Design of a quality assurance program for composite repairs

Abstract

The following report outlines the progress that has been made from September to March on the design project that group 14 has been managing. The Group 14, consisting of the following students - Alexandre Arseneau, Anmol Bakshi, Ryan Codling, and Matthew Scott, have been assigned to design a quality assurance program on composite repairs for Irving Oil. The team is working closely with Irving Oil representatives at their oil refinery located in Saint John, New Brunswick. A composite repair is a non-metallic repair that consists of a combination of flexible fabrics and hardening resins in multiple of layers. When cured, the repair enhances the material and structural strength while also containing the defect location to prevent a potential failure. These types of repairs have recently been approved to be applied in industrial environments. There are numerous of codes and standards that must be followed to ensure proper installation and prevent failures. These standards have strict guidelines for the design of a repair as well as the mechanical process for the installation. Irving Oil has been focusing on the composite repair option because it is a preferred option in many instances due to it being a more feasible solution, but is not always a better solution than other repair options. Currently, Irving Oil hires outside contractors to perform any required composite repair on site. The product suppliers assess the required work that is needed and hired contractors conduct the necessary installation work. This tends to limit Irving Oil representative’s involvement on the repair process. Due to this issue, Irving Oil would like to have more involvement in the composite repair process, and oversee the quality assurance and requalification programs for composite repairs. Over the course of the eight-month project, Group 14 had completed extensive research in the area of composite repairs to familiarize themselves with the subject matter. With a good understanding in the composite repair field, Group 14 was then able to start the design of the quality assurance and requalification program. The group followed the strict guidelines within ASME and ISO standards while working closely with Irving Oil to create a program that met their needs and requirements.