PROCESS FOR BONDING STAGED COMPOSITES WITH A COBONDED STAGED ADHESIVE AND ARTICLE

Abstract

A process for producing a fiber reinforced, staged resin composite or repair patch containing a staged and cobonded adhesive, comprises providing a composite or patch formed of one or more layers of a fiber reinforced thermosetting resin such as a graphite-epoxy material and applying a layer of a thermosetting resin adhesive, e.g. an epoxy adhesive, to a surface of the fiber reinforced resin material. The arrangement is then placed in a vacuum environment such as a nonautoclave tool, to draw off volatiles from the resin, and the temperature is raised under conditions to stage the thermosetting resin of the adhesive and of the composite or patch, and cobonding the staged adhesive to the staged composite or patch. The resulting cobonded and staged composite-adhesive can be stored until ready for use, e.g. in repairing a damaged substrate. For this purpose the repair patch formed of the staged composite-adhesive is placed with the adhesive layer in contact with the damaged substrate surface, and the arrangement heated at elevated temperature to cure the resin and bond the repair patch to the substrate surface.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Inventor

• 1GEORGE O. SHERRICK

Sensitive facility: El Segundo CA (Aerospace Corp/TRW)