Non-kinking wrappable knit sleeve and method of construction thereof

Abstract

A warp knit textile sleeve is provided. The sleeve has an elongate, wrappable wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The wall has opposite free edges extending lengthwise along the longitudinal axis between the opposite ends. The wall is knit from at least one warp yarn extending lengthwise between the opposite ends and a plurality of weft yarns extending circumferentially between the opposite free edges. The weft yarns form a plurality of discrete, annular bands alternating in adjacent relation along the longitudinal axis. The weft yarn of one of the adjacent bands has a first diameter and the weft yarn of the other of the adjacent bands has a second diameter, wherein the first diameter is less than the second diameter.

Claims

1. A wrappable textile sleeve, comprising: an elongate, wrappable wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends, said wall having opposite free edges extending lengthwise along said longitudinal axis between said opposite ends, said wall being knit from at least one warp yarn extending lengthwise between said opposite ends and a plurality of weft yarns extending circumferentially between said opposite free edges, said weft yarns form a plurality of discrete, annular, adjacent bands alternating along said longitudinal axis, wherein the weft yarn of one of said adjacent bands has a first diameter and the weft yarn of the other of said adjacent bands has a second diameter, said first diameter being less than said second diameter.

2. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein said weft yarns are laid-in and fixed in position by said at least one warp yarn.

3. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 2 wherein said at least one warp yarn has closed chain stitches looped about said weft yarns.

4. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 2 wherein said at least one warp yarn has open chain stitches looped partially about said weft yarns.

5. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 2 wherein said weft yarn of each of said bands forms floats along said longitudinal axis, said floats extending over a plurality of said weft yarn of an adjacent band.

6. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 5 wherein said weft yarn in every other band is the same diameter.

7. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 6 wherein said weft yarn in every other band share a single, continuous, monolithic strand of yarn.

8. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein each of said weft yarns is inserted in a plurality of said bands.

9. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein the respective ratio of said first diameter to said second diameter is between about 1:1.5 to 1:2.

10. The wrappable sleeve of claim 1 wherein said wall has an outer surface and further comprising an outer layer laminated on said outer surface.

11. The wrappable sleeve of claim 10 wherein said outer layer is foil.

12. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 10 wherein the respective ratio of said first diameter to said second diameter is about 1:1.5.

13. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein at least one of said weft yarns is heat-set to bias said opposite free edges into overlapping relation with one another.

14. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein said at least one warp yarn is a multifilament.

15. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 14 wherein said plurality of weft yarns are monofilaments.

16. A wrappable textile sleeve, comprising: an elongate, wrappable wall extending along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends, said wall having opposite free edges extending lengthwise along said longitudinal axis between said opposite ends, said wall being knit from at least one warp yarn extending lengthwise between said opposite ends and a plurality of weft yarns extending circumferentially between said opposite free edges, said weft yarns form a plurality of discrete, annular bands alternating along said longitudinal axis, wherein the weft yarn of one of said adjacent bands has a first diameter and the weft yarn of the other of said adjacent bands has a second diameter, said first diameter being less than said second diameter; and wherein said at least one warp yarn includes a plurality of warp yarns, at least some of said warp yarns be knit having chain stitches, and at least some of said warp yarns being laid-in.

17. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein at least some of the bands including the weft yarn having the first diameter extend over a longer axial length of the wall relative to at least some of the bands including the weft having the second diameter.

18. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 17 wherein each of the bands including the weft yarn having the first diameter extend over a longer axial length of the wall relative to each of the bands including the weft having the second diameter.

19. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 1 wherein each of the bands including the weft yarn having the first diameter include a plurality of passes of the first diameter weft yarn extending in a weft-wise direction between the opposite free edges in adjacent, axially spaced relation with one another, and each of the bands including the weft yarn having the second diameter include a plurality of passes of the second diameter weft yarn extending in a weft-wise direction between the opposite free edges in adjacent, axially spaced relation with one another.

20. The wrappable textile sleeve of claim 19 wherein each of the bands including the weft yarn having the first diameter share a single, common weft yarn and each of the bands including the weft yarn having the second diameter share a single, common weft yarn.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present 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:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a knit, wrappable sleeve constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention shown wrapped about an elongate member;

(3) FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate enlarged partial plan views of various knit stitch patterns used to construct a wall of the sleeve of FIG. 1 in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a knit stitch diagram of an open pillar stitch that can be used in the construction of a sleeve constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a knit, wrappable sleeve constructed in accordance with another aspect of the invention shown wrapped about an elongate member; and

