Post-processing

• As industries strive for innovation and efficiency, it is

crucial to recognize the pivotal role that post-
processing plays in the manufacturing workflow.
• Post-processing is the bridge between raw products,
and high-quality finishes, enhancing the final output’s
aesthetics, functionality, and overall value.
 Post-processing
• Mechanical finishing: Sanding, grinding, polishing
to smoothen surfaces and remove layer lines.
• Chemical treatments: Applying chemical solutions
to improve surface properties like adhesion or
corrosion resistance.
• Machining: Cutting or drilling precise features on the
PMC part.
• Heat treatment: Controlled heating to improve
mechanical properties like strength and dimensional
stability.
• Coatings: Applying protective or functional coatings
like paints, adhesives, or anti-corrosion layers.
 Example applications of PMC post-processing:
• Aerospace parts: Polishing carbon fiber composite
components for aerodynamic efficiency.
• Automotive components: Applying protective
coatings on fiber-reinforced plastic parts to enhance
durability.
• Medical devices: Precise machining of PMC parts to
meet strict tolerances for surgical implants.
Enhancing Aesthetics and Functionality
• One of the primary functions of post-processing is to
enhance the aesthetics of the final product.
• Raw components, whether produced through additive
or traditional means, often exhibit surface
imperfections, layer lines, or rough textures.
• Post-processing steps such as sanding, polishing,
vapor smoothing, dyeing, painting and surface
treatments can be applied to eliminate these
imperfections, resulting in a smoother and more
visually appealing finish.
Enhancing Aesthetics and Functionality
• Post-processing steps can be essential for improving
the functionality of the manufactured products.
• In traditional manufacturing, intricate components may
require additional machining or finishing to meet tight
tolerances and threading or tapping specifications.
• Similarly, composite manufacturing processes may
produce parts with varying degrees of accuracy, which
can be refined through post-processing techniques.
• This not only ensures that the final products meet
quality standards but also enhances their performance
in real-world applications.
Environmental protection for polymer-matrix composites
(PMCs) involves using coatings, fillers, and reinforcements
to protect the fibers from corrosion and other
environmental factors.
Coatings
• Boron-nitride (iBN) coating: A protective coating
grown in-situ on the fibers to improve environmental
resistance
• Wear protective coating: A coating that protects
components from erosive environments, such as those
found in aero-engines
• Fillers

