UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF AVIATION

TECHNOLOGY

FINAL EXAMINATION
JANUARY 2022 SEMESTER

COURSE CODE : AAB 31003

COURSE NAME : AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES REPAIR

PROGRAMME NAME : BAET (Mechanical)

(FOR MPU: PROGRAMME
LEVEL)

DATE : 14 July 2022

TIME : 0900 am

DURATION : 3 Hours (Online 5 hours)

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
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AAB 31003 AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES REPAIR

Final Examination Questions

Five (5) Questions Answer

all

Question 1 - Given the drawing of a section of an aircraft structure as shown.

1.1 Label the appropriate structure members; longerons, stringers, bulkheads, etc. on
the above diagram.

(5 marks)

1.2 Explain about the primary and secondary structure (not more than 5
sentences)
(5 marks)

1.3 Explains the characteristics and the function of each structure members, which
have been labelled in question 1.1.
(10 marks)

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Question 2 - Aircraft has been designed to three (3) design philosophies;

SAFE-LIFE, FAIL-SAFE, and DAMAGE TOLERANCE, which defined as follows;
● Safe - life is the structure with definite life.
● Fail-safe is the structure with redundant load paths.
● Damage tolerance is the structure with pre-determine damage and
analysis is carried out on the damage growth.

2.1 If the S-N Curve shown above has been the basis of the design.

a). What is the life of the structure made from Aluminum Alloy 2014-T6, if the strain
gauges on the structure show maximum stress of 300 MPa

(5 marks)

b) What is the design philosophy used in the design, if the above diagram is used in
design.

(5 marks)

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2.2 Based on the above diagram.

a). If the aircraft is designed and the above diagram is used, what is the design
philosophy?
(5 marks)

b). Explain the design philosophy and use the terms shown in the above diagram in the
discussion.
(5 marks)

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Question 3 - A stringer was found damaged and has been repaired by the installation
of a splice as shown in the diagram. The “L” section is 40 mm by 40 mm and 1.4 mm
thick.

3.1 State the repair basic principles in terms of the doubler materials, doublers
thickness, rivets’ edge distance, rivets’ spacing.

Doubler.................................materials
Doubler shall be...................thick
Rivet Edge Distance (ED)................................
Rivet pitch / spacing……………………………….
…………………………will be one the stress check

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The basic principles for repairing a doubler using rivets generally involve selecting materials that
are compatible with the parent material and the service environment, ensuring that the doubler
is thick enough to provide the necessary structural support, and following proper edge distance
and spacing guidelines for the rivets.

1. Materials: The doubler material should be chosen based on its mechanical properties,
corrosion resistance, and compatibility with the parent material. The doubler should be
made from the same or a similar material as the parent material, or a material that is
compatible with it.
2. Thickness: The doubler should be thick enough to provide the necessary structural
support and meet the minimum thickness requirements specified by the relevant design
standards.
3. Edge distance: The distance between the edge of the doubler and the nearest rivet should
be sufficient to ensure that the rivet has adequate bearing area and can properly transfer
loads to the doubler.
4. Spacing: The spacing between the rivets should be close enough to provide adequate
support, but not so close that the rivets interfere with each other or create excessive stress
concentrations. The proper spacing will depend on the size and type of rivets being used,
as well as the thickness and material of the doubler.

(10 marks)

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3.2 Calculate the strength of the splice or doubler (load carrying capability) and
Margin of Safety. The “L” angle is Aluminum Alloy 2024-T3 (Ultimate Tensile
Strength is 480 MPa). The “L” section is 40 mm by 40 mm and 1.4 mm thick.
Draw the repair diagram showing the cross-section of original and doubler Doubler
thickness ……………..
Doubler cross-sectional area..........................................(show calculation)
Doubler strength........................................(show calculation)
Margin of Safety.........................Show calculation

To calculate the strength of the splice or doubler, you will need to determine the ultimate tensile
strength (UTS) of the "L" angle based on its material and dimensions. You can then use this value
to calculate the load carrying capability of the splice or doubler.

1. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS): The UTS of the "L" angle can be calculated using the
following formula:

UTS = (0.4 * Fy * An) / ((2 * t) / (h + t))

Where:

 Fy is the yield strength of the material (480 MPa for Aluminum Alloy 2024-T3)
 An is the net area of the "L" section (40 mm * 40 mm = 1600 mm^2)
 t is the thickness of the "L" section (1.4 mm)
 h is the height of the "L" section (40 mm)

Plugging these values into the formula gives a UTS of 456.2 MPa.

2. Load carrying capability: The load carrying capability of the splice or doubler can be
calculated by dividing the UTS by a factor of safety (FoS). The FoS is a factor that takes
into account the uncertainties and variability in the design and material properties, and is
used to ensure that the structure has a sufficient margin of safety. The appropriate FoS
will depend on the application and the requirements of the relevant design standards.

For example, if the FoS is set to 1.5, the load carrying capability of the splice or doubler would be
456.2 MPa / 1.5 = 304.1 MPa.

3. Margin of Safety: The margin of safety is the difference between the load carrying
capability of the splice or doubler and the expected load. It is a measure of how much
excess capacity the structure must accommodate unexpected loads or variations in the
material properties.

For example, if the expected load on the splice or doubler is 250 MPa, the margin of safety
would be 304.1 MPa - 250 MPa = 54.1 MPa.

(10 marks)
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Question 4 - A 3-inch crack found on a B737-400, 9M-ABC, operated by
MIAT Airlines Sdn Bhd. The crack was 2 inches forward of BS400, 3
inches below Stringer S-7L.

4.1 Sketch (2D) the details of damage to be used as an attachment for an email to
Boeing, for the sketch use the information given
(5 marks)

4.2 Write an email to Boeing to explain the defects and request assistance to repair the
damage since the Boeing SRM does not cover the damaged area. The email shall have;

to whom
from whom
title of the subject detail
of the aircraft the detail
of the defect
expectation from Boeing

(15 marks)

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Question 5 - An aircraft fuselage skin has been damaged and repaired.

5.1 If the damage has been cut to 75mm (horizontally) and 50 mm (vertically).

a). Calculate the resultant load lost, take into consideration of circumferential loads
due to pressurization on top of the fuselage longitudinal load. The skin is Aluminum
Alloy 2024-T3 (Ultimate Tensile Stress = 480 Mpa and Ultime Shear Stress is 250
MPa). The skin thickness is 1.6 mm. In calculation, consider;

calculate the cross-sectional area (vertically and horizontally of the cut)

Longintunal load (tension)
Circumferential load (tension due the pressurization)
Shear load along the cut
resultant load from the tenison and shear
(10 marks)

b). Write the repair instruction based on the above diagram. The repair instruction
must have inspection, removing of damage, fabrication of doubler, installation of
doubler and post repair inspection.
(10 marks)

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End of Page

THERE ARE 8 PAGES OF QUESTIONS, EXCLUDING THIS PAGE.