(6) FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a knit, wrappable sleeve constructed in accordance with yet another aspect of the invention shown wrapped about an elongate member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a warp knit textile sleeve 10 constructed in accordance with one aspect of the invention wrapped about an elongate member 12 (e.g. flexible cable or wire harness or other flexible member) to be protected. The sleeve 10 has an elongate wall 14 that extends along a longitudinal axis 16 between opposite ends 18, 20 with lengthwise extending opposite free edges 22, 24 extending parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 16 between the opposite ends 18, 20. As best shown in FIGS. 2A-2D, in accordance with different respective embodiments of the invention, the wall 14 is warp knit including lengthwise extending warp yarns 26 and circumferentially extending weft yarns, shown here by way of example and without limitation as a pair of differently sized weft yarns 28, 29. The weft yarns 28, 29 are knit to form a plurality of adjacent discrete annular hands, shown by way of example and without limitation as first and second hands, represented respectively by A, B, that alternate with one another along the length of the sleeve 10. The bands A, B have respective widths w1, w2 that extend along the longitudinal axis 16, wherein the widths w1, w2 are of individual, axially extending lengths to provide the desired flexibility and hoop strength to the sleeve 10, without necessarily sacrificing one of flexibility and hoop strength over the other. What distinguishes the bands A, B from one another are the diameters, and possibly yarn type (i.e. monofilament versus multifilament) of the respective weft yarns 28, 29 used to form the bands A, B, wherein the immediately adjacent bands A, B have weft yarns of different diameters from one another. The bands A are knit consisting entirely of the weft yarns 28 having a diameter no greater than a first diameter, while the bands B are knit entirely with the weft yarns 29 having a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter. As such, the bands A, B of the sleeve 10 are formed having different physical properties from one another, wherein the different physical properties alternate along the length of the sleeve 10. The differing physical properties are directly attributable to the different diameters, and possibly yarn types, of the weft yarns 28, 29 used to form the respective bands A, B. The bands A are knit with smaller first diameter weft yarns 28, such as from monofilaments, multifilaments, or a combination thereof, to provide the sleeve 10 with enhanced flex regions that result in an enhanced ability of the sleeve 10 to flex and bend around corners, including corners of 90 degrees or more, without kinking and without forming openings or gaps between the overlapping edges 22, 24. Meanwhile, the bands B are knit with larger second diameter weft yarns 29, such as from monofilaments, multifilaments, or a combination thereof, to provide the sleeve 10 with relatively stiff, relatively rigid regions relative to the bands A, thereby providing the wall 14 with enhanced hoop strength to prevent the wall 14 from being flattened or crushed under a radially applied force. As such, the elongate member 12 contained within the sleeve 10 is able to be routed about corners as desired as a result of the relatively flexible bands A, while also being protected against damage from being crushed as a result of the increased hoop strength bands B.

(8) The warp yarn 26 can be provided of any suitable yarn material, including monofilament and/or multifilament yarn, and in any suitable number of ends, depending on the overall construction of the sleeve, as discussed further below. To enhance coverage protection provided by the wall 14 to the enclosed elongate member 12, the warp yarn 26 can be provided at least in part, or entirely, of multifilament yarn.

(9) The weft yarns 28, 29 can be provided solely as monofilament yarn, or as a combination of monofilament and multifilament yarn, and can be provided at least in part as heat-settable monofilament yarn, if desired to facilitate heat-setting the wall 14 into a thermally formed, self-wrapping wall. The alternating bands A, B, as discussed above, have differently sized weft yarns from one another, whether provided solely as monofilaments or as a combination of monofilament and multifilament yarn, thereby providing the sleeve 10 with increased flex bands A including the smaller diameter yarn having a relatively high level of flexibility, and increased hoop strength bands B including the larger diameter yarn having a relatively low level of flexibility and a relative high hoop strength compared to bands A. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, wherein the sleeve 10 is a standalone structure, and thus, does not have any layers other than the knit wall 14, the weft yarns 28 in the flexible bands A and the weft yarns 29 in the more rigid bands B have a respective ratio of diameters of about 1:1.5. In any case, the bands A, B are sized in axially extending widths relative with one another to provide the desired amount of flex and hoop strength, while at the same time preventing the wall 14 from kinking and forming openings gaps along the seam between the overlapping edges 22, 24. If the relative widths of the bands A, B is not maintained, the wall 14 can either sacrifice the needed hoop strength, such as if the bands A are too wide relative to the bands B, or the wall can be too stiff and inflexible, thereby kinking and forming openings/gaps along the seam between the edges 22, 24, such as if the bands B are too wide relative to the bands A. Accordingly, it should be recognized that a balance needs to he maintained between the respective widths of the bands A, B to provide the sleeve 10 with the ability to flex without kinking and forming openings/gaps, while also retaining the desired hoop strength without being too stiff.

