Heat-resistant textile sleeve and method for manufacturing heat-resistant textile sleeve

Abstract

A textile sleeve for protecting an elongated member includes a tubular body made from woven or braided fiberglass yarns and having an inner and outer surface. A coating is applied to the outer surface to provide heat resistance to the tubular body. The coating is a phenyl-containing silicone rubber having a portion disposed therein. According to one aspect, the silicone rubber is a phenyl-containing polysiloxane. According to another aspect, the silicone rubber is a silicone rubber of the formula R-SiO 3 / 2 wherein R comprises phenyl and oxygen, or R consists of phenyl and oxygen. The cylindrical body has a heat resistance of 550°C or higher. A method for producing the textile sleeve is also disclosed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 736,030, filed September 25, 2018, and U.S. Utility Application No. 16 / 580,606, filed September 24, 2019, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] 2. Background of the Invention 1. Field of the invention FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates generally to a textile sleeve for protecting an elongated member and a method for making the same. [Background technology]

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art Textile sleeves are well known in the art and can be used in a variety of applications. One such application is a temperature sensor in a vehicle engine to improve the temperature sensor's heat resistance. Textile sleeves are often applied over the temperature sensor's wire harness to provide thermal insulation and insulation to each wire. Typically, the heat resistance temperature required for textile sleeves in the industry is approximately 550°C without outgassing and carbonization. At the same time, the textile sleeve must be flexible. One solution in such cases is a sleeve of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material. However, PTFE may not meet the preferred heat resistance and outgassing conditions. Another alternative solution is to use a sleeve made of a ceramic material. However, ceramic materials are very brittle and can easily crack due to external stimuli, such as vibration. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a textile sleeve that has improved heat resistance with minimal outgassing. In addition, the present invention provides a textile sleeve that has improved durability, flexibility and abrasion resistance.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a textile sleeve for protecting an elongated member. The textile sleeve includes a tubular body having an inner surface and an outer surface. A coating is applied to the outer surface to provide heat resistance to the tubular body. The coating is a silicone rubber having a phenyl group disposed therein. The phenyl group decomposes at temperatures up to 650°C. Thus, the presence of the phenyl group in the silicone rubber effectively enhances the heat resistance of the silicone rubber and the tubular body, thereby allowing the tubular body to have a heat resistance of 550°C or more. In addition, since silicone rubber is not conductive, the tubular body has insulating properties. Furthermore, the presence of the phenyl group adds flexibility to the cured resin, thereby preventing cracking of the silica and fraying of the ends of the knitted or braided tubular body.

[0006] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a textile sleeve. The method includes an initial step of preparing a tubular body. The method then continues with forming a coating composition containing a silicone resin containing phenyl and methyl functional groups. Next, the method continues with creating a coated tubular body by coating the tubular body with the coating composition. The method then continues with creating a textile sleeve by applying a three-stage curing process to the coated tubular body to cure the coated tubular body. Dividing the curing process into three different stages allows the heating temperature to be gradually increased, which helps the coated tubular body to retain heat resistance properties as well as flexibility. If the coated tubular body is exposed to a heating temperature that is immediately increased or rapidly increased, it may be destroyed without immediately becoming hard and having flexibility. Because the hydroxyl, methyl, and phenyl groups are removed from the coated tubular body during the curing process, the coated tubular body exhibits weight loss throughout the curing process.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a textile sleeve. The method includes an initial step of preparing a tubular body. The method is then followed by forming a coating composition having a density between 2% and 10% and containing a silicone resin containing phenyl and methyl functional groups. The method then continues with the step of producing a coated tubular body by coating the tubular body with the coating composition. The method then continues with the step of curing the coated tubular body to obtain a textile sleeve. It is important to ensure that the density of the coating composition does not exceed 10%, because if the density of the coating composition exceeds 10%, the coated tubular body made of braided or woven glass fibers may not be flexible and may easily break.

[0008] Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a temperature sensor including a textile sleeve according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a textile sleeve. [Diagram 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a textile sleeve. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating heating temperature versus heating time in a curing process for a textile sleeve. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a graphical depiction of weight percent versus heating temperature during the curing process of a textile sleeve. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) of a textile sleeve. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mandrel with a textile sleeve positioned for abrasion testing of the textile sleeve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Description of Enabling Embodiments Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a textile sleeve constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in FIG.

[0011] The textile sleeve 20, having a generally cylindrical shape, is disposed around the wire harness 22 of the temperature sensor 24, providing insulation and heat resistance of the wire harness 22 of the temperature sensor 24 to temperatures of 550° C. or more. A metal collar 25 is disposed around the textile sleeve, and the textile sleeve 20 is sandwiched between the metal collar 25 and the wire harness 22. The textile sleeve 20 has an appropriate hardness, is flexible against vibration and bending, and is easy to install. The textile sleeve 20 also prevents outgassing of the temperature sensor 24, thereby minimizing interference and allowing the temperature sensor 24 to provide accurate detection. It should be understood that in one embodiment of the present invention, the textile sleeve 20 should be white in color to distinguish it from the components of the temperature sensor 24.

