WRAPPABLE ABRASION RESISTANT, REFLECTIVE THERMAL PROTECTIVE TEXTILE SLEEVE AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF

Abstract

A wrappable textile sleeve and method of construction thereof is provided. The sleeve includes a woven wall having opposite inner and outer edges extending in a lengthwise direction along a central longitudinal axis of the sleeve between opposite ends. The opposite inner and outer edges are wrappable into overlapping relation with one another to form an inner tubular cavity. The wall has an innermost woven layer and an outermost woven layer woven in attached relation with one another at one of the opposite inner and outer edges. A reflective layer is sandwiched between the innermost woven layer and the outermost woven layer, such that the outermost woven layer protects the underlying reflective layer against abrasion.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a wrappable textile sleeve, comprising: weaving a wall extending in a lengthwise direction along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends; attaching a reflective layer to said wall; and folding said wall in overlapping relation with itself to form an innermost layer of said wall and an outermost layer of said wall and sandwiching said reflective layer between said innermost and said outermost layers.

2. The method of claim 1 further including weaving said wall with warp yarns extending in the lengthwise direction generally parallel to said longitudinal axis and weft yarns extending generally transversely to said longitudinal axis between said opposite edges and heat-setting at least some of said weft yarns to impart a bias on said wall to bring opposite lengthwise extending edges of said wall into overlapping relation with one another.

3. The method of claim 2 further including weaving said warp yarns of said innermost layer with insulative multifilaments.

4. The method of claim 3 further including weaving said warp yarns of said outermost layer with monofilaments.

5. The method of claim 4 further including providing the monofilaments of said outermost layer as transparent monofilaments.

6. The method of claim 2 further including weaving said warp yarns of said outermost layer with monofilaments.

7. The method of claim 1 further including bonding said reflective foil layer to one of said innermost woven layer and said outermost woven layer.

8. The method of claim 1 further including weaving said wall on a narrow fabric loom.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments and best mode, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wrappable sleeve constructed in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic end view of a woven wall of the sleeve of FIG. 1 shown in an unwrapped, flattened configuration;

[0022] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the woven wall in an opened configuration with a reflective layer disposed between opposite layers of the woven wall;

[0023] FIG. 3A is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the wall in a closed position with the reflective layer sandwiched between opposite layers of the wall;

[0024] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

[0025] FIG. 5 is a schematic end view of a wall of the sleeve of FIG. 1 woven in accordance with another aspect of the invention, with the wall shown in an as woven state with a reflective layer attached to a portion of the woven wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026] Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a wrappable sleeve 10 constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention, wherein the sleeve 10 is highly resistant to abrasion, highly reflective to radiant heat, and highly insulative. The sleeve 10 includes a woven wall 12 having opposite inner and outer edges 14, 16 extending in a lengthwise direction along a central longitudinal axis 18 of the sleeve 10 between opposite ends 20, 22 of the sleeve 10. The opposite inner and outer edges 14, 16 are wrappable into overlapping relation with one another to form an inner tubular cavity 24 for receipt of an elongate member 26 to be protected therein, such as a wire harness, tube, or hose, by way of example and without limitation. The wall 12 has an innermost woven layer 28, serving primarily as a thermal protection layer, such as by being heat insulative and heat-resistant, and an outermost woven layer 30, serving primarily as an abrasion resistant layer. The innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are preferably woven together in a single weaving process, such that the opposite layers 28, 30 are woven in attached relation with one another along a line L forming one of the opposite inner and outer edges, and shown as being connected along a straight line forming the inner edge 14. The sleeve 10 further includes a reflective layer 32, such as any suitable reflective metal foil, e.g. aluminum, stainless steel, copper, or tin, sandwiched between the innermost woven layer 28 and the outermost woven layer 30, such that the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 form overlapping layers on opposite sides of the intermediate reflective layer 32. As such, the reflective layer 32 is physically protected along both sides from abrasion, thereby acting to protect the reflective layer 32 against inadvertent damage, such as may occur during storage, shipping, or while in use, and further acts to prolong the use life of the reflective layer 32, thereby prolonging the useful life of the sleeve 10 and the contents 26 contained therein.

[0027] The woven sleeve 10 includes yarns extending in a lengthwise direction generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis 18 between the opposite ends 20, 22, which are referred to hereafter as warp yarns 34, and yarns extending in a crosswise direction generally transversely to the central longitudinal axis 18 between the opposite edges 14, 16, which are referred to hereafter as weft or fill yarns 36.

[0028] The warp yarns 34 woven in the insulative innermost layer 28 are provided as multifilaments (designated by o) of heat insulative and/or heat-resistant material, such as multifilaments of fiberglass, silica, ceramic, basalt, aramid or carbon, having a denier between about 1000-5000, by way of example and without limitation. The weft yarns 36 woven in the insulative innermost layer 28 can also be provided, at least in part, or entirely from the aforementioned multifilaments. However, if constructing the sleeve 10 to be a self-wrapping sleeve, at least some or all of the weft yarns 36 of the innermost layer 28 can be provided as a heat-shapeable or heat-settable thermoplastic yarn, such as yarns of organic polymeric material, which are well known per se in the art, and which enable the manufacturer of the sleeve to heat-set such weft yarns 36 while in a curved, wrapped shape, wherein the heat-set biases the wall 12 of the sleeve 10 to maintain a self-curled closed tubular condition, as illustrated best in FIG. 4, such that the opposite edges 14, 16 overlap one another over an overlapped region 37 absent some externally applied force pulling the edges 14, 16 away from one another. Such heat-shapeable yarns may be monofilament yarns having a diameter between about 0.10-0.40 mm, and may be made of known suitable polymeric materials such as, for example, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), by way of example and without limitation.

