Analyses of cracks in thick stiffened plates repaired with single-sided composite patch

This study investigated the effect of composite patches applied to thick stiffened plates with single-sided repairs. A simplified analytical model was derived to predict the reduction in the mode I strain energy release rates resulting from the single-sided composite patches. Finite element analyses were also conducted to compute the mode I strain energy release rates with and without composite patches, and their results were compared to the analytical model prediction. Furthermore, changes in the location of the neural axis with single-side patches were examined with their effects on the effectiveness of the patch repair with variations in both material and geometric parameters of the patch and plate. The neutral axis location in the patched plate played an important role to influence the effectiveness of the composite patch.