[0012] 1 and 2, the textile sleeve 20 includes a woven or braided tubular body 26. According to one embodiment of the invention, the tubular body 26 is comprised of woven or braided fiberglass threads. The tubular body 26 may be configured to have any suitable length extending along a longitudinal axis A. Thus, the tubular body 26 may be fabricated to have a variety of structural characteristics and configurations. The tubular body 26 has an outer surface 28 and an inner surface 30 extending about the longitudinal axis A. The outer surface 28 of the tubular body 26 defines an outer diameter D1. The inner surface of the tubular body 26 defines an inner diameter D2, it being understood that in one embodiment of the invention, the outer diameter D1 may be 2.7 mm or less and the inner diameter D2 may be 1.32 mm or more.

[0013] The exterior surface 28 of the tubular body 26 has a coating 32 disposed thereon and adhering to the exterior surface 28 to provide heat resistance to the tubular body 26. The coating 32 is a silicone rubber having a portion disposed therein that includes a phenyl or phenyl functional group. Alternatively, the silicone rubber may be: Phenyl Includes Polysiloxane The silicone rubber may be of the formula R-SiO 3 / 2 In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the silicone rubber is a hard coating having a three-dimensional network molecular structure composed of an organically modified siloxane having the formula: 3 / 2 where R is phenyl (C6H5) and oxygen. It is important that the silicone rubber contains a phenyl group. In particular, the phenyl group decomposes at temperatures up to 650°C. Therefore, the presence of the phenyl group in the silicone rubber effectively increases the heat resistance of the silicone rubber and the tube 26, so that the tube 26 can have a heat resistance of 550°C or more. In addition, since the silicone rubber is not conductive, the tube 26 has insulating properties. Furthermore, the presence of the phenyl group adds flexibility to the cured resin, thereby preventing cracking of the silica and fraying of the ends of the knitted or braided tube 26.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a textile sleeve 20. The method, shown in FIG. 3, includes a first step of preparing a tube 26. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the tube 26 can be formed by interlacing, for example, weaving or braiding, glass fiber yarns. The method then proceeds to form a coating composition containing a silicone resin containing phenyl and methyl functional groups. The step of forming the coating composition includes dissolving the silicone resin in xylene and an additive solution to form a silicone solution with a density of 50%. It should be understood that the xylene and additive solution may contain a mixture of hydroxyl, methyl, and phenyl functional groups. The silicone solution is mixed with distilled water to produce a coating composition with a density between 2% and 10%. It is important to ensure that the density of the coating composition does not exceed 10%, because if the coating composition has a density of more than 10%, the coated tube made of braided or woven glass fibers will not be flexible and may easily break. For this reason, in the present invention, it is preferred that the coating solution have a density of less than 10% and between 2% and 8%, depending on the hardness, flexibility, and abrasion performance required for the textile sleeve 20.

[0015] After the coating solution is prepared, the cylinder 26 is coated with the coating composition by immersing it in the coating composition to form a coated cylinder. It should be understood that other methods, such as, but not limited to, spraying, can be used to apply the coating solution to the cylinder to form a coated cylinder.

[0016] The method then proceeds to obtain the textile sleeve 20 by curing the coated tube. As shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 4, during the curing step, the coated tube is placed in an oven and undergoes a three-stage curing process to become the textile sleeve 20. In the first stage of the three-stage curing process, the coated tube is dried by heating at a drying temperature between 200°C and 250°C for a drying time of about 10 minutes. During the drying step, the hydroxyl groups in the coated tube are removed from the Si-O-Si bonds. In other words, the first stage of the curing process can be considered as a condensation process that evaporates / removes the hydroxyl groups from the coated tube.

[0017] After the first stage, the curing process proceeds to a second stage in which the methyl functional groups of the coated tube are decomposed. In the decomposition step, the drying temperature is gradually increased to a final curing temperature between 500° C. and 650° C. Preferably, the drying temperature is increased to the final curing temperature at a predetermined rate between 5° C. / min and 10° C. / min. In the decomposition step, the methyl functional groups, which decompose between 300° C. and 400° C., are removed from the coated tube.

[0018] After the second stage, the curing process proceeds to the third stage, which is degassing. In the degassing step, the coated tube is heated at the final curing temperature for 30 minutes or more. More preferably, the coated tube is heated at a temperature of 580° C. for 30 minutes or more to form a silicone rubber on the tube 26. Typically, the phenyl functional group decomposes at approximately 650° C. Thus, in the third stage of the curing process, some of the phenyl functional groups in the coated tube are decomposed and removed. In other words, the third stage of the curing process can be considered as a second decomposition process in which some of the phenyl functional groups are decomposed and removed from the coated tube while some of the phenyl functional groups are retained in the silicone rubber formed on the coated tube. At the end of the third stage of the curing process, the silicone rubber disposed on the tube is a phenyl-containing silica (SiO2).

[0019] It is important to gradually increase the heating temperature by dividing the curing into three different stages, because if the coated tube is exposed to a rapid or sudden increase in heating temperature, it will harden quickly, become inflexible and may be destroyed. The coated tube will show weight loss throughout the curing process, since the hydroxyl, methyl and phenyl groups are removed from the coated tube during the curing process. The weight loss of the coated tube during the curing process is shown in Figure 4.

