A film structure and a method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

The application discloses a membrane material structure and a preparation method thereof, and can be used for manufacturing of an air rib of an inflatable tent. The inflatable tent manufactured by the membrane material structure and the preparation method thereof has the characteristics of high-pressure inflation resistance, long-term pressure maintaining and high air rib safety; and has advantages in operability, reliability, safety, maintainability, supportability, environmental adaptability, corrosion resistance and the like, and can be popularized and applied to various field environment conditions, including battlefield communication command, material storage, medical aid, wartime laboratory, camping and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of outdoor sports equipment, and more particularly to a membrane structure for an inflatable tent and its preparation method. This invention belongs to the field of production technology of membrane material structure and preparation method for air ribs of inflatable tents. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, tents have become an essential outdoor item, used for outdoor sports, tourism, leisure, adventure activities, and temporary shelters, providing shade, wind protection, and rain protection. However, while the market offers a wide variety of tents, several problems remain: Folding tents have complex structures, making them not only less lightweight but also cumbersome to assemble, requiring lengthy setup times. Their complex and loose structure makes them difficult to fold when not in use, hindering their portability and promotion. PVC mesh inflatable tents are bulky and inconvenient to store and transport. They also have numerous sealing points, meaning a leak in any one area renders the entire tent unusable and difficult to repair or replace. They also have low pressure resistance, often requiring a continuous air supply for long-term inflation, necessitating a power source and blower, and are limited by site conditions. Existing inflatable membrane tents also generally suffer from issues such as poor pressure resistance during inflation, short pressure holding time, poor puncture resistance, low burst pressure limits for air ribs, and the need to improve air rib safety. These problems prevent these tents from meeting the increasing demands for mobility, environmental adaptability, and personal safety.

[0003] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, it is necessary to provide an inflatable tent that overcomes the above-mentioned defects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a membrane structure and its preparation method, characterized by the composition of the membrane structure and the membrane forming and manufacturing method and process technology.

[0005] The invention is characterized by the following: the membrane material consists of four functional material layers, while the fiber reinforcement layer is woven integrally. The specific invention is as follows:

[0006] The high-pressure inflatable membrane structure consists of an outer protective layer 1, a fiber reinforcement layer 2, an airtight membrane layer 3, and an inner protective layer 4, from the outside to the inside.

[0007] The outer protective layer 1 is made of polyurethane, which provides excellent resistance to natural aging, weathering and low temperature (-41°C) use; high strength, abrasion resistance and tear resistance, providing abrasion resistance, puncture resistance and impact resistance to the outer layer of the inflatable membrane; and strong adhesion to the fiber fabric and high heat sealing strength between the inflatable membrane materials.

[0008] The fiber reinforcement layer 2 is made of para-aramid, which can provide the high strength-to-weight ratio of the air ribs, flame retardancy, explosion-proof performance, puncture resistance and impact resistance.

[0009] The gas-blocking membrane layer 3 is made of modified nylon film. The use of modified nylon film balances and improves both gas barrier properties and low-temperature flexibility. Simultaneously, the nylon film provides high strength and flexibility, as well as excellent adhesion to the fiber cloth.

[0010] The inner protective layer 4 is made of polyurethane, which has good adhesion to the nylon airtight membrane. The inner and outer double layers of polyurethane can be heat-sealed using a heat-sealing process, resulting in high heat-sealing strength and ensuring the explosion-proof performance of the air ribs of the inflatable membrane.

[0011] A method for integrally weaving and preparing the fiber layer is invented simultaneously on top of the four-layer material selection. This method can significantly reduce the number and length of weld seams generated by traditional butt joint or lap joint processes for sewing and hot pressing inflatable membrane materials. This results in inflatable rib tents manufactured from this membrane structure and its preparation method having fewer joints and a shorter overall assembly length, effectively improving the overall inflatable tent's high-pressure inflation resistance and sustained pressure holding time.

[0012] The invention enables tents with high-pressure inflatable membrane structures to have high pressure resistance, puncture resistance, impact resistance, high airtightness, high burst pressure limit, and better safety, meeting the excellent characteristics of environmental adaptability in extreme situations, personnel safety protection, and convenient use.

[0013] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0014] 1) A membrane structure, which uses polyurethane, para-aramid, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol polymer modified nylon (modified EVOH) as materials through the above four-layer structure, so that the membrane has excellent properties of wear resistance, puncture resistance, impact resistance and high air tightness.

[0015] 2) The fiber reinforcement layer is manufactured using a para-aramid integral weaving method to produce straight tubes and connectors, following these steps:

[0016] Straight pipe manufacturing technology: The air-sealing membrane layer and the inner protective layer are composited and heat-sealed into a cylindrical double-layer film according to the designed diameter; the above-mentioned cylindrical double-layer film coated with adhesive is placed on a metal mandrel of appropriate size, and then a fiber reinforcement layer is woven integrally on the air-sealing membrane to form an integral cylindrical structure semi-finished product consisting of a fiber layer, an air-sealing membrane layer, and an inner protective layer; the outer protective layer is coated onto the fiber layer of the cylindrical structure to prepare the straight pipe fitting.

[0017] Connector manufacturing technology: An injection molding process is used to prepare the outer protective layer, air-tight membrane layer, and inner protective layer of the connector structure and dimensions; the above-mentioned cylindrical double-layer film coated with adhesive is placed on a specially made mandrel of appropriate size, and then a fiber reinforcement layer is integrally woven on the air-tight membrane to form an integral cylindrical structure semi-finished product of fiber layer, air-tight membrane layer, and inner protective layer; the outer protective layer, fiber reinforcement layer, air-tight membrane layer, and inner protective layer are placed in a specially designed connector structure mold in the order of outer protective layer, fiber reinforcement layer, air-tight membrane layer, and inner protective layer, and thermoforming is performed to manufacture the connector.

