Preface

The BFRP crack-patching technique has been applied to the field repair of fatigue cracks in the aluminium alloy wing skins of Mirage III fighter aircraft. Finite-element procedures were used in patch design. The repair was qualified using fatigue-crack propagation studies on panels simulating the cracked and repaired area. A field support unit was designed to allow repairs to be carried out by air force personnel during routine maintenance of the aircraft. To date over 150 patches have been applied and nearly three years of operational history gained. While some crack growth was observed after repair of a few wings, the patch stopped further growth and no wing skin has required further repair.