The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 22, 1996
Filed:
May. 04, 1994
Richard G Pettit, La Habra, CA (US);
McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Long Beach, CA (US);
Abstract
Currently, fiber/metal laminate sheets are limited in width due to restrictions in the width of thin metal sheets available. This invention solves that problem by providing an integral splice concept and a method for manufacturing a laminate employing the inventive concept. Specifically, a fiber/metal laminate sheet is provided having at least two metal plies and at least one fiber layer. Each of the metal plies comprises at least two metal sheets which are arranged side-by-side and have sheet metal breaks therebetween. All of the sheet metal breaks lie within the integral splice. An important feature of the invention is that the sheet metal breaks in each metal ply are staggered widthwise across the laminate with respect to the sheet metal breaks in the remaining metal plies, in accordance with a predetermined metal break staggering pattern, thereby maximizing the bond engagement of the discontinuous metal plies with the adjacent fiber layers. Another important inventive feature is that the fiber layers are continuous through the integral splice region. The resultant spliced laminate may have any desired width, and is strong, fatigue-resistant, durable, and easy to manufacture.