The overall concept of the NEWCORT is to provide the Topic Manager with a “toolset” of novel processes and associated equipment, so as to enable the development of tailored solutions to address typical damages to be repaired by the whole range of stakeholders of the aeronautical industry (aircraft manufacturers, airlines, MROs etc.), such as lightning strike and accidental impact. As detailed in the following Paragraphs of the NEWCORT proposal, this “toolset”, which covers the whole range of the bonded composite repair procedure, (e.g. damage removal, NDT, repair patch polymerization, etc). To this end, structure configurations will be selected by the Topic Manager and the composite repair processes and associated equipment will be commonly selected between the Topic Manager and the NEWCORT Consortium, so that the “toolset” solutions are tailored to those configurations. The selected processes will be characterized, as per a test matrix defined by the Topic manager, against time saving vs. state of the art repair process, mechanical properties of the repair patch, NDI capability of the repair patch, resistance to aggressive media, electrical properties etc. Socio-economic impact: The major impact of the NEWCORT project will be the reinforcement of the competitiveness of EU aircraft industry and EU aircraft operators. In the year 2011, the European aerospace industry employed 479.600 persons; Europe’s airline industry employed approximately 390.000 persons. Both the aircraft production and airline operation industries are active on the most globalized markets; therefore the conservation and future expansion of employment will necessitate a highly increased competitiveness. The project results will play a key role in addressing this issue, both by generating added product value for aircraft manufacturers and reduced cost and time investments for production and ground operations. Additionally the NEWCORT project will assist the development of high technology SMEs, where job opportunities will be developed for the final industrialization of composite repair and OOA manufacturing techniques as well as future market entry within Europe. Another important aspect will be the increased safety resulting from more reliable components and processes. This is one of the major criteria for the European aerospace industry to belong to the market leaders within this business sector. Technical impact: The innovations aimed at within NEWCORT will have strong technical impacts regarding the knowledge about highly integrated lightweight CFRP structures in all aerospace applications and necessary certification. Due to the development of reliable repair techniques and equipment, the increased integration of innovative materials will be enabled. Novel light-weight design of CFRP structural components will be possible and will lead to weight savings (up to 15%) of the aircraft. Even further weight saving are expected for CFRP integration in interior design and system components. Additionally the delivery of new, reliable bonded composite repair processes and equipment improves the safety and operational capability of aircraft, leading to an increase in operational life.