[0020] After curing, the resulting textile sleeve 20 may be cut to a desired length. The textile sleeve 20 may be cold cut with a blade or hot cut (heated above 800° C.). It should be appreciated that the hot cutting method may produce a stronger cut edge on the textile sleeve 20.

[0021] Thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were performed on the textile sleeve 20 containing the cured resin. As shown in Figure 5, after the heating process, the textile sleeve 20 shows no weight loss at around 550°C due to the high temperature resistance of the phenyl group. This indicates that there is no degassing of the textile sleeve 20 at around 550°C.

[0022] A fray test is also performed using a textile sleeve 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, during the fray test, a 14 mm long textile sleeve 20 is placed on a mandrel 34 with an outer diameter of 1.5 mm. A flange plate 36 is inserted into the mandrel to sandwich the textile sleeve 20 between the mandrel 34 and the flange plate 36. The textile sleeve 20 is compressed approximately 4 mm between the flange plate 36 and released for 10 cycles. After 10 cycles, no fraying was visible along the cut edge of the textile sleeve 20 constructed according to the present invention. Similarly, a fray test is performed on a textile sleeve that is not coated with a cured resin. After 5 cycles, the cut edge of the textile sleeve begins to fray.

[0023] It should be appreciated that textile sleeves 20 constructed in accordance with the present invention are suitable for use in a variety of applications regardless of the size and length required, such as in automotive, marine, industrial, aviation, or space applications, or any other application in which it is desirable for a protective sleeve to provide heat and / or fire protection to nearby components.

[0024] It will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings, and that, within the scope of the following invention, it may be practiced in ways other than as specifically described. All of the described features and features of all embodiments may be combined with each other, unless such combinations are mutually inconsistent.

Claims

1. 1. A textile sleeve for protecting an elongated member, said textile sleeve comprising: a cylindrical body having an inner surface and an outer surface; a coating attached to the outer surface to provide heat resistance to the tubular body; The coating is a silicone rubber having a phenyl functional group disposed therein, A textile sleeve, wherein said coating does not contain methyl functional groups.

2. 2. The textile sleeve of claim 1, wherein the silicone rubber is a phenyl-containing polysiloxane.

3. The silicone rubber has the formula R-SiO ３／２ 2. The textile sleeve of claim 1 having the formula:

4. The silicone rubber has the formula R-SiO ３／２ 2. The textile sleeve of claim 1 having the formula:

5. 10. The textile sleeve of claim 1, wherein the tubular body is made from woven or braided fiberglass yarns.

6. The textile sleeve according to claim 1 , wherein the tubular body has a heat resistance of 550° C. or more.

7. 1. A method of manufacturing a textile sleeve, the method comprising: Providing a cylindrical body; forming a coating composition containing a silicone resin containing phenyl and methyl functional groups; forming a coated tubular body by coating the tubular body with the coating composition; and applying a three-stage curing process to the coated tube to cure the coated tube, thereby producing the textile sleeve free of methyl functionality; The three-stage curing process includes: a first step of drying the coated cylinder by heating at a drying temperature between 200° C. and 250° C.; a second step of decomposing the methyl functions by increasing the drying temperature to a final curing temperature between 500° C. and 650° C.; and a third step of degassing said clad cylinder at said final cure temperature of 580°C.

8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of increasing the drying temperature is defined as increasing the drying temperature at a predetermined rate between 5°C / min and 10°C / min to the final cure temperature.

9. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the three-stage curing process includes a third stage of outgassing the coated tube by heating the coated tube at the final cure temperature for 30 minutes or more.

10. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein forming the coating composition comprises dissolving the silicone resin in xylene and a xylene additive solution to form a 50% concentration silicone solution.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein forming the coating composition further comprises mixing the silicone solution with distilled water to produce the coating composition having a concentration between 2% and 10%.

12. 1. A method of manufacturing a textile sleeve, the method comprising: Providing a cylindrical body; forming a coating composition having a concentration between 2% and 10% and containing a silicone resin containing phenyl and methyl functional groups; forming a coated tubular body by coating the tubular body with the coating composition; and applying a three-stage curing process to the coated tubing to cure the coated tubing to obtain the textile sleeve free of methyl functionality; The three-stage curing process a first step of drying the coated cylinder by heating at a drying temperature between 200° C. and 250° C.; a second step of decomposing the methyl functions by increasing the drying temperature to a final curing temperature between 500° C. and 650° C.; and a third step of degassing said clad cylinder at said final cure temperature of 580°C.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein forming the coating composition comprises dissolving the silicone resin in xylene and a xylene additive solution to form a 50% concentration silicone solution.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein forming the coating composition further comprises mixing the silicone solution with distilled water to produce the coating composition having a concentration between 2% and 10%.

15. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of increasing the drying temperature is defined as increasing the drying temperature at a predetermined rate between 5°C / min and 10°C / min to the final cure temperature.

16. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the three-stage curing process includes a third stage of degassing at the final cure temperature for 30 minutes or more.

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