Patent Application
20230241832
The present disclosure relates to flexible hose having high abrasion and damage resistance properties and methods for producing such abrasion and damage resistant flexible hose.
Hoses used in domestic, automotive, and commercial etc. environments are frequently in contact with abrasive materials and sharp objects that can damage the hose while being used. In particular, these abrasive materials and sharp objects damage to the hose in a way that leads to loss of hose covering, reinforcement exposure and eventual hose failure.
Conventional methods for preventing and minimizing damage involve abrasion resistant covers (rubber or thermoplastic), sleeves, external guards, and/or rerouting hoses to avoid external damage prone areas. Abrasion resistant covers are useful to prevent minor abrasion damage but do not provide adequate protection in harsh environments which routinely cause the loss or destruction of large portions of hose cover. Abrasion resistant covers also tend to limit flexibility of the hose, especially as the cover material increases in thickness. The use of relatively thick abrasion resistant covers also requires skiving of the hose before fittings can be applied.
Sleeves and guards are bulky and make use of the hose more difficult. Ease of hose routing, flexibility, and hose identification are all impacted to some extent by sleeves and guards. Sleeves and guards also add to product cost because they involve additional installation steps and material.
Rerouting of hoses to avoid contact with materials and objects likely to cause damage is often inconvenient or impossible, particularly in very harsh environments and is limited by equipment design. Rerouting also often adds to product cost because additional hose is necessary.
Another method for preventing hose damage involves the incorporation of a reinforcement material below the rubber cover of the hose. The location of these reinforcement materials beneath the cover does not protect the cover from abrasion and damage and once the cover is removed the reinforcement materials can be damaged making the hose unusable.
Thus, there remains a need for hoses that are resistant to abrasion and loss of hose cover material, resistance to foreign object damage, or other loss of hose covering material.
This disclosure provides a convenient solution to the problems identified above. More specifically, this disclosure provides flexible hose having high abrasion resistance and methods for manufacturing such hose. The hose disclosed herein overcomes the drawbacks outlined above.
In one aspect, disclosed herein is an abrasion and damage resistant flexible hose comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the abrasion resistant flexible hose comprising a flexible tube and a reinforcement material embedded in the flexible tube at a depth that imparts a three-dimensional pattern at the outer surface of the abrasion resistant flexible hose. Thus, the pattern comprises individual features, wherein the individual features independently have a height, a width, and a depth.
In another aspect, disclosed herein is a method of producing an abrasion resistant flexible hose comprising
In another aspect, disclosed herein is a method of producing abrasion resistant hose comprising
Embedding abrasion resistant material into uncured flexible tube that will become the outer covering of the final hose according to this disclosure and subsequently curing the tube produces an abrasion resistant hose, e.g., a hose, that prevents or minimizes large portions of the hose cover from being removed by contact with abrasive materials or sharp objects. Abrasion resistant material embedded in flexible hose as described herein produces hose with increased resistance to abrasion compared to conventional approaches for producing abrasion resistant hose covers, particularly compared to covers having approximately the same thickness.
As disclosed herein, the abrasion resistant material is an integral component added to the outer cover component of the flexible tube. The abrasion resistant material is not added after curing the hose, as is the case with conventional sleeves or guards. Incorporating the abrasion resistant material into the cover material during the curing process is an efficient solution to the problems described above. The products and processes described herein eliminate the need for post-production handling and the additional costs required for sleeves and guards.
Abrasion resistant flexible hose manufactured according to this disclosure has inner and outer dimensions that are substantially the same as flexible hose produced without the embedded abrasion resistant material. The abrasion resistant flexible hose described herein also has a degree of flexibility similar to conventional abrasion resistant and non-abrasion resistant hose and may therefore be conveniently used wherever conventional hose is used.
The abrasion resistant hose disclosed herein can be manufactured to a desired degree of flexibility. Thus, these products made using the hose disclosed herein have high abrasion resistance and can be used in a wide variety of areas where they will come into contact with rough or sharp materials. The abrasion resistant hose disclosed herein demonstrates improved resistance to abrasion compared with hose made using conventional technology.
Because the abrasion resistant material is an integral component of the abrasion resistant flexible hose, hoses and hose assemblies, and other products can be manufactured from the abrasion resistant flexible hose with no special handling or skiving. The abrasion resistant flexible hose of this disclosure can be conveniently fitted with coupling mechanisms for a variety of uses.
