Flexible pipe

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a flexible pipe which can be easily bent at a construction site. [Solution] This flexible pipe has a body part extending in a circulating direction and having a belt shape, a one-end engaging part disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circulating direction, and an other-end engaging part disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circulating direction so as to be directed to the opposite side to the one-end engaging part, and is configured such that the body part is wound so as to circulate in a spiral shape and when the body part has made one round, the other-end engaging part and the one-end engaging part before one round are engaged with each other.

Description

flexible pipe

[0001] The present invention relates to a bendable flexible pipe.

[0002] Bendable pipes, or so-called flexible pipes, are used for a variety of purposes. For example, they are used in factory plants for intake and exhaust pipes, drainage pipes, and electrical conduits for passing electrical wires. These pipes are made by processing aluminum membranes into a bellows shape so that they can be bent freely.

[0003] Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-67123 discloses a flexible pipe in which a triangular wire 14 is sandwiched in the gaps between closely wound coil spring-like round wires 13, 13, by pulling the round wires 13, 13, and then wound in the length direction to form a flexible material 11, and further the round wires 13 and the triangular wires 14 are integrated so that their contact points are fixed in position via a coating film 22 formed between them.

[0004] The flexible pipe is manufactured to a predetermined length through an electrocoating process in which the round wire and triangular wire are integrated together with a coating film interposed between them, fixing their contact points in position, and then through a cutting process.Since the contact points between the round wire and triangular wire are covered with a coating film, the fixed position can be maintained, and expansion of the diameter near the cut surface and rewinding of the entire length can be stably suppressed over a long period of time.

[0005] However, the Building Standards Act has been revised to require that when installing pipes for cables, etc. that penetrate fire compartments (walls and floors) of a building, the area on both sides of the penetration must be made of non-combustible material, so the flexible pipes mentioned above cannot guarantee non-combustibility.

[0006] On the other hand, if iron or aluminum pipes are used to ensure non-flammability, they may need to be bent depending on the construction site, but they are not easy to bend and have very little flexibility.Furthermore, additional processing is required to bend such metal pipes to fit the site, which increases construction time and costs.

[0007] JP 2008-67123 A

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pipe that can be easily bent at the construction site.

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the flexible pipe of the first aspect has a main body portion that extends in the direction of rotation and is band-shaped, and the main body portion has a one-end engaging portion that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation, and a other-end engaging portion that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation and in the opposite direction to the one-end engaging portion, and is configured by winding the main body portion in a spiral manner, and when the main body portion makes one revolution, the other-end engaging portion engages with the one-end engaging portion that was in place before the revolution.

[0010] In order to solve the above problem, the flexible pipe of the second aspect has a main body portion that extends in the direction of rotation and is band-shaped, the main body portion having a one-end engaging portion that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation, and an other-end engaging portion that is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation and in the opposite direction to the one-end engaging portion, the one-end engaging portion having one end that is arranged at its tip and a bent one-end bent portion, and the other-end engaging portion having the other end that is arranged at its tip and a bent other-end bent portion, the main body portion is wound in a spiral manner, and when the main body portion makes one revolution, the other-end engaging portion engages with the one-end engaging portion before making one revolution, and there is a gap between the other-end bent portion of the other-end engaging portion and the one end of the one-end engaging portion before making one revolution.

[0011] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a flexible pipe according to a third aspect has a main body portion extending in the direction of rotation and having a band shape, the main body portion having a one-end engaging portion arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation, an other-end engaging portion arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation and opposite to the one-end engaging portion, and an intermediate portion connected integrally between the one-end engaging portion and the other-end engaging portion in a cross-sectional view, the intermediate portion having a bent intermediate bent portion, and the main body portion is wound in a spiral shape around the main body portion, and when the main body portion makes one revolution and the other-end engaging portion engages with the one-end engaging portion before making one revolution, in a cross-sectional view, the other-end engaging portion protrudes outward due to the intermediate bent portion, and the other-end engaging portion and the other-end engaging portion before making one revolution are configured to be flush with each other.

