The present invention asserts priority on Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-221895 filed Jul. 30, 2002.
The present invention relates to a hose with corrugated metal tube, which is suitable for fuel conveying hose for automobiles, refrigerant conveying hose or any other fluid conveying hose, and more particularly to a hose with corrugated metal tube including characteristic reinforced layer.
Typical rubber hoses, for example, made of blended product of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber and polyvinyl chloride (NBR/PVC blend) which is excellent in resistance to gasoline permeability, have been used for conveying fuel for automobiles or the like in view of their high vibration-absorbability, easy assembling or the like. However, for the purpose of global environment protection, the regulations have been recently tighten against permeation of fuel for automobiles or the like, and are anticipated to be further tighten in the future. Further, hoses are demanded to meet the requirements to convey highly permeable fluid such as hydrogen gas used in fuel cells or carbon dioxide (CO2) refrigerant.
Then it is anticipated difficult to satisfy the future requirements with hoses made only of organic materials such as rubber or resin.
Accordingly, it is currently considered to adapt a hose with a corrugated metal tube as an inner layer because the hose with corrugated metal tube is expected to have an extremely high fluid impermeability to meet the demand for a fluid impermeable hose.
As for a hose with corrugated metal tube, such hoses as disclosed in the following Document 1, Document 2 and Document 3 are known.
In case of the hose with corrugated metal tube, even if adapted for hydrogen gas used for fuel cells, a corrugated metal tube in or as an inner layer reduces gas permeation zero, i.e., completely eliminates permeation of gas.
However, if the hose with corrugated metal tube is adapted, it will be a problem how to construct a reinforcing structure with a reinforced layer.
As shown in
On the contrary, as shown in
And, as shown in
In
In
As stated above, in general, a typical conventional hose tends to expand, contract and deform in radial and longitudinal directions depending on a braid or winding angle of a reinforced layer when an internal pressure is exerted thereto.
However, a hose including a corrugated metal tube 214 as inner layer as shown in
Therefore, such hose with corrugated metal tube inherently involves a problem that when an internal pressure is exerted thereto repeatedly, the hose including the corrugated metal tube 214 overall repeatedly elongates or expands in a longitudinal direction, and consequently repeated deformation thereof causer a fatigue break in the corrugated metal tube 214.
The above are described with reference to a hose for conveying hydrogen gas used in a fuel cell as example. The similar problems are anticipated in common to any hoses. For example, it may be the case that a hose with corrugated metal tube is employed for conveying fuel gasoline for the purpose to deal with gasoline or the like permeating to an air or, for high temperature and high pressure application due to high output power of equipment, where low permeation is severely regulated. Or it may be the case that a hose with corrugated metal tube is employed to convey carbon dioxide (CO2) as refrigerant fluid, which is low in amount of particles just like hydrogen and has high gas permeation. Further, it may be any other case that a hose with corrugated metal tube is applied in fields under severe regulations against gas permeation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a hose with corrugated metal tube to settle the problems described above.
According to the present invention, there is provided a novel hose with corrugated metal tube comprising inner layer having a corrugated metal tube or a corrugated metal tube as inner layer, outer layer circumscribing a radial outer side thereof and reinforced layer having reinforced filament member or reinforcing filament members and included in the outer layer. And the reinforcing filament member or the reinforcing filament members in the reinforced layer may be arranged at a braid or winding angle of an angle with respect to an axis or an axial direction which is a low angle, 40 degrees (40°) or lower.
In case of the hose with corrugated metal tube, a corrugated metal tube i.e. a hose overall tends to expand or elongate in a longitudinal direction when an internal pressure is exerted thereto. But such expansion and deformation thereof may be effectively prevented by resistance behavior of the reinforced layer braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a low angle, 40 degrees or lower.
Thereby a problem may be solved that a hose repeatedly largely expands and deforms in a longitudinal direction by an internal pressure and such repeated deformation causes fatigue-break in the corrugated metal tube.
