Expandable Hose Assembly with Welded Jacket for Kink Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional garden hoses are heavy, cumbersome, and prone to kinking, bulging, and leakage due to their fixed longitudinal length and low radial expansion, making them difficult to store and maneuver.
Innovation Solution
A hose assembly featuring a lightweight elastomeric or thermoplastic inner tube surrounded by a fabric or non-fabric outer tube with a weld seam, allowing for longitudinal and radial expansion when fluid pressure is applied, and contraction when pressure falls below a minimum, while the outer tube limits expansion to prevent kinking and bulging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional polymeric hoses with fixed longitudinal length are used, then structural stability is maintained, but the hoses become heavy and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The hose incorporates an expandable tube within a jacket that allows the hose to dynamically change its state between contracted and expanded configurations. The tube can expand longitudinally and radially when fluid pressure is applied, and contract when pressure is released, providing adaptive weight and flexibility characteristics that improve maneuverability while maintaining structural integrity
2Reliability
If hoses with low radial expansion are used, then structural stability is maintained, but kinking and bulging occur
Solution Approach 1:
The hose employs a composite construction with an inner expandable tube and an outer jacket. The tube material provides radial expandability to prevent kinking, while the jacket provides structural support to prevent bulging. This composite structure allows controlled radial expansion that maintains reliability without excessive shape distortion
3Volume of stationary object
If longitudinally expandable hoses are used, then storage compactness is improved, but leakage and connection failures occur
Solution Approach 1:
The hose incorporates connection fittings that are pre-attached to the jacket ends before expansion cycles begin. The jacket structure is designed to maintain connection point integrity during expansion and contraction, preventing leakage and failure at connection points through preliminary structural preparation
4Strength
If fabric jacket is welded around inner tube, then structural strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process replaces traditional mechanical stitching or adhesive bonding methods with thermal welding of the fabric jacket to the inner tube. This substitution provides stronger structural bonding while streamlining the manufacturing process through a single integrated thermal bonding operation
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 hose assembly is lightweight, durable, and resistant to kinking, with improved maneuverability and storage capabilities, maintaining flow rates similar to conventional hoses while being approximately half the weight, and capable of withstanding water pressures up to 400 psi.
Implementation Method 1
The inner tube can expand longitudinally along the length-wise axis of the hose between hose ends, as well as radially or circumferentially, to an expanded state in response to application of at least a minimum fluid pressure to an inner tube of the hose
Implementation Method 2
Once the fluid pressure falls below the minimum fluid pressure, the hose assembly will contract
Implementation Method 3
The outer tube limits the longitudinal and radial expansion of the inner tube in one embodiment
Implementation Method 4
The two layer construction of the hose assembly allows for storage in relatively compact spaces, similar flow rates, approximately one-half the weight, and improved maneuverability when compared to conventional hose constructions. In one embodiment, the jacket is formed around the tube in a continuous process that welds a fabric and/or non-fabric, preferably using hot air, into the jacket
Data Source
AI summary
A hose assembly, preferably a garden hose assembly, including a jacketed tube that is lightweight, durable and versatile. The tube is able to expand longitudinally along the length-wise axis of the hose between hose ends, as well as radially or circumferentially, to an expanded state in response to application of at least a minimum fluid pressure to an inner tube of the hose. Once the fluid pressure falls below the minimum fluid pressure, the hose assembly will contract. The two layer construction of the hose assembly allows for storage in relatively compact spaces, similar flow rates, approximately one-half the weight, and improved maneuverability when compared to conventional hose constructions. In one embodiment the jacket is formed around the tube in a continuous process that welds a material, preferably using hot air, into the jacket. The welded joint forms a region of jacket that is preferably about twice the thickness of the rest of the jacket. This thicker region results in a stiffer section of jacket that makes the hose more controllable and consistent in use.