Self-positionable, insulating, impact-resistant fabric sleeve and method of assembly thereof

Abstract

A fabric sleeve 10 for routing and protecting an elongated member 14 includes a wall 12 including a fabric layer 23 having an inner surface 15 and an opposing outer surface 17 extending longitudinally along a central longitudinal axis 20 between opposite ends 19, 21. The inner surface 15 is configured to define a cavity 22 sized to receive the elongated member 14 therein. The fabric layer 23 is formed from interlaced yarns, at least some of which include heat resistant multifilaments and / or heat resistant monofilaments, resulting in a heat resistant sleeve 10. A silicone based coating 26 is applied to the outer surface 17 to provide improved heat resistance, insulating protection and impact resistance.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 323,975, filed March 25, 2022, and priority to U.S. Application Serial No. 18 / 126,154, filed March 24, 2023, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Background of the Invention 1.Technical Field FIELD OF THEINVENTION This invention relates generally to a fabric sleeve for protecting an elongated member, and more particularly to a fabric sleeve that is flexible, insulating, and impact resistant.

[0003] 2. Related Technologies It is known to encase and protect elongated members, such as wires and wiring harnesses, in a circumferentially continuous, wrappable fabric sleeve that protects the cables, wires and hoses contained therein. Improvements are desired in known circumferentially continuous, wrappable fabric sleeves that provide improved protection, including insulation resistance and impact resistance protection, are flexible for routing the cables, wires or hoses through tortuous locations, have a low radial stretch and non-bulky profile for applications with narrow passageways and weight restrictions, such as aircraft and aerospace applications, and are economical to manufacture. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] Summary of the Invention One aspect of the invention provides a fabric sleeve for routing and protecting an elongated member. The fabric sleeve has a wall including a fabric layer having an inner surface and an opposing outer surface extending longitudinally along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The inner surface is configured to define a cavity sized to receive the elongated member therein. The fabric layer is formed from interlaced yarns. At least some of the yarns include heat resistant multifilaments and / or heat resistant monofilaments, resulting in a heat resistant sleeve. A silicone based coating is applied to the outer surface to provide improved heat resistance, insulating protection and impact resistance.

[0005] In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the yarns are formed from polyester.

[0006] In another aspect of the invention, the polyester is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which has high toughness.

[0007] In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the PET yarns are monofilament and / or multifilament.

[0008] In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the yarns are heat resistant. In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the yarns may be cut resistant.

[0009] In another aspect of the invention, the yarns include warp yarns extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis and weft yarns extending generally transverse to the central longitudinal axis, the warp yarns being woven with the weft yarns.

[0010] In another aspect of the invention, the walls may be assembled to extend widthwise between opposite ends, and the opposite ends may be configured to wrap around the central longitudinal axis to constrain the elongate member within the cavity.

[0011] In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the weft yarns may be heat set to bias the walls to provide a tubular structure with opposing edges biased into overlapping relationship.

[0012] In another aspect of the invention, the yarns may be braided together. In another aspect of the invention, the walls may be constructed to be circumferentially continuous.

[0013] Another aspect of the invention provides a method of assembling a fabric sleeve for routing and protecting an elongated member, the method including interlacing yarns to form a fabric layer having an inner surface and an outer surface extending along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The inner surface is configured to define a cavity sized to receive the elongated member. The method further includes applying a silicone based coating to the outer surface.

[0014] In another aspect of the invention, the method may further include interlacing the yarns with one another in a weaving process.

[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the method may further include weaving yarns including warp yarns extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis and weft yarns extending generally across the warp yarns, and providing at least some of the warp yarns and / or weft yarns as monofilaments and / or multifilaments made from a cut resistant material and / or high tenacity PET.

[0016] In another aspect of the invention, the method may further include weaving the circumferentially continuous wall.

[0017] In another aspect of the invention, the method may further include weaving a wall having opposite ends configured to be wrapped about the central longitudinal axis to constrain the elongate member within the cavity.

[0018] In another aspect of the invention, the method may further include heat setting at least some of the weft yarns to bias the opposite edges into overlapping relationship.

