How it can be fixed depends on how extensive any weakened area is.
Weber said there is a well-established procedure for applying a composite patch, either bonded or fastened to the existing skin. But he said it’s possible the damaged area is too big to be patched.
In the worst case, he said, Boeing might have to replace the entire aft fuselage section, a single barrel-shaped piece measuring 19 feet in diameter and 23 feet long.
In fact, this option could prove easier than patching. That’s because any fix will entail proving to the FAA that the repair is sound.
Frank Abdi, chief scientist and founder of Long Beach, Calif.-based AlphaSTAR, which specializes in structural modeling and analysis of composite materials, said that to apply a substantial patch Boeing would have to do a computer simulation of the repair then “prove by analysis and by test that such a thing is possible.”
Retired Boeing manager Ed Wilson, who worked with composites on the B-2 and 777 programs, said that replacing the entire back end could well be the quickest fix.
Patching it, he said, “you’ll spend more time screwing around trying to convince regulators that it’s
