Benefiting from innovative repair solutions for aircraft

The aviation industry is looking for novel repair solutions to extend the service life of existing structures as long as possible while ensuring the structural integrity in order to minimise the costs of investing in new aircraft.

Composite materials are largely being used in the aerospace industry due to their advantages in extending the lifespan of an aeroplane and reducing the running costs. In this light, the EU-funded project AEROPLAN (Composites repairs and monitoring and validation - Dissemination of innovations and latest achievements to key players of the aeronautical industry) took up the challenge of contributing to this.

AEROPLAN disseminated the research and development (R&D) outcomes and innovations of 12 recent EU-funded projects related to composite repair and monitoring. These projects delivered composite-based aircraft solutions for safer and more efficient repairs in a faster and more cost-effective manner.

The needs of specific industries were defined and then matched with the R&D performed in each project. This led to targeted dissemination of project results via a dedicated website, flyers, posters, handouts and presentation materials to various industries in need of solutions. A series of conferences, seminars and workshops were held to present an overview of the findings for each project.

AEROPLAN also gathered experts in composite repair from the aeronautical industries to set up an expert advisory group.

By directly targeting key aeronautical industry players, AEROPLAN was able to maximise the impact of the results of 12 major projects across Europe. The sector is now in a position to exploit the advancements made in such projects to suit their needs related to existing aircraft or in the development of future designs.