(10) If the sleeve 10 is intended to be used as a standalone sleeve, thereby being free of any additional layers, then the wall 14 is knit having a relatively high density of yarns in both the warp and weft directions. Otherwise, as shown in an alternate embodiment of the invention in FIG. 4, wherein the same reference numerals, offset by a factor of 100, are used to identify like features, a sleeve 110 has an outer layer 30 bonded to the wall 114, such as a layer of foil 30, by way of example, then the density of the warp yarn should be significantly reduced from that for the standalone sleeve 10 shown in FIG. 1, such as between about 25-50% less warp ends than the sleeve 10 not having an additional layer, by way of example. The reduced density of the warp yarn 26 in the sleeve 110 allows the sleeve 110 to remain flexible without causing the foil layer 30 to tear, while also avoiding the unwanted increase in bulk. It should be recognized the sleeve 110 has knit bands A, B similarly as discussed for the wall 14, wherein relatively small diameter weft yarns 28 are knit in the flexible bands A and relatively large diameter weft yarns 29 are knit in the more rigid bands B, such that the ratio of the respective weft yarns 28, 29 is preferably about 1:2.

(11) In the FIGS. 2A-2D, various knit stitch patterns are shown in accordance with different knit embodiments. In FIG. 2A, each warp yarn 26 is warp knit in a closed chain stitch (pillar stitch) with the weft yarns 28, 29, thereby forming loops that are looped entirely about the weft yarns 28, 29, while the weft yarns 28, 29 alternate with one another along the lengthwise direction to form the discrete bands A, B, with the weft yarns 28, 29 being laid-in with the knit warp yarns 26. The bands A, B of the weft yarns 28, 29 alternate in lengthwise relation with one another as a result of respective floats 32, 33 of each weft yarn 28, 29 that float or skip along the longitudinal axis 16 over the weft yarn of the immediately adjacent band to form the next band on an opposite side of the immediately adjacent band. Accordingly, the floats 32 of the weft yarn 28 forming the bands A float over the adjacent bands B, while the floats 33 of the weft yarn 29 forming the hands B float over the adjacent bands A. It should be recognized that the plurality of bands A are formed via at least one, continuous, monolithic strand of weft yarn 28, while the bands B are formed via at least one, continuous, monolithic strand of yarn 29.

(12) In FIG. 2B, the knit structure is similar to that of FIG. 2A, however, additional warp yarns 26 are laid-in between the closed chain stitch warp yarns 26 to provide added coverage to the wall.

(13) In FIG. 2C, the knit structure is similar to that of FIG. 2A, however, rather than the floats 32, 33 of the weft yarns 28, 29 being exposed along the edges 22, 24, the floats 32 extend inwardly from the edges 22, 24, and thus, are essentially hidden to form a clean, smooth edge with no exposed monofilaments in the float regions.

(14) In FIG. 2D, as with FIG. 2C, again the floats 32, 33 are hidden, and so too is the entirety of the weft yarns 28, 29 along the edges 22, 24. This results from the incorporation of laid-in warp inserts 34 along the edges 22, 24 in combination with warp knit ends 26, shown knit in a closed chain stitch, with the laid-in warp inserts 34.

(15) The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2A-2D are shown with the warp ends 26 being knit in a closed chain stitch, extending in looped fashion entirely about the weft yarns 28, 29 to fix the weft yarns 28, 29 in position, however, additional embodiments of the invention can be knit with warp ends 26 in an open chain stitch, as shown in FIG. 3, wherein the warp ends 26 extend at least partially about the weft yarns 28, 29 to fix the weft yarns 28, 29 in position.

(16) FIG. 5 shows a sleeve 210 constructed in accordance with another aspect of the invention, wherein the same reference numerals, offset by a factor of 200, are used to identify like features as discussed above. The sleeve 210 has a wall 214 constructed as above, having a plurality of bands adjacent one another to provide the desired flexibility and hoop strength, however, rather than only having a pair of different band types A, B, the sleeve has three or more different types of alternating bands A, B, C . . . . Accordingly, the sleeve 210 includes a plurality of bands adjacent one another, wherein the bands adjacent one another have weft yarns of differing diameters from one another, thereby providing an alternating sequence of hands, such as A, B, C . . . A, B, C . . . A, B, C . . . A, B, C, wherein each of the bands A, B, C . . . have weft yarns of differing diameter from one another. It should also be recognized that adjacent bands A, B, C can include different types of weft yarns from one another, such that one band could include only monofilament weft yarn, while and adjacent band could include only multifilament yarn or a combination of monofilament and multifilament yarns, by way of example and without limitation. Ultimately, the number of different types of bands and different types of weft yarn used will be driven by the performance characteristics desired for the intended protective sleeve application.

(17) Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described, and that the scope of the invention is defined by any ultimately allowed claims.