Influence of water ingress onto the crack propagation rate in a AA2024-T3 plate repaired by a carbon/epoxy patch

The objective of this study is to analyze by experimental tests, the effect of hygrothermal aging of the patch and the adhesive on the fatigue behavior of a damaged 2024-T3 aluminum plate repaired by a carbon/epoxy patch composite. The effect of the water absorption by the composite patch and the adhesive has a significant effect on the load transfer from the damaged plate and therefore on the delay of the crack propagation. The more water immersion time is important, the less is the fatigue strength of the repaired structure. The experimental results showed that the number of cycles to fracture is directly related to the aging time.