I thought that new composite patch kit for the Cessna 172 was just overpriced hype

But after using it on a wing spar repair in Tucson, the bond strength test results were actually better than the old aluminum splice. Anyone else tried these new materials on certified repairs yet?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_hayes711mo ago

We had a 182 with a cracked rib flange last month that we fixed with the CarbonCore patch system. The shop foreman was skeptical too, but the post-repair ultrasound showed a perfect bond with zero voids. It saved us from having to remove the entire interior panel for a traditional repair.

the_piper1mo ago

Those composite kits can really surprise you (like @reese_hayes71 saw with their rib repair). The key is the surface prep, which is a lot more picky than with aluminum. Get that right and the bond is seriously tough.

claire_grant341mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, the prep is everything. You can't just scuff it like aluminum. You need to really get in there with the right grit and clean it like crazy with the proper solvent. Any little bit of grease or dust will ruin the bond. That's probably why @reese_hayes71 got such a good result, they followed the steps exactly. It feels like overkill but it's not. If you skip a step, the patch will fail and you're back to square one.