Because of composite materials’ excellent mechanical properties

they are widely used in aircraft manufacturing. Due to the large manufacturing deviation

there may be large gaps or interferences in the assembly of composite components. In addition

the brittleness of composite materials is large

and forced assembly may cause local damage between layers. Therefore

compared with metal materials

the assembly process of composites is more complex and the assembly demands are higher. Assembly gaps can be eliminated by measurement and compensation process

but the mechanical properties of shims are different from those of composite materials

and the gap compensation process lacks a unified standard

which may affect the assembly and service properties of composite components. This paper describes and summarizes the worldwide research progress about composites assembly

providing reference for future composites assembly.