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, a flexible pipe according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a belt-shaped main body portion extending in a winding direction, the main body portion having a one-end engaging portion disposed in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction, a second end engaging portion disposed in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction and opposite to the one-end engaging portion, and an intermediate portion integrally connected between the one-end engaging portion and the second end engaging portion in a cross-sectional view, the intermediate portion having a bent intermediate bent portion, the one-end engaging portion having one end disposed at its tip, the bent one-end bent portion, and the second end engaging portion having The end engaging portion has an other end portion located at its tip and a bent other end bent portion, and is wound around the main body portion in a spiral manner.When the main body portion makes one full turn and the other end engaging portion engages with the one end engaging portion before making one full turn, in a cross-sectional view, the other end engaging portion protrudes outward due to the intermediate bent portion, and the other end engaging portion and the other end engaging portion before making one full turn are configured to be flush with each other, and there is a gap between the other end bent portion of the other end engaging portion and the one end of the one end engaging portion before making one full turn.

[0013] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a fifth aspect of the present invention provides a flexible pipe according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the main body is wound in a spiral shape in a plurality of turns.

[0014] The present invention is constructed and operates as described above, and therefore can provide a flexible pipe that can be easily bent at the construction site.

[0015] 1A is a perspective view of a flexible pipe. FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIA-IIA in FIG. 1. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of line IIB of FIG. 1. FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of line IIC of FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a flexible pipe in a bent state. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of line IIIB of FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of line IIIC of FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of a rolled metal sheet. FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram of a state in which the rolled metal sheet is about to be cut into thin sheets. FIG. 1C is a conceptual diagram of a state in which the rolled metal sheet has been cut into thin sheets. FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the cut rolled metal sheet is about to be folded. FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a state in which the rolled metal sheet is in the middle of being folded. FIG. 1B is a conceptual diagram showing a main body formed by bending the rolled metal sheet. 1 is a cross-sectional conceptual diagram showing a state in which the main body is wound spirally, and the other end engaging portion is engaged with the one end engaging portion, and the one end engaging portion is engaged with the other end engaging portion before the winding to form a flexible pipe, and an enlarged conceptual diagram thereof.

[0016] A flexible pipe 10 according to the embodiment will be described below with reference to the illustrated embodiment. The flexible pipe 10 has a bendable hollow cylindrical shape and can be used as a conduit for electric wires. The flexible pipe 10 is preferably made of a metal material, such as iron or aluminum. Furthermore, "bending" includes bending into a curved shape.

[0017] The flexible pipe 10 of the embodiment is configured by winding the main body 20 in a spiral manner, as will be described later. The main body 20 constituting the flexible pipe 10 extends in the winding direction R, i.e., extends toward the winding direction R, and has a belt-like shape.

[0018] Furthermore, the main body 20 has a one-end engaging portion 40 arranged in a direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction R, and a other-end engaging portion 60 arranged in a direction V perpendicular to the circumferential direction R, opposite the one-end engaging portion 40. In other words, when the circumferential direction R is taken as the longitudinal direction, the main body 20 has a one-end engaging portion 40 in the short direction, and a other-end engaging portion 60 in the opposite direction to the one-end engaging portion 40.

[0019] The one-end engaging portion 40 has a one-end bent portion 45, which is a bent portion bent into a U-shape or a V-shape in cross section, and a one-end portion 50 at the tip of the bent one-end bent portion 45. In other words, the one-end bent portion 45 can be formed by bending the main body portion 20 along the circumferential direction and outward in cross section, and the one-end portion 50 can be formed at the tip of the one-end bent portion 45 via the one-end bent portion 45.

[0020] The other-end engaging portion 60 has an other-end bent portion 65, which is a bent portion bent into a U-shape or V-shape in cross section, and an other end portion 70 at the tip of the bent other-end bent portion 65. In other words, the other-end bent portion 65 can be formed by bending the main body portion 20 along the circumferential direction and inward in cross section, and the other end portion 70 can be formed at the tip of the other-end bent portion 65 via the other-end bent portion 65. Note that the "outside" here refers to the direction that will be the outside when the flexible pipe 10 is constructed, as described below. The "inside" here refers to the direction that will be the inside when the flexible pipe 10 is constructed.

