Blog Post
Assessing Aircraft Floor Panel Damage
Mar 10, 2020
Your team is in the midst of a heavy check or conversion and a damaged floor panel is discovered. What is the solution? The lowest cost solution is attractive, but it also has to be quick. Unless you have a shelf with spares at your disposal, you are going to need to have the panel repaired or buy a new replacement. The decision on which route to take depends heavily on the type, severity and location of damage.
Floor panels can experience damage due to regular wear-and-tear, abnormal loading or impacts. This is especially the case for heavy-use areas including cargo holds and passenger entryways. While it is normal for floor panels to experience damage throughout their service life, prompt detection is important in identifying any airworthiness concerns and to ensure the damage does not increase beyond safe and repairable limits. The aim of this post is to provide general information on floor panel damage along with guidance on how to assess it. The floor panels’ associated Component Maintenance Manual (CMM) must be consulted for specific instruction. If you require a CMM for a Comtek panel or have a question about a CMM revision,
please contact us.
The CMM provides guidance on how to diagnose, quantify, and classify damage. The CMM outlines allowable damage limits and repairable damage limits. Damage outside of repairable damage limits typically requires complete panel replacement. Consulting the CMM at the sign of damage will reveal important information on the repairability of the damage.
Damage can vary in type including:
- Dents
- Skin punctures and broken skin
- Delaminated skins
- Crushed, soft core
- Cracked, loose, or missing edge filler
- Damaged inserts
- Loose or missing foam tape
- Damage to the overlay
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Contamination
ButtonIntrusion of with liquids, such as beverages and bodily fluids, into core and/or between layers.
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Crushed Core
ButtonImpact causing compaction to the core and top skin damage. The core can also be soft without evidence of impact.
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Disbond / Delamination
ButtonDisbond is separation between the core and the top / bottom skin and delamination is the separation between plies of the top/ bottom skin where multiple skin layers are used
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Foam Tape Damage
ButtonMissing or torn foam tape.
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Comtek can repair damaged panels, but it’s usually not the best solution
We regularly have floor panels sent to us for repair but normally the better option is replacement. Our panel manufacturing system is built for efficiency so it’s faster and less costly for us to make a new panel than to repair a damaged one. As an added benefit, we provide warranty on the entire replacement panel, whereas if a repair is made to a panel, only the area repaired is warrantied.
When is repairing a floor panel an option?
Floor panels can typically be repaired when minor damage exists, and the damage is not located near critical areas of the panel such as edges or inserts. Generally speaking, these repairs will be faster and less costly than replacement if the repair can be completed in-house. They can also be done by an approved facility using repair kits specified in the CMM.
Depending on instructions in the CMM, candidates for repair may include:
- Skin punctures – with acceptable clearance from edges or inserts
- Crushed core (soft spots) – depending on proximity to edge or inserts
- Torn edge tape and/or smoke seal
- Damaged edge fill
As per the CMM, repairs must be made using materials in the specified repair kit. To order repair kits, contact us. Repair kits can often be used for multiple repairs and are available to ship quickly.
Send us Photos, not Panels
Before shipping a damaged panel to Comtek, contact us first! We can save time and money.
We can evaluate damage from photographs and advise a solution before money is spent. If replacement turns out to be the best solution, as it normally is, we will have the opportunity to save shipping costs and get the order into production much earlier.
When is replacement necessary?
In the simplest terms, panels must be scrapped and full replacement is needed when damage exceeds allowable and repairable limits specified in their associated CMM. These types of damage could include:
- Damage located at an edge or too close to inserts
- Heavily contaminated panels
- Crushed areas that make up large portion of the panel
In all cases, the panel’s CMM must be consulted for specific instruction.
Cost may also be the primary consideration for full replacement. Depending on the extent of damage and the cost of shipping the panel two-ways for repair, it might make more sense to order a replacement panel. The replacement will be fully warrantied and may arrive faster than the repaired panel can be returned, especially when panels are ordered AOG.
Have a question? We are aircraft floor panel experts.
Contact us.
Contact us.
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Comtek designs, manufactures and repairs aircraft components with a focus on improved durability and shorter lead times. Using advanced out-of-autoclave technologies, we develop composite solutions that reduce part weight, lower total costs, and shorten production cycles.
