COATING FOR FUNCTIONAL FILIFORM ELEMENTS

Abstract

A coating for functional filamentary elements, applicable for incorporation as an external layer that totally or partially surrounds a core (2) of a sling (3), cable or other filamentary element intended for lifting loads, serving as protection to said core (2) against friction, erosion, cuts, generated by use, is characterized by having a tubular structure made of elastic flat weft fabric (10), that is, formed by warp threads (11) of non-elastic material and weft threads (10) of elastic material, such that it elongates in the horizontal direction, that of the weft threads (10), but not in the vertical direction of the warp threads (11), providing adequate mechanical resistance to the aforementioned use, while adapting by adjusting completely to the geometry of the core (2), both in a neutral resting position and in a tensioned working position.

Description

COATING FOR FUNCTIONAL FILIFORM ELEMENTS OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The invention, as stated in the present descriptive report, refers to a coating for functional filament elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure tubes, which provides advantages and characteristics, described in detail below, that represent an improvement over the current state of the art. The object of the present invention is a coating that, specially intended for use as a sheath or external protective layer on functional filamentary elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure tubes, has the particularity of having a tubular structure of elastic flat weave fabric, instead of being knitted or non-woven, for example, providing adequate mechanical resistance for its use, that is, the protection of the core of the filamentary element, such as the sling or cable, while fully adapting to its geometry. FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION The field of application of the present invention is mainly within the lifting engineering sector, focusing particularly on the field of the industry dedicated to the manufacture of slings made with chains, metal threads, ropes or bands, while also encompassing the field of technical textiles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Currently, slings or similar filament-like elements, that is, those intended for lifting loads, when composed of a core with an outer sheath or covering, such as tubular slings, typically have a body made of a flat fabric, that is, made of perpendicular, non-elastic warp and weft threads. This body consists of two elongated layers sewn longitudinally together on both sides, thus defining seams that run lengthwise along the sling. Figure 1 shows an example of this configuration. These seams in the flat weave can be problematic for certain applications. They also represent a significant weakness in the protection the cover should provide. Furthermore, non-elastic flat weave covers sometimes have difficulty accommodating certain sling cores, which adds complexity to the sling manufacturing process and can consequently increase its cost. On the other hand, there are known semi-elastic fabrics that are knitted or non-woven, but they do not provide sufficient strength and protection, since the function of the coating is to protect the internal elements, which are what provide the strength of the sling, from erosion, cuts, or other attacks. The objective of the present invention is, therefore, the development of a coating for functional filamentary elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure pipes, which allows avoiding the described drawbacks, providing equal or greater protection while also offering high resistance and adaptability, which represents an advantage in use and manufacturing. Furthermore, and with reference to the current state of the art, it should be noted that, at least as far as the applicant is concerned, there is no knowledge of any other coating for thread-like elements, nor any other invention of similar application, that presents technical, structural and constitutive characteristics equal or similar to those claimed herein. EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION The coating for functional filament elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure pipes, proposed by the invention, represents an optimal solution to achieve the aforementioned objectives, while also representing an improvement over the current state of the art, with the characterizing details that make it possible and that distinguish it being conveniently included in the final claims accompanying this description. Specifically, what the invention proposes, as previously mentioned, is a coating of the type applicable for incorporation as an outer layer surrounding functional filamentary elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure pipes, serving as protection to the core of these elements. Its distinguishing feature is that, instead of consisting of a non-elastic flat fabric formed by two long, narrow layers of material sewn longitudinally along both sides of the filamentary core, it is a tubular structure made of elastic weft fabric. Thus, unlike a knitted elastic fabric or non-woven elastic material, for example, it provides the filamentary element, such as the sling or cable, with greater mechanical resistance, more suitable for its use, i.e., the protection of the core of the filamentary element.while fully adapting to its geometry both in a neutral resting position and in a forced working position. Thus, the coating proposed by the invention is configured as an elastic tube that, once