[0029] The warp and weft yarns 34, 36 woven in the abrasion resistant outermost layer 30 are provided as monofilaments (designated by x) of abrasion resistant material, such as monofilaments of polypropylene (PP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) having a diameter between about 0.10-0.40 mm, by way of example and without limitation. If constructing the sleeve 10 to be a self-wrapping sleeve, at least some or all of the weft yarns 36 of the outermost layer 30 can be provided as a heat-shapeable or heat-settable thermoplastic yarn, such as discussed above, namely, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) or polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), by way of example and without limitation.

[0030] The innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are constructed in a single weaving process, and can be formed having any suitable weave pattern, such as plain, basket, or twill, by way of example and without limitation, however, regardless of the type of weave pattern selected, it is preferred that the outermost wove layer 30 be woven having a relatively low weave density, such that the weave density of the outermost layer 30 can be less than the weave density of the innermost layer 28, thereby having a relatively low picks-per-inch (weft yarns) and ends-per-inch (warp yarns) so that relatively large, generally square openings 41 are formed between the adjacent interlaced yarns 34, 36 to allow the reflective surface of the reflective layer 32 to be clearly seen through the outermost woven layer 30, thereby enhancing the reflectivity, and thus, the thermal resistance of the wall 12. To further enhance the operable reflectivity the reflective layer 32, the warp and/or weft monofilament yarns 34, 36 forming the outermost layer 30 can be provided being transparent or substantially transparent yarns, thereby exposing a maximum area of the reflective layer 32 to the surrounding environment for reflecting radiant heat.

[0031] To facilitate attaching the reflective layer 32 to the respective innermost or outermost layers, the reflective layer 32 can be provided having an adhesive surface 39, such that the reflective layer 32 can be simply adhered to the selected surface, shown in the different embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 5 as an inner surface of the outermost layer 30, via application of heat or pressure. It is to be recognized that the reflective layer 32 may also be laminated with a plastic film or textile scrim to improve durability during handling. The reflective foil layer 32 is preferably provided having a thickness between about 0.0003-0.0015, by way of example and without limitation.

[0032] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 3A, the wall 12 is shown as having been woven on a narrow fabric loom with dual layer construction capability. Each of the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are woven simultaneously in overlapping relation with one another, wherein the layers 28, 30 are interconnected with one another during the weaving process via a connection edge extending along the lengthwise extending line L, shown as being the inner edge 14 common to and interlinking both the layers 28, 30 with one another. Upon weaving the wall 12, the opposite innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are opened, as shown in FIG. 3, and then the reflective layer 32 is attached, such as via an adhesive, by way of example and without limitation, to one of the layers, and shown as being adhered to the innermost layer 28. Bonding the reflective layer 32 to the innermost layer 28 provides a particularly good bond given the innermost layer 28 includes multifilament warp yarns 34, which provide an enhanced adhesion surface compared with the monofilaments forming the outermost layer 30. Then, upon bonding the reflective layer 32 to the innermost layer 28, the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are folded into their closed, generally flat orientation, as indicated by the arrow shown in FIG. 3A, thereby sandwiching the reflective layer between the overlying layers 28, 30. The sleeve 10 is now ready to be wrapped about the elongate member 26, whereupon the opposite edges 14, 16 are brought into overlapping relation with one another. Of course, as discussed above, the wall 12 can be heat-set by curling the woven wall 12 about a mandrel and heating the wall 12 sufficiently to heat-form the heat-settable weft monofilament yarns 36 into the curled configuration to automatically bias the opposite inner and outer edges 14, 16 into overlapping relation with one another.

[0033] In a method of the construction in accordance with another aspect of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the wall 12, rather weaving the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 in overlapping relation with one another on a double flatbed weaving machine, the wall 12 can be woven on a narrow loom in a flat configuration such that the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are initially coplanar and generally flat with one another. The same warp and weft yarns, as discussed above, can be used to form the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30, such that the innermost layer 28 has warp insulative multifilament yarns 34 (designated by o), and the outermost layer 30 has warp abrasion resistant monofilament yarns 34 (designated by x). Then, upon weaving the flat wall 12, the reflective layer 32 is attached, as discussed above, and then, the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30 are folded in overlapping relation with one another, as indicate by the arrow in FIG. 5, to sandwich the reflective layer 32 between the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30, thereby forming the inner edge 14 common to the both layers 28, 30, and the outer edge 16. Then, as discussed above, the wall 12 can be heat-formed, if desired, to automatically bias the opposite inner and outer edges 14, 16 into overlapping relation with one another.

[0034] With the reflective layer of foil 32 being sandwiched between the innermost and outermost layers 28, 30, and with the outermost layer 30 being woven from abrasion resistant warp and weft yarns 34, 36, the reflective layer of relatively thin foil 32 is protected against being damage, such as during shipping, installation or use, and thus, is able to provide optimal protection to the elongate member 26 from unwanted exposure to radiant heat. Further, as mentioned above, with the outermost layer 30 being woven having a generally open, low density weave pattern, the area of the reflective layer 32 that is visible through the openings 41 formed between adjacent interlaced yarns of the outermost layer 30 is maximized, thereby further optimizing the operable reflective potential of the reflective intermediate layer 32. In addition, to further maximize the operable reflective potential of the reflective layer 32, the outermost layer 30 is preferably woven with transparent monofilaments. This couple with the innermost layer 28 being woven with heat-insulating, high temperature-resistant multifilaments provides the sleeve 10 with excellent thermal protection properties that ultimately inhibits radiant heat from passing through the wall 12 and reaching the inner cavity 24.

[0035] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of any ultimately allowed claims.