An example of prior art hoses that are suitable for use with the present invention is shown in
Referring now generally to
The abrasion resistant material 120 may be any material that can protect the flexible tube 110 from abrasion and damage and that can embed into the flexible tube 110 during the curing process. In certain embodiments, the abrasion resistant material 120 is a mesh comprising an arrangement of interconnected wires or threads, and the wires and threads comprise metal, naturally-occurring material, or synthetic material, or a combination thereof. Examples of appropriate metals include, but are not limited to, aluminum, steel or stainless steel. Examples of naturally-occurring materials include, but are not limited to, silk, wool or cotton such as the fabric shown in
The wires and threads useful as the reinforcement material may be any of a variety of cross-sectional shapes or combinations thereof. These may be round, oval, rectangular (including square), triangular, etc. The thickness of the wires and threads is selected for the desired degrees of flexibility and abrasion resistance. The material thickness will also be a function of the strength of the material. Thus, polyaramid materials of lesser thickness fibers compared to cotton threads may be used.
Suitable mesh material for use herein has openings selected according to the desired end use and the degree of abrasion resistance necessary as well as the diameter size of the hose. Mesh opening diameter is measured at the largest dimension, i.e., the diameter of a rectangular opening would be measured corner to opposite corner. In certain embodiments, the mesh openings have average diameters of from about 1 mm to about 50 mm. In other embodiments, the mesh openings have average diameters of from about 5 mm to about 50 mm, or about 10 mm to about 50 mm, or about 15 mm to about 50 mm, or about 20 mm to about 50 mm, or about 25 mm to about 50 mm, or about 30 mm to about 50 mm, or about 40 mm to about 50 mm, or about 1 mm to about 40 mm, or about 1 mm to about 30 mm, or about 1 mm to about 20 mm, or about 1 mm to about 15 mm, or about 1 mm to about 10 mm, or about 1 mm to about 7.5 mm, or about 1 mm to about 5 mm, or about 1 mm to about 2 mm, or about 1 mm to about 3 mm.
In certain alternatively aspects, the abrasion resistant material 120 is embedded in the hose at a depth that does not impart a three-dimensional pattern at the outer surface of the hose but is still sufficiently near the surface of the hose to achieve the desired improved resistance to abrasion and cutting. In these aspects, the abrasion resistant material 120 is embedded in the flexible hose at a depth, i.e., the distance between the mesh face 124 and hose outer surface 114, of about 0.05 mm to 5 mm, about 0.05 mm to 4 mm, about 0.05 mm to 3 mm, about 0.05 mm to 2, mm. about 0.05 mm to 1 mm, about 0.1 mm to 5 mm, about 0.2 mm to 5 mm, about 0.3 mm to 5 mm, about 0.4 mm to 5 mm, about 0.5 mm to 5 mm, about 0.75 mm to 5 mm, about 1 mm to 5 mm, about 2 mm to 5 mm, about 3 mm to 5 mm, or about 4 mm to 5 mm beneath the external surface of the hose.
During manufacture, the uncured flexible hose 110 can conveniently be supported by a mandrel (not shown), i.e., a cylindrical rod made of metal or suitable polymer, that may be rotated as necessary. Alternatively, the abrasion resistant fabric 120 may be applied in a braided fashion. In another alternative, the abrasion resistant material 120 can be applied longitudinally (i.e., cigarette style).
The abrasion resistant material 120 is wrapped or otherwise applied to the uncured flexible hose 110 in a manner that will ensure that the abrasion resistant material 120 remains positioned around the uncured flexible hose 110 until the curing process is initiated. During the curing process, the flexible hose softens and the abrasion resistant material embeds into the outer surface of the flexible hose 110. After cure, the abrasion resistant material 120 remains embedded in the flexible tube 110.
In certain embodiments, prior to curing, a wrap tape (e.g., woven nylon) or a sheath of polymer is applied over the abrasion resistant material 120 to hold all the components in place during the cure process. After curing, the mandrel and the wrap tape or polymer sheath is removed.
In certain aspects of the abrasion resistant hose 100 disclosed herein, the abrasion resistant material 120 is a mesh or a fabric. As shown in
Having described the abrasion resistant hose and method for making the abrasion resistant hose in detail and by reference to specific examples thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of what is defined in the appended claims. More specifically, although some aspects of the present disclosure are identified herein as particularly advantageous, it is contemplated that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to these particular aspects of the disclosure.
This application claims priority from U.S. Application No. 63/046,296, filed Jun. 30, 2020, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2021/032281 | 5/13/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63046296 | Jun 2020 | US |