Meanwhile, the reinforced layer braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a braid or winding angle of 40 degrees or lower generates great resistance to expansion, elongation and deformation in a longitudinal direction, but generates no substantial or no considerable resistance to expansion and deformation in a radial direction.
Therefore, if a corrugated metal tube does not have sufficient strength to overcome a force acting on a radially expanding direction, it is preferred to provide other reinforced layer separately for reinforcing the corrugated metal tube.
In another aspect of the present invention, at least a first reinforced ply and a second reinforced ply may be provided in the reinforced layer. In one of the first and the second reinforced plies, reinforcing filament member or reinforcing lament members may be arranged at a braid or winding angle of an angle with respect to an axis or an axial direction which is lower than a neutral angle, and in the other thereof, reinforcing filament member or reinforcing filament members may be arranged at a braid or winding angle of an angle with respect to an axis which is higher than a neutral angle.
In this case, the hose with corrugated metal tube has a reinforced ply braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a higher braid or winding angle than a neutral angle, provided additionally to a reinforced ply braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a low braid or winding angle. Longitudinal expansion and deformation of the hose may be restrained by either one of the first and the second reinforced ply, i.e. one braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a low braid or winding angle. Further, radial expansion and deformation thereof may be effectively restrained by the other reinforced ply.
In this case, the reinforced ply braided or winded at a low braid or winding angle may be arranged in a radially inner side, and the reinforced ply braided or winded with reinforcing filament member at a high braid or winding angle in a radially outer side.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, the reinforced layer may be constructed to include at least one ply of canvas. The ply of canvas may be constructed by warp or longitudinal reinforcing filament member or reinforcing filament members substantially parallel to an axis or in an axial direction and weft or lateral reinforcing filament member or reinforcing filament members substantially perpendicular to an axis.
In the hose with corrugated metal tube, also, large longitudinal expansion and deformation of the hose overall along with expansion of the corrugated metal tube may be restrained, while radial expansion and deformation of the hose may be restrained by the weft or lateral reinforcing filament member or reinforcing filament members of canvas.
Now, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In
The socket fitting 16 is securely compressed or swaged radially inwardly to the hose body 12 and thereby the connecting part 14 is, along with the socket fitting 16, fixedly secured to an end portion of the hose body 12.
As shown in
As shown in
In this embodiment, the inner elastic layer 24, the reinforced layer 26 and the outer elastic layer 28 construct otter layer circumscribing the corrugated metal tube 22.
The reinforced layer 26 may be a wire-reinforced layer or a fiber-reinforced layer.
And the inner elastic layer 24 and the outer elastic layer 28 may be made of elastic material such as rubber.
On the other hand, the corrugated metal tube 22 as an innermost layer is formed with corrugations 30 for generally entire axial length thereof, which provides the corrugated metal tube 22 with flexibility.
That is, although, in this embodiment, an innermost layer of the hose 10 includes a metal tube, the hose 10 is provided entirely with flexibility, thanks to the corrugations 30 formed on the metal tube.
The corrugated metal tube 22 may be made of materials such as steel products including stainless steel, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, titanium or titanium alloy, and preferably may be made of stainless steel.
A wall thickness of the corrugated metal tube 22 may be from 20 to 500 μm preferably is minimum 50 μm in view of preventing defects such as pinholes and further in view of processing of the corrugations 30 or the like, and maximum 300 μm in view of flexibility and durability.
The corrugated metal tube 22 has an axially straight-walled portion, or straight pipe portion 32 on an axial end side.
The corrugated metal tube 22 or the straight-walled portion 32 is configured as an extending portion 34 on a leading end side, which extends in an axial direction and is exposed out of the outer layer comprising the inner elastic layer 24, the reinforced layer 26 and the outer elastic layer 28.
And, the extending portion 34 is clamped radially with an inner end portion of the collar-like portion 18 and the fit-engagement groove 20 of the connecting part 14 by securely compressing or swaging the socket fitting 16. The corrugated metal tube 22 is firmly fixed to the connecting part 14 at the fit-engagement groove 20, while an air tight seal is provided between the corrugated metal tube 22 and an outer surface of the connecting part 14.
