Flat Flexible Hose With Knitted Reinforcement for Fold Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flat flexible hoses for transporting fluids face issues such as brittle points at folds, mechanical behavior changes during widening and flattening cycles, and high environmental impact due to material usage and disposal.
Innovation Solution
A flat flexible hose made of thermoplastic elastomer with a knitted reinforcement textile layer of rigid yarns, allowing the hose to transition between flat and cylindrical shapes under fluid pressure, and featuring thermoplastic elastomer layers with compatible Shore A hardness for enhanced mechanical and abrasion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a cross-hatched reinforcement layer is used in traditional flexible hoses, then the hose structure is strengthened, but brittle points form at the folds reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the reinforcement layer from cross-hatched to spiral configuration, and changes the material parameter from rigid yarns to flexible yarns with elastomeric properties. This dual parameter change allows the reinforcement layer to maintain strength while avoiding brittle failure at folds through enhanced flexibility and uniform stress distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by integrating the reinforcement layer within the elastomeric matrix, forming a unified composite material system. The reinforcement yarns are embedded in the elastomer such that they move together as a single unit, preventing relative movement and brittle failure while maintaining structural strength.
2Strength
If traditional polymeric materials with cross-hatching are used, then the hose provides structural support, but the mechanical response changes during widening and flattening cycles limiting duration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional rigid polymeric materials to elastomeric materials with high elasticity. This parameter change enables the hose to maintain consistent mechanical response during repeated widening and flattening cycles, as the elastomeric material can reversibly deform and return to its original state without permanent deformation or fatigue failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the reinforcement layer dynamic by using flexible yarns that can move and deform with the hose during pressure cycles. The spiral configuration and flexible material allow the reinforcement to adapt its geometry dynamically during widening and flattening, maintaining structural support while accommodating the cyclic deformation without failure.
3Reliability
If conventional materials are used in flexible hoses, then the hose provides adequate performance, but high environmental impact is generated during production and disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional polymeric materials to thermoplastic elastomers. This parameter change enables the hose to maintain its performance and reliability while being fully recyclable through melting and reprocessing, thereby eliminating the environmental impact associated with disposal of traditional non-recyclable hose materials.
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 exhibits improved mechanical characteristics, constant response to pressure cycles, and reduced environmental impact, with increased resistance to abrasion and bursting while maintaining flow efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible hose being made of a thermoplastic elastomer... susceptible to move between an inoperative position in which it is substantially flat-shaped and an operative position in which it expands radially to take a substantially cylindrical shape, the hose moving from the inoperative position to the operative position under the pressure of the transported fluid and from the operative position to the inoperative position when the pressure of the fluid pressure ceases
Data Source
AI summary
A flat flexible hose for transporting a fluid, for example water, is adapted to move between an inoperative position having a flattened configuration and an operative position, in which the hose expands radially under pressure from the fluid. The hose has a first inner layer defining an axis, a second covering layer, and a reinforcement textile layer therebetween. The first and second layers are made of a first and respectively a second thermoplastic elastomeric material adapted to adhere to each other. The reinforcement textile layer is made of rigid textile yarns which at least partially have a respective first and second predetermined inclination opposite to each other so that the length of the hose remains unchanged both in the inoperative and the operative positions. The reinforcement textile layer is a knitted layer with tricot chain stitches with rows of stitches and courses of stitches made of chain stitches.