[0018] 3) Air rib manufacturing technology: Air ribs are made by heat sealing between straight pipes and between straight pipes and connectors of the inflatable high-pressure membrane pipe.

[0019] The technical advantages of this invention are as follows:

[0020] Compared with previous inflatable membrane tents, the performance advantages of this invention are specifically reflected in the following aspects:

[0021] The present invention discloses a membrane structure and its preparation method, which enables the membrane structure tent to have high pressure inflation resistance, puncture resistance, impact resistance, high airtightness, high burst pressure limit, and better safety, meeting the excellent characteristics of environmental adaptability in extreme situations, personnel safety protection, and convenient use. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the membrane material structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The membrane structure consists of four functional material layers, with the fiber reinforcement layer woven integrally. The specific materials selected for the membrane structure are as follows:

[0024] The high-pressure inflatable membrane structure consists of an outer protective layer 1, a fiber reinforcement layer 2, an air-tight membrane layer 3, and an inner protective layer 4, from the outside in. Specifically: the outer protective layer 1 is made of polyurethane; the fiber reinforcement layer 2 is made of para-aramid; the air-tight membrane layer 3 is made of modified nylon film; and the inner protective layer 4 is made of polyurethane.

[0025] The fiber reinforcement layer 2 is prepared using an integral weaving method. The specific implementation method of integral weaving is as follows:

[0026] 1) Straight tube manufacturing: According to the diameter of the designed tent air rib, the air-sealing membrane layer 3 and the inner protective layer 4 are heat-sealed together to form a cylindrical double-layer film; the above-mentioned cylindrical double-layer film is placed on a metal core rod of appropriate size and adhesive is applied; a special integrated fiber weaving machine is used to weave the fiber reinforcement layer on the air-sealing membrane layer to form an integral cylindrical structure semi-finished product of fiber reinforcement layer 2, air-sealing membrane layer 3 and inner protective layer 4; the outer protective layer 1 is coated onto the fiber reinforcement layer of the cylindrical structure to prepare the straight tube.

[0027] 2) Connector Manufacturing: Using a specialized injection molding machine, the connector structure and dimensions are calculated according to the designed tent air rib dimensions. The outer protective layer 1, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4 are prepared using the same method as above. The aforementioned tubular double-layer film coated with adhesive is placed on a specially made mandrel of appropriate size. Then, a special integrated weaving machine is used to weave the fiber reinforcement layer 2 integrally on the air-tight membrane layer 3, forming an integral tubular structure semi-finished product consisting of the fiber reinforcement layer 2, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4. The outer protective layer 1, the fiber reinforcement layer 2, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4 are placed in a mold with specially designed connector structure dimensions in the order of outer protective layer 1, fiber reinforcement layer 2, air-tight membrane layer 3, and inner protective layer 4 for thermoforming to manufacture the connector.

[0028] 3) Manufacturing technology of air ribs: The inflatable high-pressure membrane tubes obtained above can be used to obtain various high-pressure inflatable tent air ribs by using a heat-sealing process between straight tubes and between straight tubes and connectors.

[0029] The membrane structure and its preparation method described in this invention enable tents with high-pressure inflatable membrane structures to possess excellent characteristics such as high-pressure inflation resistance, puncture resistance, impact resistance, high airtightness, high burst pressure limit, and better safety, meeting the requirements of environmental adaptability in extreme situations, personnel safety, and ease of use. The one-piece weaving manufacturing process significantly reduces the number and length of weld seams generated by traditional butt joint or overlapping processes in the inflatable membrane material. This results in inflatable rib tents with fewer joints and a shorter overall assembly length, effectively improving the overall high-pressure inflation resistance and sustained pressure holding time.

[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all embodiments here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A membrane structure, characterized in that: The membrane structure is a multi-layer composite integral molding, with each layer tightly bonded together; the membrane structure consists of an outer protective layer 1, a fiber reinforcement layer 2, an airtight membrane layer 3, and an inner protective layer 4.

2. The method for preparing the membrane structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that... The fiber reinforcement layer is manufactured using an integrated weaving method. Straight tubes and connectors are first manufactured separately, following these steps: 1) Straight pipe manufacturing technology: The air-sealing membrane layer 3 and the inner protective layer 4 are composited and heat-sealed into a cylindrical double-layer film according to the designed diameter; the above-mentioned cylindrical double-layer film coated with adhesive is placed on a metal mandrel of appropriate size, and then the fiber reinforcement layer 2 is integrally woven on the air-sealing membrane to form an integral cylindrical structure semi-finished product of fiber reinforcement layer 2, air-sealing membrane layer 3, and inner protective layer 4; the outer protective layer 1 is coated on the fiber layer of the cylindrical structure to prepare a straight pipe fitting; 2) Connector manufacturing technology: The outer protective layer 1, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4 of the connector structure and dimensions are prepared by injection molding. The aforementioned tubular double-layer film coated with adhesive is placed on a specially made mandrel of appropriate size, and then the fiber reinforcement layer 2 is integrally woven on the air-tight membrane layer 3 to form an integral tubular structure semi-finished product consisting of the fiber reinforcement layer 2, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4; the outer protective layer 1, the fiber reinforcement layer 2, the air-tight membrane layer 3, and the inner protective layer 4 are placed in a mold with a specially designed connector structure for thermoforming to manufacture the connector; 3) Air rib manufacturing technology: The straight pipes of the membrane structure tube are joined by heat sealing process to produce air ribs.

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