Experimental study on mechanical performance of cracked aluminium alloy repaired with composite patch

Abstract

This study represents the experimental investigation on the mechanical behaviour of edge-cracked aluminium plates repaired with single sided composite patch. In this work, the adhesively bonded composite patch repair technique has been used for the reliability of the cracked aluminium structural components as well as to extend its life. More uniform and load transfer into the patch, easy application for reduced risk of corrosion and reduced stress concentration are some of the significant advantages of this technique. For some applications the adhesively bonded composite patching is the only alternative technique to costly component replacement. For this technique, at first the cracked and uncracked specimens were fabricated using AA 1080 aluminium alloy of 3 mm thickness and bonded with single side composite patch. For making the patch in the woven E-glass fiber was used for the reinforcement. Two lay-ups were used i.e. 4-ply and 6-ply in case of woven E-glass fiber and so far the aluminium specimens are considered, they have three edge-crack of different lengths. Now according to ASTM standards, two different tests were carried out on these specimens i.e. Tensile Test, Bending Test and Hardness test. The obtained experimental results are compared with the results for cracked, uncracked and repaired, unrepaired cracked specimens. The effect of patching on the mechanical properties of the cracked plate is more significant. In each loading case, the best patches are reinforced with aluminium alloy and the tensile, bending loading tests are conducted again for the repaired specimens with these patches.