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Old 29th Aug 2020, 23:48
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megan
 
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From Boeing patent.
Aerodynamic, also known as “wetted”, exterior surfaces of aircraft can experience significant manufacturing tolerance variations during component fit-up. If gaps at faying edges (i.e. fastening joints) are fixed and/or locked in place with contoured fillers or shims, resulting variations can create turbulent air flows which may create erosion of aft joint surfaces. When the components are formed of composite materials, the erosion may actually produce delamination. As a result, special care must be taken in the manufacture of faying edges of wetted aircraft components at risk for erosion damage.
https://patents.justia.com/patent/20200271016
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