[0021] The main body 20 also has an intermediate section 30, which in a cross-sectional view has intermediate bent sections 35, 35 that are connected to the one-end engaging section 40 and bent outward, and which is also integrally connected to the other-end engaging section 60. As such, the intermediate section 30 has the bent intermediate bent sections 35, 35 in a cross-sectional view and is integrally connected to the other-end engaging section 60, and therefore, as will be described later, in a cross-sectional view of the flexible pipe 10, the other-end engaging section 60 is configured to protrude outward beyond the one-end engaging section 40 and to be flush with the other-end engaging section 60A before it makes one revolution.

[0022] The flexible pipe 10 can be configured by winding the main body 20 in a spiral manner. Specifically, when the main body 20 is wound in a spiral manner, when the main body 20 makes one full turn, the other end engaging portion 60 of the main body 20 and the one end engaging portion 40A before the full turn engage with each other. Furthermore, the other end engaging portion 60A before the full turn engages with the one end engaging portion 40B before the full turn.

[0023] In this way, the flexible pipe 10 engages with the other end engaging portion 60 of the main body 20 and the one end engaging portion 40A before making one full turn, and this engagement occurs continuously as the flexible pipe 10 makes one full turn, so no other members are required for this engagement, resulting in a durable flexible pipe 10. Note that the same turn configuration may be labeled A, the previous turn configuration labeled B, and the turn configuration before that labeled C, and so on, in that order.

[0024] At this time, one end 50 of one-end engaging portion 40A fits inside the other-end engaging portion 60, and there are predetermined gaps X1, X2 between one end 50 and the other-end bent portion 65. Also, the other end 70 of the other-end engaging portion 60 fits inside the one-end engaging portion 40A, and there are similar gaps Y1, Y2 between the other end 70 and the one-end bent portion 45. Note that gaps X1 and Y1 appear on the left side of the cross-sectional view (see, for example, FIG. 2B), and gaps X2 and Y2 appear on the right side of the cross-sectional view (see FIG. 2C).

[0025] The presence of gaps X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 allows the flexible pipe 10 to bend (see FIG. 3). For example, the flexible pipe 10 can be bent by increasing or decreasing these gaps. When the flexible pipe 10 is bent to the right, the distance between gaps X1 and Y1 decreases, while the distance between gaps X2 and Y2 increases. When the distance between gaps X1 and Y1 is zero, that is, when the one end 50 and the other end bent portion 75 come into contact, and when the other end 70 and the one end bent portion 45 come into contact (see FIG. 3A), the flexible pipe 10 is prevented from bending any further. At this time, the gaps X2 and Y2 are at their maximum (see FIG. 3B).

[0026] Although not shown, it goes without saying that the opposite is true when bending the flexible pipe 10 leftward. Thus, when bending the flexible pipe 10 leftward or rightward, the distance between the gaps X1 and Y1 simply decreases or increases. Therefore, the flexible pipe 10 of this embodiment can be easily bent at the construction site. Furthermore, the flexible pipe 10 is durable and does not easily receive stress on its components, eliminating concerns about breakage due to metal fatigue.

[0027] Next, a method for manufacturing the flexible pipe 10 will be described. A rolled metal sheet S is cut into a strip extending in the direction of the roll (cutting step). In this case, the sheet S is cut into a strip having one end 50 and the other end 70 (see FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C).

[0028] To form the main body 20 from the thin sheet S1, which extends in the direction of rotation in a roll shape and is cut into a strip, one end 50, which is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of rotation, is bent outward to form the one-end engaging portion 40, while the other end 70 is bent inward to form the other-end engaging portion 60 (engagement portion bending process, see Figures 5A and 5B).

[0029] Next, the intermediate portion 30 having intermediate bent portions 35, 35 is formed by bending between the one-end engaging portion 40 and the other-end engaging portion 60 (intermediate bent portion bending step). In this manner, the main body portion 20 can be formed (see FIG. 5C).

