Our Director

Maxwell James Davis PSM

B. Eng (Mech), M. Eng. (Mech), RPEQ

Max Davis recently retired as a Principal Research Scientist having fifteen years service with the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness, Royal Australian Air Force as a specialist in bonded repair technology. He has been involved with composite and adhesive bonded repairs on Australian Defence Forces aircraft for over thirty six years, and participated in the development of bonded crack repair technology pioneered by Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Melbourne. He has been responsible for the insertion of that technology into aircraft maintenance practices within the Australian Defence Forces.

Max is the author of RAAF Engineering Standard DEF AUST 9005 Composite Materials and Adhesive Bonded Repairs (formerly RAAF STD ENG C5033), and handbooks AAP 7021.016-1 Composite and Adhesive Bonded Repairs: Engineering and Design Procedures, and AAP 7022.016-2 Composite and Adhesive Bonded Repairs: Repair Fabrication and Application Procedures. He has been responsible for the definition, training development and implementation of all aspects of composite and adhesive bonded repair technology requirements within the Australian Defence Forces. He regularly conducts courses to provide training in that field for RAAF engineering officers.

He is a specialist in composite materials and adhesive bonding. His expertise covers repair design, repair application technology, design of bonded joints, bonding materials and processes, adhesive bond quality management and forensic investigation of adhesive bond failures. He has published over fifty papers in his field.

He has participated in international organisations such as the Composite Repair Engineering Development Program, a collaborative effort between US Navy, Boeing St. Louis, Canadian Forces, Swiss Air Force, Finnish Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force to support composite and adhesive structural repairs on F/A-18 aircraft. Max has also participated in Action Group 13, a sub-committee of The Technical Cooperation Program, a collaborative effort between Great Britain, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. AG13 concentrated on the aspect of certification of adhesive bonded structures and repairs. Max has also had direct involvement with an FAA workshop on adhesive bonding technology and organised a workshop on this technology in association with ICCM-11 at the Gold Coast.

Max holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and in 2003 was awarded a Public Service Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours for his achievements in his field of endeavour. As part of these achievements, Max initiated and facilitated changes in adhesive bonded repairs to sandwich structure that saw a reduction in the repeat repair rate from over 42% in 1992 to almost zero repair failures since that time.

Max is the Director of Adhesion Associates Proprietary Limited, and is a Registered Practicing Engineer in the state of Queensland, Australia.