Advanced Repair Technologies

Within the aerospace sector, aftermarket services account for over fifty percent of revenue generated by aero engine manufacturers. Central to this is the ability to inspect and repair high unit cost components, both on-platform and in repair and overhaul facilities, in order to safely return them to operational service. With the drive towards ever-increasingly complex aero-engine architectures, highly engineered components and advanced material systems, many existing repair processes will not be capable of meeting the new aftemarket need. This project will therefore develop and demonstrate three key advanced repair technologies, including the cost-efficient high-integrity repair of blisks, on-platform repair and structural repair of composite components. These repair processes must be capable of being applied to complex geometries and accommodate component variation resulting from service operation.