 A350-900s
plus 26 A350-1000s). The long-term agreement covers guaran-
teed spare parts availability, maintenance and logistics services
at Cathay Pacific’s main base and selected outstations, as well as
flight simulator support. The agreement also covers Integrated
Material Services (IMS) - whereby the purchasing and planning of
the airline’s A350 XWB expendable inventories are outsourced to
Airbus’ dedicated materials management subsidiary, Satair Group.

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