Bonding aircraft composite mouldings
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to bond aircraft composite mouldings (such as cured panels, moulds, components and jigs), in accordance with approved procedures. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft mouldings. You will be required to use appropriate drawings, specifications and documentation to bond advanced composites materials, using the correct techniques.
You will produce a range of bonded composite mouldings, incorporating a variety of features and using a range of techniques and processes. Bonded mouldings produced will include a range of resin, fibre and adhesive materials.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the bonding activities undertaken, and to report any problems with the bonding activities, equipment or materials that you cannot personally resolve, or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying composite bonding techniques and procedures. You will understand the bonding techniques used, and their application, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the activities, correcting faults, and ensuring the work produced is to the required specification.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the composite bonding activities and when using the associated tools and equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand the responsibility you owe to yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant bonding procedure specification and job instructions
- check that the materials to be bonded and bonding agents comply with the specification
- prepare the parent materials and bonding agents in line with the bonding specification
- carry out the bonding operations using the specified processes and techniques to position and bond the mouldings in their correct locations
- ensure that any equipment used to maintain surface contact during the bonding activities is set up and used correctly
- achieve bonds of the required quality and within the specified dimensional accuracy
- deal promptly and effectively with problems within your control and report those that cannot be solved
- leave the work area in a safe and appropriate condition on completion of the activities
- complete the relevant documentation, in accordance with organisational requirements
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- health and safety precautions to be taken and procedures used when working with aircraft composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment in the specific work area
- the requirements and importance of understanding and applying human factors as defined by the regulatory requirements and the potential impact if these are not adhered to
- the hazards associated with carrying out composite bonding activities, and with the composite materials, consumables, tools and equipment used, and how to minimise these and reduce any risks
- the protective equipment (PPE) that is needed for personal protection and, where required, the protection of others
- the application of COSHH regulations in relation to the storage, use and disposal of composite materials and consumables
- the specific environmental conditions that must be observed when producing composite mouldings (such as temperature, humidity, fume/dust extraction systems and equipment)
- how to extract and use information from engineering drawings and related specifications (to include symbols and conventions to appropriate BS, ISO or BSEN standards) in relation to work undertaken
- how to interpret drawings, lay up manuals, imperial and metric systems of measurement, workpiece reference/datum points and system of tolerancing
- quality procedures used in the workplace to ensure production control (in relation to currency, issue, meeting specification) and the completion of such documents
- conventions and terminology used for bonding (such as gel points, cure times, bond thickness, bond strength, peel strength)
- the different types of resins, reinforcement, catalysts, accelerators and additives used, and their applications
- the different types of fibre materials, weave patterns, orientations, their combinations and applications
- different bonding agents, and their applications
- correct methods of storage and handling of bonding agents
- methods of preparation for bonding different materials
- mixing procedures and ratios for two-part pastes, and the associated working times
- methods of determining if the bonded component has cured correctly
- methods of application for different bonding agents
- methods of retaining the bond during curing, and their applications
- tools and equipment used in bonding activities, and their care, preparation and control procedures
- why tool/equipment control is critical, and what to do if a tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
- the identification and rectification of bond defects
- problems that can occur during the bonding process (including defects such as contamination and distortion)
- how defects can be overcome during the bonding activity
- the extent of your own responsibility and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following during the bonding activities:
- obtain and use the appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, material data sheets, specifications, planning and quality control documentation)
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
- provide and maintain a safe working environment for the composite bonding activities
- obtain and check that all tools and equipment to be used are in a safe, tested and usable condition
- follow safe practice/approved composite bonding techniques and procedures at all times
- return all tools and equipment to the correct location on completion of the bonding activities
- segregate and dispose of waste materials using the correct procedure
Carry out all of the following activities when preparing for the bonding activity:
- check that mouldings are correct and complete
- check for any defects in the mouldings
- check that bonding materials are within life
- check availability of ancillary materials required
- select the correct equipment for the activity
- check that the equipment is suitable for use
- identify and protect the moulding and bonding materials in the work area
- check that bonding materials are correct and complete
Bond composite mouldings using techniques for two of the following:
- one-part pastes
- two-part pastes
- film adhesives
- syntactic films
Prepare bonding surfaces using four of the following methods:
- peel plies
- templates
- abrading
- abrasive blasting
- water cleaning
- solvent cleaning
- dry fitting
- acid etching
- priming
- surface masks
- other (to be specified)
When bonding composite mouldings, use two of the following methods:
- bonding sequences
- shimming materials
- laying film adhesives
- mixing adhesives
- wetting-out by brush
- applicator gun
- bead sizing
- fillet sizing
During curing, retain the bond using two of the following:
- weighting down
- bonding jigs
- pinning joins
- clamping
- press
- vacuum bagging
- other (to be specified)
Cure bonded joins using one of the following methods
- room temperature
- oven
- autoclave
- heated tools/moulds
- heat mats
- heated press
- curing lamps
- infrared heating
- electro-magnetic inductance
- micro-wave
- other (to be specified)
Bond composite mouldings for two of the following:
- sandwich panels
- butt joins
- overlap joins
- joggle joins
- return joins
- tongue and groove
- strap join
Bond composite mouldings to include four of the following features:
- internal corners
- external corners
- horizontal surface
- vertical surface
- double curvature
- concave surface
- convex surfaces
- joggle details
- return surfaces
- inserts
- fixtures
Use techniques for bonding three of the following materials to the composite moulding:
- other composites
- metals
- ceramics
- polymers
- natural materials
- other (to be specified)
Bond composite mouldings using adhesives suitable for two of the following resin types:
- bio resin
- thermoplastic
- polyester
- vinyl ester
- epoxy
- phenolic
- bismaleimide
- cyanate ester
- other (to be specified)
Bond composite mouldings using adhesives suitable for two of the following fibre types:
- natural fibre
- thermo plastic
- glass
- aramid
- carbon
- hybrid
- other specific types
Produce bonded mouldings which comply with one of the following standards:
- Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
- Ministry of Defence (MoD)
- Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
- Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
- Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
- BS, ISO or BSEN standards and procedures
- customer standards and requirements
- company standards and procedures
- manufacturers standards and procedures
Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following and pass it to the appropriate people:
- build records
- job cards
- log cards
- aircraft log
- other specific recording method
Scope Knowledge
Values
Behaviours
You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:
- strong work ethic
- positive attitude
- team player
- dependability
- responsibility
- honesty
- integrity
- motivation
- commitment