[0030] Next, the main body 20 is wound around in a spiral pattern. When the main body 20 has been wound around once, the other-end engaging portion 60 of the main body 20 is engaged with the one-end engaging portion 40A before the main body 20 has been wound around once. That is, the one end 50 is engaged with the other-end bent portion 65 so as to have a predetermined gap X1, and the other end 70 is engaged with the one-end bent portion 45 so as to have a gap Y1 (main body winding process). By performing this process at least several times in succession, the flexible pipe 10 can be constructed (see FIGS. 6 and 7 ).

[0031] The diameter or overall length of the flexible pipe 10 can be determined arbitrarily depending on the intended use.

[0032] The flexible pipe 10 can be used as a conduit for electrical wires, and an insulating coating material such as a thermosetting powder paint can be applied to the inside of the flexible pipe 10. The main body 20 can also be hot-dip galvanized to provide an anti-rust effect.

[0033] Furthermore, when installing cables that penetrate fire compartments (walls and floors) of a building, applying the flexible pipe 10 of this embodiment to one meter on either side of the penetration point allows for on-site bending, thereby shortening installation time and reducing costs. Furthermore, by using a metal, such as iron or aluminum, the flexible pipe 10 can be made of a non-combustible material, ensuring fire prevention and safety between fire compartments within a building.

[0034] 10 Flexible pipe 20 Main body 30 Middle portion 35 Middle bent portion 40 One end engaging portion 45 One end bent portion 50 One end 60 Other end engaging portion 65 Other end bent portion 70 Other end X1, X2, Y1, Y2 Gap

Claims

1. A flexible pipe comprising a main body portion extending in a circumferential direction and having a strip shape, the main body portion having one end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and the other end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and opposite to the one end engaging portion, and the main body portion being wound so as to circumscribe in a helical shape, and when the main body portion makes one turn, the other end engaging portion and the one end engaging portion before making one turn are engaged with each other.

2. A flexible pipe comprising a main body portion extending in a circumferential direction and having a strip shape, the main body portion having one end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and the other end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and opposite to the one end engaging portion, the one end engaging portion having one end disposed at its tip and a bent one end bent portion, the other end engaging portion having the other end disposed at its tip and a bent other end bent portion, the main body portion being wound so as to circumscribe in a helical shape, and when the main body portion makes one turn, the other end engaging portion and the one end engaging portion before making one turn are engaged with each other, and having a gap between the other end bent portion in the other end engaging portion and the one end in the one end engaging portion before making one turn.

3. A flexible pipe comprising a main body portion extending in a circumferential direction and having a strip shape, the main body portion having one end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and the other end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and opposite to the one end engaging portion, and in a cross-sectional view, having an intermediate portion integrally connected between the one end engaging portion and the other end engaging portion, the intermediate portion having a bent intermediate bent portion, the main body portion being wound so as to circumscribe in a helical shape, and when the main body portion makes one turn and the other end engaging portion and the one end engaging portion before making one turn are engaged with each other, in a cross-sectional view, the other end engaging portion projects outward by the intermediate bent portion and is configured such that the other end engaging portion and the other end engaging portion before making one turn are flush.

4. A main body portion extending in a circumferential direction and having a belt shape, the main body portion having one end engaging portion disposed in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction, the other end engaging portion disposed in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction and opposite to the one end engaging portion, and in a cross-sectional view, an intermediate portion integrally connected between the one end engaging portion and the other end engaging portion, the intermediate portion having a bent intermediate bending portion, the one end engaging portion having one end disposed at its tip and a bent one end bending portion, the other end engaging portion having the other end disposed at its tip and a bent other end bending portion, when the main body portion is wound so as to circumferentially wind in a spiral shape and when the main body portion makes one turn and the other end engaging portion engages with the one end engaging portion before making one turn, in a cross-sectional view, the other end engaging portion projects outward by the intermediate bending portion and is configured such that the other end engaging portion and the other end engaging portion before making one turn are flush, and a flexible pipe having a gap between the other end bending portion in the other end engaging portion and the one end in the one end engaging portion before making one turn.

5. The flexible pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, configured by winding the main body portion so as to circumferentially wind in a spiral shape a plurality of times.

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