[0019] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects, features and advantages will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments and best mode, the appended claims, and the following drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a wrappable sleeve constructed in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, wrapped around an elongate member therein to be protected; [Figure 1B] FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view of a circumferentially continuous sleeve constructed in accordance with another aspect of the present invention and provided on an elongated member within which is to be protected; [Figure 2A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a woven portion of the interlaced layers of the sleeve of FIGS. 1A and 1B. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a braided portion of the interlaced layers of the sleeve of FIGS. 1A and 1B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Detailed Description of the Present Preferred Embodiment Referring more particularly to the figures, Figures 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams of a wrappable fabric sleeve 10a and a circumferentially continuous fabric sleeve 10b, respectively, constructed in accordance with different aspects of the present invention, where the fabric sleeves 10a, 10b will hereinafter be generally discussed as sleeve 10 unless otherwise specified, and will share common reference numbers to identify similar features of the sleeves 10a, 10b. The sleeve 10 has a flexible and elongated wall 12 for routing and protecting one or more elongated members 14, such as cables, wires, and tubing, which wall 12 provides various types of protection, including insulation protection, protection from abrasion, protection from thermal conditions, including high heat and flame, and environmental conditions, such as absorption and ingress of fluids, such as water, oil, fuel, and other contamination. The wall 12 can be constructed to any suitable size, including length and diameter. The wall 12 has an inner surface 15 and an opposing outer surface 17 extending longitudinally along a central longitudinal axis 20 between opposite ends 19, 21, the inner surface 15 defining a cavity 22 sized to receive the elongate member 14 therein. The wrappable sleeve 10a has opposite end edges 16, 18 extending parallel or generally parallel (meaning a person of ordinary skill in the art (POSA) would consider to be in a parallel relationship, even if not actually true parallel to the naked eye) to the central longitudinal axis 20. The opposite end edges 16, 18 can be wrapped in overlapping relationship to one another in a "cigarette wrap" manner to completely encase the elongate member 14 within the central cavity 22. Wall 12 has an inner interlaced fabric layer 23 formed from yarns 24 interlaced with one another by one of weaving (a portion of the entire woven fabric layer 23 is shown in FIG. 2A with the remainder of the woven portion not shown) or knitting (a portion of the entire knitted fabric layer 23 is shown in FIG. 2B with the remainder of the knitted portion not shown).At least some of the yarns 24 include heat resistant multifilaments 24a (multifilament is a term familiar to POSA and known as a single yarn containing multiple filaments twisted together) and / or heat resistant monofilaments 24b (monofilament is a term familiar to POSA and known as a single solid filament material). A silicone based coating 26 is applied to the exterior surface 17 of the interlaced fabric layer 23 and is shown applied to the entire exterior surface 17. The silicone based coating 26 insulates and protects the elongate strips 14 and provides improved heat resistance, abrasion protection, and fluid absorption / ingress protection to the elongate strips 14.

[0022] The silicone-based coating 26 is a continuous, fluid-impermeable coating that is impermeable to water, fuel (e.g., kerosene), oil, and the like, rendering the wall 12 fluid-impermeable and water-repellent. This prevents fluids from being absorbed into the fabric layer 23, thereby preventing water, fuel, and the like from impairing the functionality of the sleeve 10 and providing the desired level of protection described above. The silicone-based coating 26 may include at least one or both of a flame retardant and a thermal stabilizer, and may have a thickness, by way of example and not limitation, between about 0.1-3.0 mm. This allows the wall 12 to have a radially thin and compact profile, which improves flexibility and ability to pass through relatively small and confined spaces.

[0023] The interlaced yarns 24 may be woven with warp yarns 36 extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis 20 and weft yarns 38 extending generally transverse to the central longitudinal axis 20. The warp yarns 36 may be woven with the weft yarns 38 in any desired weave pattern, including, for example, plain weave, twill weave, satin weave, or basket weave. A plain weave pattern is preferred to provide a smooth, stable, and uniform protective pattern. The smoothness promotes adhesion of the silicone-based coating 26 to the outer surface 17. The warp yarns 36 may be entirely heat-resistant (high-temperature resistant) multifilaments 24a, entirely heat-resistant (high-temperature resistant) monofilaments 24b, or a mixture thereof. Similarly, the weft yarns 38 may be entirely heat-resistant multifilaments 24a, entirely heat-resistant monofilaments 24b, or a mixture thereof. The warp yarns 36 and / or weft yarns 38 may be formed from polyester, more particularly polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having high tenacity. The warp yarns 36 and weft yarns 38 may all be provided with the same type of yarn or may be provided with different types of yarn depending on the desired intended use.

