MXPA97006071A - Protective sleeve with warp spacers - Google Patents

Abstract

A braided product and process include a first sleeve formed of interbraided first and second yarns (11, 12) which may be continuous E glass yarns. Warp beads (14) formed by knitting or braiding are equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the braid and introduced to the braider to form an integral part of the structure. One or more heavy denier yarns (15) are loaded on carriers so as to cross the warp beads (14) under relatively high tension, forcing the beads selectively to the inside or outside of the sleeve surface so as to create longitudinally extending spacers which create air gaps between the sleeve and the surface of the substrate being covered.

Description

PROTECTIVE HOSE WITH URDIMBRE SEPARATORS Field of the Invention This invention relates to coating textile products and more particularly to coating textile products which include an integrally formed means of the products for forming free space within a sleeve and a surface, the sleeve being intended to cover. A particular application of the invention is the provision of coating textile products in which an insulating air gap is formed between the sleeve and a tubular heat source.

Background of the Invention In the passage, various efforts have been made to provide insulating sleeves, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, knitted fabrics, woven or interlaced fiberglass or other insulating yarns for the purpose of insulating elongated pipes and similar elements. The need in the automotive field appears in the isolation of devices with a very high temperature, such as the devices of REF: 25254 recirculation of exhaust gases. The high temperatures generated by these devices are potentially damaging other components of the automobile, and, if the devices are not isolated, it has been known to ignite the fuels if for example, the car is parked in a dry grass field. Although the sleeves of the type sold by the Bentley-Harris Manufacturing Company under the trademarks THERMFLEX and THERMFLEX SPIRAL are effective for many applications, there are occasions where there is still an unmet need for an effective cost solution to the need for protection of the products. components of the dangerous effects of the heat generated in high-performance, modern vehicles. The THERMFLEX SPIRAL product referred to above is a compactly braided, soft, flexible sleeve that is braided from fiberglass yarns. In the THERMFLEX SPIRAL product, a spiral cord of relatively large diameter separates the insulating sleeve from the substrate, creating an air gap in order to increase its insulation properties. Although this product solved the problem to a degree, the air gap provided is not as great as desired for many applications.