Securing structure between an end portion of the corrugated metal tube 22 and the connecting part 14 as stated is only one of embodiments. According to a shape or the like of the connecting part 14, securing structure and sealing structure may be constructed in various manners to secure an end portion of the corrugated metal tube 22 to the connecting part 14 of various shapes and to provide a seal therebetween.
As shown in
Here, although a smaller braid angle bus about more effects of restraining an axial expansion and contraction of the hose 10, on the contrary, a smaller braid angle apts to untie or loosen braided reinforced layers. For example, if a braided reinforced layer has a braid angle of 0 degree, the layer is constructed only with warp filaments. However, the warp filaments are not arranged and retained in circumferentially uniform relation. Therefore if the braided layer is bent during production process or after assembled in a hose, filaments of the layer are awkwardly displaced or deformed so as to be buckled.
Therefore, a braid angle of reinforcing filament member is more preferably in the range from 15 degrees (15°) to 40 degrees (40°).
In this embodiment, a braid angle θ1 of reinforcing filament members 26a, 26b are defined 36 degrees (36°), a low angle lower than 40 degrees.
Compared to reinforced layer where reinforcing filament members are braided at neutral angle, in the reinforced layer 26, each of reinforcing filament members 26a and 26b is arranged at an angle so as to lean more toward an axial or an axial direction.
In the hose 10 of this embodiment as stated above, behavior of an internal pressure hardly expands or elongates overall the hose 10 along with the corrugated metal tube 22 in a longitudinal direction. Because longitudinal expansion of the hose 10 is effectively prevented by resistance to longitudinal expansion of the hose 10 which is brought about by the reinforced layer 26 having reinforcing filament members 26a and 26b braided at braid angle of 36 degrees.
Then a problem is thereby solved that a hose largely expands and deforms repeatedly in a longitudinal direction and such repeated deformation of the hose causes fatigue break in the corrugated metal tube 22.
In the above embodiment, the reinforcing filament members 26a, 26b are interlaced or braided to construct the single reinforced layer 26. Alternatively, as shown in
However, in the latter case, an angle θ1 defined by each of the reinforcing filament members 26a, 26b, namely a winding angle may be a low angle, 45 or 40 degrees or lower, for example 36 degrees.
According to this embodiment, longitudinal expansion of the hose 10 is restrained by the fist reinforced ply 26-1 braided at low braid angle. Additionally, radial expansion and deformation of the hose 10 is effectively restrained by the second reinforced ply 26-2 braided at high braid angle.
In this embodiment, the first reinforced ply 26-1 with braid angle θ1, lower than a neutral angle α is arranged in a radially inner side, and the second reinforced ply 26-2 with braid angle θ2 higher than a neutral angle α is arranged in a radially outer side. In some cases, the first reinforced ply 26-1 and the second reinforced ply 26-2 may be arranged in inverted order respectively, the first reinforced ply 26-1 in a radially outer side and the second reinforced ply 26-2 in a radially inner side.
In this embodiment, the reinforced layer 26 is made of canvas where the warp or longitudinal reinforcing filament member 26a and the weft or lateral reinforcing filament member 26b are woven or braided. Here, the warp reinforcing filament member 26a is arranged parallel to an axis and the weft reinforcing filament member 26b arranged perpendicular to an axis.
Also, according to this embodiment, large longitudinal expansion and deformation of the hose 10 overall accompanied by expansion of the corrugated metal tube 22 may be restrained by the warp or longitudinal reinforcing filament member 26a, while radial expansion and deformation of the hose 10 may be restrained by the weft or lateral reinforcing filament member 26b of canvas.
Although the preferred embodiments have been described above, these are only some of embodiments of the present invention.
For examples the present invention may be adapted for various types of fluid conveying hose, other than the ones as in the above embodiments. Such variations are intended to be within the scope of the present invention and the following claims.
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