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Adhesives play important roles in bonded composite repair as it ensures the transfer of load between the composite patch and the cracked aluminum component. Also, it holds the two structures together. The damage of the adhesive can thus reduce significantly the efficiency and the durability of the bonded composite repair. The adhesive damage models using critical zone have proven their effectiveness due to simplicity and applicability of the damage criteria in these models. The scope of this study is the estimation of the adhesive damage and failure in bonded composite repair of aircraft structures using modified damage zone theory. The effect of this damage on the repair efficiency was analyzed. In order to achieve these objectives, non-linear finite element analyses of adhesive joints considering the material nonlinearity of the adhesive layer were performed. The obtained results show that adhesive damage is principally located at the free edges of the patch and over the crack region. The damage zone ratios depends on the applied load, it affects the repair efficiency when its value approaches the critical value of 0.22.

In this study the three-dimensional nonlinear finite element method is used to determine the J integral variation along the front of repaired crack with bonded composite patch in aircraft structures. It is known that several parameters influence the repair quality such as the size and the intrinsic properties of the adhesive, the patch and the plate. The experimental design method is used to investigate the effects of patch dimensions (length, width and thickness) in order to achieve an optimisation of the repair operation. This optimisation allows us to determine the most influencing parameters on the repair performances. One can thus help the patch designers to improve the repair quality and durability.

In this study, the effects of the adhesive disband on the efficiency of bonded composites repair in aircraft structures were analyzed. The three-dimensional finite element method was used to achieve the objectives of the study. The stress intensity factor at the crack tip was chosen as fracture criteria. The analysis was extended to the single and double symmetric bonded composite patches. The obtained results show that the repair efficiency is negatively influenced if the adhesive disband growths perpendicularly to the crack. In the case of double symmetric patch, the presence of double adhesive disband highly decreases the repair efficiency and increases the risk of adhesion failure between the composite patch and the cracked aluminum structures.

The mechanisms of ceramics–metal assemblies, particularly silver and alumina, can be better understood by studying the strength of their adhesion. These two materials are a priori non-reactive, their thermodynamic work of adhesion is low and the difference between their thermal coefficients of expansion in very considerable. In this study, the strength of silver–alumina junctions elaborated at solid state by thermo-compression is tested by an indirect tensile test and shearing one. The effects of several parameters such as: the pressure of bonding, the time of bonding, the temperature, and the oxygen dissolve in metal solid solution on the strength of the junction are analyzed. The obtained results show that the resistance of the junction is affected by all this parameters and it is essential to optimize these different parameters in order to increase the durability of the junction. It was also shown that the diffusion of the silver in alumina could be the cause of the damage of alumina near the interface.

In this study, the three-dimensional finite element method is used for the analysis of thermal residual stresses in epoxy matrix composite reinforced with boron fibre. The effect of fibre inter-distance, interposition layer, fibre concentration and the interaction between fibres on the residual stresses level were highlighted.