Brief Description and Object of the Invention According to the invention there is provided an insulating sleeve product which is comprised of a first and a second thermally insulating, intermeshing yarns and a plurality of relatively large diameter warp beads or cords extending along the product. The warp flanges are located equidistantly around the circumference of the sleeve and are integral with a sleeve when being interlocked between the first and second threads. The invention provides one or more third yarns with a high tension modulus that extend spirally from the sleeve. These third threads are placed on selected carriers in the braider and are braided under tension in the braid so as to press against the wall of the warp threads forcing all the warp threads either radially inward or radially towards outside the surface of the cuff wall. By using the third yarns extending helically, with a relatively high tension, the warp yarns can be made to project selectively in or out of the sleeve wall for a greater distance than is otherwise feasible, thereby providing a substantially increased air gap between the side wall of the sleeve and the surface that is covered in a highly effective manner. The surface that is covered can be that of a heat source, such as an exhaust gas recirculation device, in which the components of the case in its vicinity can be protected from the effects of high temperature or can be the surface of a tubular device that requires protection from high temperatures. In cases where an air gap is desired around the outer circumference of the sleeve, the braider is adjusted so that the tensioned helical wire passes into all the warp flanges, forcing these ridges to project radially outwardly from. the surface of the sleeve. Preferably, the liner product or sleeve manufactured as described is further provided with a second outer sleeve that is over-tensioned on the first sleeve or placed thereon at a later time. The yarns of the second sleeve will preferably be formed from the same yarns as the first and the second yarns in the first sleeve in order to further improve the insulating capacities. It has been determined that a coating product made in accordance with the invention and comprising an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve as described above using glass fiber yarns and placed on a heated pipe will successfully withstand temperatures of at least 1650 ° F and It has the ability to maintain its surface temperature at approximately 250 ° F. In many applications, fiberglass yarns may be used where more expensive ceramic yarns will have been required otherwise. This is considered to be because of the air gap. It has been observed that without the third thread extending helically, tensioned, the warp flanges tend to move to a position in which they center on the center line of the sleeve; while the third threads, the warp flanges remain substantially off center line of the sleeve. These coating products are light in weight, can be manufactured in high-speed circular braiders without the constant stress of the workers, are relatively inexpensive to produce and exhibit better performance characteristics than comparable prior art products. The invention is directed both to a new coating product and to the process for manufacturing the product.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a natural view of a preferred embodiment of a first sleeve having a cutout portion, to show the internal structure, the sleeve that is formed in accordance with the teachings of the invention, Figure 2 is a schematic right-hand sectional view illustrating a product of the sleeve of the type and shown in Figure 1, the product covering an elongated tubular object, Figure 3 is a sectional view, elongated in the schematic form of the sleeve of Figure 1, and Figures 4 and 4a are schematic representations of an established braider illustration in the production of the product of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Modality of the Present Invention Referring first to Figure 1, wherein the presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, the coating product preferably comprises a first braided, braided sleeve of first and second wires 11 and 12 of a thermally insulating material. In this example, each yarn is comprised of three ends of filament E glass 371/3, which corresponds to 3608 denier per end. Four longitudinally extending warp ribs or beads 14, having a field of 0.0451 feet per pound, are provided on carriers located on the braider, so that the ridges are equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the sleeve. As the sleeve is braided, the warp beads are entangled in place by the first and second threads. The warp flanges 14 can be knitted or braided in a manner known in the art of cord or string formation and are relatively dense (non-compressible) and relatively large in diameter. The warp flanges in the illustrative mode are knitted. Although the number of warp flanges may vary somewhat, 4 will be sufficient for most purposes and is considered to be optimal for an exhaust gas recirculation tube having an outside diameter that is typically in the order of approximately 5 / 8. In the illustrative embodiment, the cord beads 14 (sometimes referred to herein as "cords") are braided of textured glass yarn.The cords employed in the illustrative embodiment have a diameter of approximately 3/16", although They can use larger or smaller cords depending on the amount of air gap that is established between the sleeve and the surface to be covered. According to the invention, the third wires comprising one or more third high tension modulus wires, helically extended are provided in the selected carriers of the circular braider. These threads are interwoven with the first and second threads and extend helically from the product. The third spirally extending threads 15 may be of the same construction as the longitudinally extended warp ribs or may be another heat resistant yarn such as textured fiberglass yarn.

This suitable yarn is 2.7 Texo having a denier of 16480. Although the third helically extended yarns can be extended helically in the crossing routes, it has been found that the use of one or more third yarns extending in the same direction produces excellent results and it is considered that it is preferred to carry out the invention. In the illustrative embodiment, four of these third helically extending threads extending at an angle of 45 ° are employed in the braided structure. The third strands are braided under relatively high tension, as explained below, and serve as a means to force the ridges away from the surface of the sleeve. In the braiding operation, as will be explained with reference to Figure 4, the third wires 15 are loaded onto a relatively small number of carriers in the braider, so that they make contact with the warp flanges selectively on the inner or outer surface of each, depending on whether the warp flanges are to project inwardly or outwardly from the surface of the sleeve. In the preferred embodiment, where the sleeve is for insulating a tubular element 16, such as an exhaust gas recirculation tube, the third helically extending wires 15 contact the outer surface of each warp flange 14. The braid is it adjusts so that the third threads 15 helically extended are under a relatively high voltage as compared to the tension of the first and second threads. Because of the difference in tension, the warp flanges are forced radially inwardly from the inner surface of the braid, providing a substantial air gap between the outer surface of the tube 16 and the inner surface of the sleeve 10. As indicated above, the outer sleeve 18 is preferably provided on the inner surface 10. The outer sleeve 18 can be knitted, knitted or braided in a conventional manner and made of thermally resistant, heat insulating wire such as glass E. Both the inner and outer sleeve are preferably coated by dip coating or spray coating. with an acrylic latex binder as sold under the trademark EXFLEX. As is known to those skilled in the art, this binder reduces the fraying of the end and improves the handling properties without interfering with flexibility. Figures 4 and 4a schematically illustrate the setting or setting of a sixty-four carrier braider used in carrying out the invention. Four equally spaced carriers are provided from the third threads 15 helically extended. The warp beads indicated schematically at 14 are distributed to the braider, so that they intertwine within the braid structure of the first and second threads. It can be seen from Figure 4 that the third highly tensioned, helically extended thread 15 passes to the outside of each of the warp flanges 14. However, if desired, the helically extended flanges could be adjusted to pass in the inside of the warp flanges, thereby forcing the warp flanges radially outward to provide spacers on the outside of the sleeve which would, for example, be of advantage where a protecting component is located inside a source of annular heat. The broken line 15a in Figure 4a illustrates% of the path of the third yarn, where it is desired that the third yarn pass into the warp yarns. In the braiding arrangement for braiding the inner sleeve, four equally spaced carriers (two on the inner ring and two on the outer ring) are loaded with the third thread. The adjustment of spring tension in the braider for the first and second threads was 85.05 grams (3 ounces), while the spring tension adjustment was 141.75 grams (5 ounces). The first and second threads are braided so that the surface is substantially free of voids, but should not be taut to interfere with the action of the third threads. It should be understood that stresses will vary depending on factors such as product applications, material size and product but should be easily determined without undue experimentation. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, to provide for the third thread to pass on the same side of the four warp flanges, the total number of carriers must be such that when the number of carriers is divided by eight, the result is an equal number. Where The result is an odd number, as would be the case with a braider of seventy-two carriers with four carriers loaded with the third thread, the helical threads will alternately pass on the inner side and outer side of the flanges. It is noted that in relation to this date, the best method known by the applicant to carry out the present invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, the content of the following is claimed as property:

Claims (12)

1. A protective sleeve characterized in that it is comprised of first and second inter-braided threads; a plurality of relatively incompressible warp ribs extending along the sleeve, the warp ribs are equidistantly positioned around the circumference of the sleeve and intertwined with the first and second inter-braided threads, the warp ribs having a diameter that is large in relation to the diameter of the first and second threads; and a third yarn having a high modulus of tension relative to the first and second yarns, the third yarn extending helically around the sleeve, the third yarn passing over the same side of each of the warp yarns, the yarn third yarn that is under tension and that a pressure is applied on the warp yarns in the same radial direction, the pressure is sufficient to project the warp yarns away from the surface of the sleeve.

2. A protective sleeve according to claim 1, characterized in that the third yarn is intermeshed with the first and second yarns.

3. A protective sleeve according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it also comprises a second braided sleeve of an insulating wire, this second sleeve that is in relative relation to the first defined sleeve.

4. A protective sleeve according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the third stressed strands are in contact with the outward facing surfaces of the warp flanges, the stressed third strands apply sufficient force to project the warp ridges towards inside the inner surface of the sleeve.

5. A protective sleeve according to claim 4, characterized in that the third wire comprises at least two wires that extend helically from the sleeve in opposite directions.

6. A protective sleeve according to claim 4, characterized in that the third thread extends helically from the sleeve in the same direction.

7. A protective sleeve according to claim 5, characterized in that the tension of the third wires is at least 140 of the tension in the first and second wires.

8. A protective sleeve product for isolating an elongated, tubular substrate, this sleeve product is characterized in that it comprises an insulated outer sleeve comprising insulating, interlacing yarn, an inner sleeve having an outer surface adjacent to the outer sleeve, the outer sleeve comprising : first and second insulating threads, interbraiding at least one warp flange having a relatively long diameter with respect to the diameters of the first and second threads, the flange extends along the sleeve and is interlaced with the first and second threads and at least one third yarn intermeshed with the first and second yarns, the third yarn is placed in relation to the warp flange to make contact with the outside facing surface of the warp flange, the third yarn is under tension with respect to the first and second threads, the degree of tension is high enough to force relative Inwardly, so that the flange projects radially from the sleeve, the flange maintains a clearance between the tubular substrate and the inner surface of the inner sleeve.

9. A method for braiding an insulating sleeve in a circular braider, characterized in that it comprises: braiding the first and second heat-resistant wires by distributing relatively incompressible warp cords of diameter substantially greater than the thickness of the sleeve in the braider and feeding the cords of warp between the first and second threads as the first and second threads are interwoven, interstrength at least a third thread with the first and second hours, adjusting the braid so that the third thread passes the third thread on the same side of all the warp cords, and maintain a tension in the third thread sufficient to misalign the warp cords of the center line of the wall of the sleeve.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that the warp cords are separated equidistantly around the circumference of the sleeve.

11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that it comprises four of these warp cords.

12. A method according to claim 9, characterized in that it comprises passing the third tensioned wire to the outer side of the warp cords.