placed on the core or the inner elements of the thread-like element, such as the sling, compresses them, thus generating a minimum volume of the assembly. The application of the coating around the core of a sling is preferably done by machine during the sling's manufacturing process. This machine opens the tubular body or sleeve that forms the coating, creating a large space in its center. The tubular sling is then formed by passing the core elements through the sleeve several times. The sleeve is then stopped opening and compressed, becoming tightly fitted over the surface of the sling's core. The fabric of the covering that is the subject of the invention is preferably made up of a polyester warp and an elastic yarn weft. The elastic yarn of the weft, for example, and without this implying a limitation, can be elastane, thermoplastic polyurethane, nylon, textured polyester or any mixture of them. The elastic tubular coating has the advantage of not occupying more volume than the core of the thread-like element itself, such as the sling. The elastic tubular coating adapts to the core of the thread-like element, such as the sling, either in its resting position or in its working position, for example when it is being used for loading. The elastic weft yarn preferably has a double retention at the edge to prevent it from opening accidentally or due to continued use of the covering. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS To complement the description being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, this descriptive document is accompanied, as an integral part thereof, by sheets of drawings in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes: Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of a conventional flat-coated sling, representative of current technology; Figures 2-A and 2-B show cross-sectional views of an example of a sling with the coating of the invention, represented respectively in the rest position and the working position, showing the adaptation of the coating to the core of the sling; and Figure number 2.- Shows a schematic representation of the configuration of the elastic flat weave fabric that presents the coating that is the object of the invention. PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION In view of the aforementioned figures, and in accordance with the numbering adopted, one can observe in them an example of a non-limiting embodiment of the coating for functional filiform elements, such as slings or cables intended for lifting heavy loads, as well as electrical cables and pressure tubes, of the invention, which comprises what is described in detail below. Thus, as can be seen in Figure 3, the coating (1) of the invention, applicable for its incorporation as an external layer that totally or partially surrounds a core (2) of a filamentary element, such as a sling (3), cable or tube, serving as protection to said core (2) against friction, erosion, cuts, generated by use, is distinguished by having a tubular structure made of elastic flat weft fabric (10), that is, formed by warp threads (11) of non-elastic material and weft threads (10) of elastic material (Figure 3), such that it elongates in the horizontal direction, that of the weft threads (10) but not in the vertical direction of the warp threads (11), providing adequate mechanical resistance to the aforementioned use, while adapting by adjusting completely to the geometry of the core (2), both in neutral resting position (Figure 2-A) and in tensioned working position (Figure 2-B). Preferably, the fabric structure of the covering (1) is made up of a warp (11) of polyester threads. Preferably, the elastic weft threads (10) are made of elastane, thermoplastic polyurethane, nylon, textured polyester, or any mixture thereof. Figure 1 shows an example of the conventional configuration of a flat fabric cover (1) for a sling core (2) (3), according to the current state of the art, in which it can be seen that said cover is formed by two layers (a, b) sewn on both sides by means of respective side seams (4). Having sufficiently described the nature of the present invention, as well as the manner of putting it into practice, it is not considered necessary to make its explanation more extensive so that any expert in the field can understand its scope and the advantages that derive from it.

Claims

1. A coating for functional filament elements, applicable for incorporation as an outer layer that totally or partially surrounds a core (2) of a sling (3), cable, or other filament element intended for lifting loads, serving as protection to said core (2) against friction, erosion, and cuts generated by use, is characterized by having a tubular structure made of elastic flat weft fabric (10), that is, formed by warp threads (11) of non-elastic material and weft threads (10) of elastic material, such that it elongates horizontally, in the direction of the weft threads (10), but not vertically, in the direction of the warp threads (11), providing adequate mechanical resistance for the aforementioned use, while adapting by fully conforming to the geometry of the core (2), both in the neutral resting position and in the tensioned working position. 2.A coating for functional filiform elements, according to claim 1, characterized in that the fabric structure of the coating (1) is formed by a warp (11) of polyester yarns.

3. A coating for functional filiform elements, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the elastic weft yarns (10) are made of elastane, thermoplastic polyurethane, nylon, textured polyester, or any mixture thereof.