HK1125964B - Aircraft plastics repair - Google Patents

Description

Aircraft plastic repair

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of plastics and other synthetic materials and to the repair of these materials. In particular, the invention relates to a method of repairing an interior component of an aircraft.

Background

It is common for various internal devices of an aircraft to become damaged after a period of use.

Most of these devices, whether the actual components, such as seats, trays and similar items or trim for surfaces, are made of some synthetic material or plastic approved for use in aircraft. Although these devices do not include structural components of the aircraft, they can have a visually objectionable effect if damaged, even if the damage is minor, such as a scratch.

Unfortunately, synthetic materials can be difficult to repair from a visual aesthetic standpoint, and alternatives to replacing each damaged component are expensive.

For example, while it appears desirable to use fiberglass-like materials to repair damaged parts because of the advantages of laying a blanket over the cracks, it is not suitable in such cases because these surfaces can (act to) release epoxy and the like.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a method by means of which damaged non-structural components in an aircraft can be repaired to a standard that does not detract from the appearance of the component.

In one aspect, the present invention is a process for repairing materials used to make non-structural aircraft interior components, the process comprising laying a fiberglass material on a damaged surface and adhering it to the damaged surface with an "instant glue" (instant glue) type glue.

In a second aspect, the invention is a method of removing pen and pencil markings from materials used to make non-structural aircraft interior components.

Preferably, the type of quick-drying adhesive used is a cyanoacrylate-based material.

It is also preferred that the cyanoacrylate material comprises LoctiteLiquid super strong glue and LoctiteTwo forms of Loctite gel

It is also preferred that the glass fiber material used is in the form of a mat. It is also preferred that the felt used have an adhesive backing to provide adhesion to the underlying surface.

It is also preferred that such backing may comprise a synthetic rubber-acrylic elastomer-tackifying resin that flexibly bonds the glass fiber mat to the substrate. However, the exact type of glass fibers used, with or without a backing, or the type of adhesive backing used, are not limiting in the present invention.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood we will describe by way of non-limiting examples-specific embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description

As previously described, the present invention provides a process for repairing a non-structural interior component of an aircraft.

These components, whether scratched veneered (venered) surfaces or pallets and similar items having cracks or fissures therein, are often constructed or surface treated using synthetic materials that can be difficult to repair.

Many available glues do not adhere well to plastics and synthetic materials. It may seem advantageous to cover cracks and the like with certain types of glass fiber mats from the standpoint of providing a well-distributed bond and smooth repair, but these materials are typically bonded with epoxy that does not bond well to the synthetic material.

Given that "quick-drying glues" or "super glues" types of glues can be used for bonding to a wide variety of substrates, the use of these products may be satisfactory, however, these products alone are not suitable for repairing deep cracks, splits or large-area damaged surfaces.

The present invention involves the use of combinations of these materials. For example, a glass fiber mat that can be penetrated by glue can be used to cover the damaged surface. Glues, e.g. Loctite, releasable as a liquid from a tubeCan be extruded onto the glass fiber mat where it will penetrate and bond to the underlying surface.

A preferred type of fiberglass material to be used in the present invention is a fiberglass mesh having an adhesive backing that adheres well to plastic or other such surfaces of the type commonly used for covering materials such as discontinuities in gypsum boards.

For additional strength, it is also often preferred that multiple layers of such materials be used over each other. No special alignment of the grid is required as the glue used can penetrate the grid to the surface.

The final coating or repair may also be done by spraying the Loctite or the like with a spray or the like before the surface is paintedTac PacOnto which the product is sprayed for finishing (finished).

In the case of particularly deep scratches, it is preferable to use Loctite before carrying out the repair described aboveGels orAnd other such products to fill in the scratch.

The present invention also includes a method of removing pen and pencil markings from materials used to make non-structural aircraft interior components, particularly synthetic leather-like materials.

This can be achieved by using compounds such as Loctite 7452^TMThis is achieved by a cyanoacrylate activator (activator) comprising acetone and an amine, which is commonly used to ensure rapid immobilization, but we have found that it can be used to remove the above mentioned labels.

The fine brush is repeatedly stroked over the marked surface until the pen markings become faded. The synthetic leather was then dabbed (dabbing) with a clean cloth and allowed to dry, and the process was repeated until the pen mark became less noticeable.

It is important at this stage not to wipe the synthetic leather with a cloth, as this will cause the surface of the synthetic leather to immediately detach from its cloth backing, resulting in the appearance of holes.

When the synthetic leather has dried, it is preferably sprayed with an approved aviation cleanser and the previously marked area is gently wiped off to remove any halo effects that may occur when the pen markings are washed out.

In some cases, it may be necessary to repeat the process several times to achieve good results, depending on the ink composition in the pen that caused the marking. However, once the effect of the chemical is lost from the material, the synthetic leather will shrink back to its original appearance. It has been found that this method is most effective in removing ball point pen markings.

Obviously, many repairs to aircraft interior devices can be made using a combination of fiberglass and "quick-drying glue" type products and surface finishing to blend with the unaffected portions of these devices.

The process is not thus limited to any particular range of commercially available products, but any type of suitable product of these products may be used for the repair process.

While we have described herein specific embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

1. A method for repairing materials used to manufacture non-structural aircraft interior components, using: applying a cyanoacrylate-based material and/or a cyanoacrylate activator to the damaged underlying surface; the method comprises the following steps:

laying a glass fiber material on the lower damaged surface;

and adhering said glass fibre material to said damaged surface with a glue of the "quick-drying glue" type, said "quick-drying glue" type being a cyanoacrylate-based material, and

wherein the glass fiber material used is in the form of a glass fiber mat; and is

The felt used has an adhesive backing to provide initial bonding to the underlying surface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the cyanoacrylate material comprisesSuper-strong liquid glue and its preparation methodIn both gel forms

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: the adhesive backing is a synthetic rubber-acrylic elastomer-adhesive resin capable of flexibly bonding the glass fiber mat to the substrate.