System and method for repairing a structural component
First Claim
1. System for repair of a structural component, in particular an aircraft structural component, having:
- a repair patch which is connected to the structural component in such a manner that it covers an opening in the structural component resulting from removing a damaged region of the structural component,a sensor which is fastened to the repair patch in a region of the repair patch covering the opening in the structural component and is configured to detect at least one of strains and stresses occurring in the repair patch,a bridge element which is temporarily connectable to the structural component in such a manner that it spans a section of the structural component comprising the repair patch,a sealing system which is configured to seal a space, defined by the bridge element and the section of the structural component spanned by the bridge element, against the outside atmosphere,a negative pressure-generating device configured to generate, in the space sealed against the outside atmosphere by the sealing system, a pressure which is reduced relative to the ambient pressure, andan evaluating device which is configured to evaluate at least one of the strain values and the stress values detected by the sensor and, in dependence on the result of this evaluation, output a signal which is characteristic of the quality state of the connection between the structural component and the repair patch to enable immediate checking of a quality of the repair patch,wherein the bridge element comprises a base and a carrier supported by the base, the base keeping the carrier at a distance from a surface of the repair patch and the structural component to define said space sealed by the sealing system, andwherein the negative pressure-generating device generates in the sealed space a reduced pressure acting on the repair patch, the reduced pressure corresponding to a differential pressure acting on the repair patch when the aircraft is flying at cruising altitude.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for repairing a structural component, in particular an aircraft structural component, includes a repair patch which is connected to the structural component in such a manner that it covers an opening in the structural component resulting from removing a damaged region of the structural component. A sensor is fastened to the repair patch in a region of the repair patch covering the opening in the structural component and is designed to detect strains and/or stresses occurring in the repair patch. An evaluating device is adapted to evaluate the strain values and/or stress values detected by the sensor and, in dependence on the result of this evaluation, output a signal which is characteristic of the quality state of the connection between the structural component and the repair patch.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. System for repair of a structural component, in particular an aircraft structural component, having:
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a repair patch which is connected to the structural component in such a manner that it covers an opening in the structural component resulting from removing a damaged region of the structural component, a sensor which is fastened to the repair patch in a region of the repair patch covering the opening in the structural component and is configured to detect at least one of strains and stresses occurring in the repair patch, a bridge element which is temporarily connectable to the structural component in such a manner that it spans a section of the structural component comprising the repair patch, a sealing system which is configured to seal a space, defined by the bridge element and the section of the structural component spanned by the bridge element, against the outside atmosphere, a negative pressure-generating device configured to generate, in the space sealed against the outside atmosphere by the sealing system, a pressure which is reduced relative to the ambient pressure, and an evaluating device which is configured to evaluate at least one of the strain values and the stress values detected by the sensor and, in dependence on the result of this evaluation, output a signal which is characteristic of the quality state of the connection between the structural component and the repair patch to enable immediate checking of a quality of the repair patch, wherein the bridge element comprises a base and a carrier supported by the base, the base keeping the carrier at a distance from a surface of the repair patch and the structural component to define said space sealed by the sealing system, and wherein the negative pressure-generating device generates in the sealed space a reduced pressure acting on the repair patch, the reduced pressure corresponding to a differential pressure acting on the repair patch when the aircraft is flying at cruising altitude. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21)
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8. Method for repair of a structural component, in particular an aircraft structural component, having the steps:
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connecting a repair patch to the structural component in such a manner that the repair patch covers an opening in the structural component resulting from removing a damaged region of the structural component, fastening a sensor, which is configured to detect at least one of strains and stresses occurring in the repair patch, to a region of the repair patch covering the opening in the structural component, temporarily connecting a bridge element to the structural component in such a manner that the bridge element spans a section of the structural component comprising the repair patch, sealing a space, defined by the bridge element and the section of the structural component spanned by the bridge element, against the outside atmosphere, generating, in the space sealed against the outside atmosphere by the sealing system, a pressure which is reduced relative to the ambient pressure, evaluating at least one of the strain values and the stress values detected by the sensor by comparing the at least one of strains and stresses detected by the sensor with a threshold value which is characteristic of a desired quality state of the connection between the structural component and the repair patch to enable immediate checking of a quality of the repair patch, and outputting a signal which is characteristic of the quality state of the connection between the structural component and the repair patch, in dependence on the result of said comparing operation, wherein the bridge element comprises a base and a carrier supported by the base and connecting the bridge element, so that the base keeps the carrier at a distance from a surface of the repair patch and the structural component to define said space sealed by said sealing, and wherein generating the pressure comprises generating in the sealed space a reduced pressure acting on the repair patch, so that the reduced pressure corresponds to a differential pressure acting on the repair patch when the aircraft is flying at cruising altitude. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 22, 23)
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Specification