Enhanced Technology Repair for Corrosion and Fatigue Damage in Hybrid Aerostructure

The cold expansion method has been successfully used in aerospace structures to repair and prevent fatigue damage for more than 50 years. In 2022, PartWorks completed the first part of an innovative program for the United States Air Force using a new process incorporating cold expansion to repair corroded fastener holes (US patent 11,255,371) on aerostructures. This paper summarizes the experimental and analytical results of that development and demonstration program.

• New corroded fastener hole repair technique designed to meet airworthiness requirement faster and less costly
• Digital Image Correlation verifies suitable ERS field
• AR used to record hole location for QA ease and documentation
• New adhesive improves ability of rivetless nut plate to resist torque and pushout