Composite Hydraulic Hose Structure for Fatigue-Resistant Lightweighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic hoses using carbon or glass fibers for high-pressure applications face issues with fatigue fractures and weight due to inferior flexibility compared to metal fibers, and stainless steel mesh hoses are heavy and prone to fatigue fractures.
Innovation Solution
A hose design featuring continuous carbon or glass fibers wound around a hollow tube, coated with a thermosetting resin with an elastic modulus between 0.5 to 10 MPa, and further reinforced with thermoplastic resin fibers, which are wound around the outer circumference to enhance flexibility and resistance to fatigue fractures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If carbon fibers or glass fibers are used instead of metal fibers to reduce weight, then weight is reduced and flexibility improves, but fatigue fracture resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining carbon fibers or glass fibers with a specific thermosetting resin matrix. The resin is formulated to have an elastic modulus of 0.5 to 10 MPa, creating a composite structure that maintains the lightweight and flexible properties of fiber reinforcement while the resin matrix provides enhanced fatigue fracture resistance compared to using fibers alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of the thermosetting resin's elastic modulus to a specific range (0.5 to 10 MPa). This parameter optimization allows the resin to provide adequate structural support and fatigue resistance while maintaining the flexibility and lightweight characteristics of the fiber-reinforced hose.
2Ease of operation
If carbon fibers or glass fibers are used instead of metal fibers, then flexibility improves, but fatigue fracture resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material system where carbon fibers or glass fibers provide flexibility while the thermosetting resin matrix with optimized elastic modulus (0.5 to 10 MPa) provides fatigue fracture resistance. The synergistic combination resolves the contradiction between flexibility and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
By optimizing the thermosetting resin's elastic modulus to a specific range, the patent achieves the right balance between flexibility (enabled by lower modulus) and fatigue fracture resistance (enabled by adequate structural support from the resin matrix).
3Strength
If stainless steel mesh is used to provide metal pipe-grade mechanical properties, then strength and durability improve, but weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces heavy metal mesh with a composite structure using carbon fibers or glass fibers reinforced with thermosetting resin. This composite material provides comparable mechanical strength and durability to stainless steel mesh while significantly reducing the hose weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses non-metallic fiber materials that are lighter and more cost-effective than stainless steel mesh, accepting that these materials require careful formulation (through resin selection) to achieve the necessary durability without the weight penalty of metal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a lightweight hose with excellent fatigue fracture resistance, improved flexibility, and enhanced water and corrosion resistance, effectively addressing the limitations of previous fiber-reinforced hoses.
Implementation Method 1
heating the thermosetting resin for 2 hours at a curing temperature of the thermosetting resin
Implementation Method 2
subjecting the thermosetting resin to thermoregulation for two weeks under a condition of a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 55%
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
Provided are a hose excelling in a lightweight property and in fatigue fracture resistance, a method for manufacturing the hose, and a hydraulic pump. The hose includes a tube, an interior of the tube being hollow, continuous carbon fibers and/or continuous glass fibers wound around an outer circumference of the tube, and a thermosetting resin present external to the tube. The thermosetting resin has an elastic modulus from 0.5 to 10 MPa, and the continuous carbon fibers and/or continuous glass fibers are impregnated with at least a part of the thermosetting resin. The elastic modulus of the thermosetting resin is a numeric value determined by: heating the thermosetting resin for 2 hours at a curing temperature of the thermosetting resin; then subjecting the thermosetting resin to thermoregulation for two weeks under a condition of a temperature of 23°C and a relative humidity of 55%; and then performing a measurement in accordance with JIS K7161:2019.