ZrO2: A filler that can reduce the ablation rate of PMCs by

up to 30.6%
 Value Addition and Customization
• These enhancements not only elevate the quality of the
product but also extend its lifespan, making it more
valuable to end-users.
• Furthermore, post-processing plays a crucial role in
achieving product customization.
• Whether it’s adding intricate designs, textures, or
personalized branding, post-processing allows
manufacturers to tailor their products to specific
customer requirements.
• In an era where customization is highly valued, the
ability to differentiate products through post-processing
gives manufacturers a competitive edge in the market.
 Optimizing Time and Resources
• While post-processing adds additional steps to the
manufacturing workflow, its benefits in terms of product
quality and customer satisfaction far outweigh the time
and resources invested.
• By optimizing post-processing techniques,
manufacturers can streamline their production
processes, reduce waste, and achieve higher efficiency
in delivering high-quality products to the market.
 Optimizing Time and Resources
• Whether utilizing traditional manufacturing methods,
post-processing acts as the linchpin that transforms raw
products into high-quality, refined goods.
• From enhancing aesthetics and functionality to adding
value through customization, the careful application of
post-processing techniques is essential for
manufacturers looking to stay competitive in an ever-
evolving market.
 JOINT DESIGN
• The purpose of a joint is to transfer loads from one
member to another in a structure.
• The design of joints has a special significance in fiber-
reinforced composite structures for two reasons:(1) the
joints are often the weakest areas in a composite
structure &(2) the composite materials do not possess the
forgiving characteristics of ductile metals, namely, their
capacity to redistribute local high stresses by yielding.
• For composite laminates, the basic joints are either
mechanical or bonded.
• Mechanical joints are created by fastening the substrates
with bolts or rivets; bonded joints use an adhesive
interlayer between the substrates (commonly called the
adherents).
Mechanical Joints:
1. Permit quick and repeated disassembly for repairs or
replacements without destroying the substrates
2. Require little or no surface preparation
3. Are easy to inspect for joint quality
4. Require machining of holes that interrupt the fiber
continuity and may reduce the strength of the substrate
laminates
5. Create highly localized stress concentrations around
the joints that may induce failure in the substrates
6. Add weight to the structure
7. May create a potential corrosion problem, for example,
in an aluminum fastener if used for joining carbon fiber –
epoxy laminates
Bonded Joints :
1. Distribute the load over a larger area than mechanical
joints
2. Require no holes, but may need surface preparation
(cleaning, pretreatment, etc. )
3. Add very little weight to the structure
4. Are difficult to disassemble without either destroying or
damaging substrates
5. May be affected by service temperature, humidity, and
other environmental conditions
6. Are difficult to inspect for joint quality
Composite repairs
 Composite repairs
• Composite repairs are performed on damaged
laminate structures, fibre reinforced composites and
other composite materials.
• The bonded composite repair reduces stresses in the
damaged region and prevents cracks from opening or
growing.
• Damage to composite components is not always
visible to the naked eye and the extent of damage is
best determined for structural components by
suitable Non Destructive Test (NDT) methods.
 The need for repair
• A composites product is designed along with materials
selection to satisfy specified performance requirements.
• The shape will normally have been designed to meet
known structural requirements and desired aesthetics.
• The product will continue to function satisfactorily until
damage occurs due to material breakdown from wear,
fatigue, external impact, or misuse. the decision to
repair or replace is taken.
• If it is a low-cost and easily disassembled item then
direct replacement does not pose a problem.
• However, many replacement parts are very expensive,
so repair must be an option to make a product viable in
a service situation.
Composite repairs
Typical laminate and sandwich repairs
• “Best” repair techniques are heavily dependent on the
details of the structure.
• In other words, because composites excel at being
tailored to meet very specific needs, there are few
“universal” materials and methods that can be used to
achieve successful results.
• Composite repair specifics really have to be determined
on a case-by-case basis.
• The basics process of composite repair remains largely
the same i.e.
 Inspect to assess damage (extent and degree)
 Remove damaged material
 Treat contaminated material
 Prepare repair area
 Complete composite repair; (e.g. replace damaged
material and bolt or bond a patch)
 Inspect repair for quality assurance (e.g. delaminations,
inclusions, proper cure, etc.)
 Restore surface finish
• However, the decisions made in designing a composite
structure, such as thickness, solid laminate or cored
construction, shape and curvature, and use of bonded
integral stiffeners, all affect what types of inspection
and repair will be cost-effective and even possible, in
turn affecting overall life-cycle cost.
• All repairs of composite or bonded aircraft assemblies
should be conducted according to the specific
instructions outlined in the structural repair manual
A structural repair manual (SRM) is a guide that provides
information on how to identify, repair, and inspect the
primary and secondary structures of an aircraft.
It's a maintenance document that's distributed by the
aircraft manufacturer.
Damage types: Details the types of damage that can
occur to the aircraft
Repair plans: Provides standard repair plans for the
aircraft
Acceptable damage limitations: Describes the limits of
damage that can be repaired
Repair materials: Lists the materials needed to repair the
aircraft
General airplane data: Provides information about the
aircraft in general
 Repairs category
• Repairs can be categorized as fill, injection, bolted, or
bonded.
• Simple fill repairs are conducted with paste adhesives
to repair such nonstructural damage as minor
scratches, gouges, nicks, and dings.
• Injection repairs use low-viscosity adhesives that are
injected into composite delaminations or adhesive
debonds.
• Bolted repairs are usually done on thick, highly loaded
composite laminates, whereas bonded repairs are often
required for thin-skin honeycomb assemblies.
 Fill repairs
• Fill repairs are nonstructural and therefore should be
confined to minor damage.
• two-part high-viscosity thixotropic epoxy adhesives are
normally used for these types of repairs.
• the surface to be repaired should be dry and free of any
contamination that would prevent the filler from
adhering.
• before filling, the surface should be lightly sanded with
180- to 240-grit silicon carbide paper.
• once the adhesive is mixed and applied to the surface,
most epoxy adhesives will cure sufficiently within 24
hours at room temperature so that they can be sanded
flush with the surface.
• Heat lamps are often used to accelerate the cure by
heating the adhesive to 180 ºF (80 ºC) for one hour.
Typical hot bonder portable unit. It can apply vacuum, heat up the
repair area and constantly monitor and regulate temperature
 Injection repairs
• Low-viscosity two-part epoxy adhesives are injected
under low or moderate pressure, as shown in the two
examples in Figure 2 below.
• If the delamination does not extend to an edge, small-
diameter, flat-bottom holes 0.050 in. (1.3 mm) in
diameter are drilled to a depth usually determined by
pulse-echo ultrasonics.
• two or more holes are generally required, one for
injection and one for venting.
• to help the resin flow into tight delamination, it is
helpful to preheat the delaminated area to 120 to 140
ºF (50 to 60 ºC).
• preheating reduces the resin’s viscosity and helps it
flow into the delamination.
 Bolted repairs
• A typical bolted repair consists of an external titanium
patch, a center plug in the damaged area, and a two-
piece internal patch.
• the internal patch is split into two pieces so that it can
be inserted inside the skin.
• normal composite drilling and fastener installation
procedures are used.
• After all of the holes have been drilled and reamed to
their final sizes, the patch is removed and deburred.
• A layer of woven glass cloth is impregnated with
sealant to provide both sealing and corrosion protection
• the full-size holes in the patch are countersunk, and the
patch is installed with either one-sided blind fasteners.
 Bonded repairs
A typical hot-bonded field repair procedure steps:
 the damaged area is mapped out with pulse-echo
ultrasonics to determine whether the repair falls within
the limits of the structural repair manual. (If it does not,
then a strength engineer should be consulted for an
alternative course of action.)
 the damaged plies are carefully removed using high-
speed routers with depth control.
 the repair area is bagged with a heat blanket and
subjected to full vacuum (22 in. (559 mm) of Hg
vacuum minimum)
 the cured patch is unbagged and the area cleaned up.
 the quality of the repair is inspected with pulse-echo
ultrasonics. the repaired area is refinished to match the
rest of the structure.
 Bonded repairs

[Link]
• Composite repairs are needed due to either
manufacturing defects or in-service defects.
• Once the defect is identified depending on the
nature of the defect fill, bonded, bolted or injection
repairs can be carried out.
• After the repair, Non-destructive Testing is carried
out to ensure the repair's success
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