[0024] In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, and with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, sleeves 10a, 10b may be woven (FIG. 2A) or knitted (FIG. 2B) from the aforementioned multifilaments 24a and / or monofilaments 24b, respectively.

[0025] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method of assembling fabric sleeves 10a, 10b is provided. The method includes interlacing yarns 24 to form fabric layers 23 having inner and outer surfaces 15, 17 extending along a central longitudinal axis 20 between opposite ends 19, 21. The method further includes configuring inner surface 15 to define a cavity 22 sized to receive elongate member 14. The method further includes applying a silicone-based coating 26 to outer surface 17.

[0026] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may further include interlacing the yarns 24 with one another in a weaving process.

[0027] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the method may further include weaving yarns 24 including warp yarns 36 extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis 20 and weft yarns 38 extending generally intersecting the warp yarns 36, and providing at least some of the warp yarns 36 and / or weft yarns 38 as monofilaments 24b and / or multifilaments 24a made of a cut-resistant material and / or high tenacity PET.

[0028] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may further include weaving a circumferentially continuous wall 12 (FIG. 2B).

[0029] In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the method may further include weaving a wall 12 having opposite end edges 16, 18 (FIG. 2A) configured to be wrapped around a central longitudinal axis 20 to constrain the elongate member 14 within the cavity 22.

[0030] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may further include heat setting at least some of the weft yarns 38 to bias the opposite edges 16, 18 into overlapping relationship with one another.

[0031] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may further include interlacing the yarns 24a, 24b with one another in a knitting process.

[0032] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the method may further include braiding the circumferentially continuous wall 12 .

[0033] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is contemplated that all claims and features of all embodiments may be combined with each other, except where such combinations are mutually inconsistent. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

Claims

1. A fabric sleeve for routing and protecting an elongated member, comprising: a wall including a fabric layer having an inner surface and an opposed outer surface extending longitudinally along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends; the inner surface is configured to define a cavity sized to receive the elongate member therein; the fabric layer is formed from interlaced yarns; At least some of the yarns include heat resistant multifilaments and / or heat resistant monofilaments, and the fabric sleeve further comprises: A fabric sleeve including a silicone-based coating applied to said exterior surface.

2. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the threads are formed from polyester.

3. 3. The fabric sleeve of claim 2, wherein the polyester is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) having high tenacity.

4. The fabric sleeve of claim 3 , wherein at least some of the PET yarns are monofilament and / or multifilament.

5. The fabric sleeve of claim 4 , wherein at least some of the yarns are heat resistant.

6. The fabric sleeve of claim 4 , wherein at least some of the threads are cut resistant.

7. The yarns include warp yarns extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis and weft yarns extending generally transverse to the central longitudinal axis; The fabric sleeve of claim 6 , wherein said warp yarns are woven with said weft yarns.

8. The fabric sleeve of claim 7 , wherein the wall extends widthwise between opposite ends configured to be wrapped about the central longitudinal axis to constrain the elongate member within the cavity.

9. 9. The fabric sleeve of claim 8, wherein at least some of said weft yarns are heat set to bias said wall to provide a tubular structure with said opposite edges biased in overlapping relationship.

10. The fabric sleeve of claim 7 , wherein the wall is circumferentially continuous.

11. The fabric sleeve of claim 1 , wherein the yarns are braided together.

12. The fabric sleeve of claim 11 , wherein the wall is circumferentially continuous.

13. 1. A method of assembling a fabric sleeve for routing and protecting an elongated member, comprising: interlacing yarns with one another to form a fabric layer having an inner surface and an outer surface extending along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends, the inner surface being configured to define a cavity sized to receive the elongate member, the method further comprising: applying a silicone based coating to said exterior surface.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising interlacing the yarns with one another in a weaving process.

15. weaving yarns including warp yarns extending generally parallel to the central longitudinal axis and weft yarns extending generally across the warp yarns; and providing at least some of the warp and / or weft threads as monofilaments and / or multifilaments made of cut resistant material and / or high tenacity PET.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising weaving the circumferentially continuous wall.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising weaving a wall having opposite ends configured to be wrapped about the central longitudinal axis to constrain the elongate member within the cavity.

18. 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising heat setting at least some of the weft yarns to bias the opposite edges into an overlapping relationship.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising interlacing the yarns with one another in a braiding step.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising weaving the circumferentially continuous wall.

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