ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 17 -- United States Patent no. 12,576,960, issued on March 17, was assigned to Airbus Operations Ltd. (Filton, Great Britain).
"Joint assembly in an aircraft structure" was invented by Richard James Clayton (Bristol, Great Britain).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A joint assembly in an aircraft, for example between a wing skin and rib foot. The joint assembly includes fasteners mechanically holding the wing skin and rib foot together. The rib foot includes circular faying surfaces and a layer of material is sandwiched between the faying surfaces and the wing skin. The layer of material has adhesive properties such that the joint is a hybrid joint. The layer of material al...