Textile-Reinforced Polymer Hose With Torque-Balanced Yarns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing polymer tubes lack the ability to withstand high loads effectively, with existing reinforcement methods not adequately distributing force or preventing curling issues during knitting.
Innovation Solution
A polymer tube with embedded textile reinforcement made from counter-twisted individual yarns, where the fiber orientation is in the longitudinal direction, providing torque balance and high strength, using materials like meta-aramid, glass fibers, or metal fibers, and incorporating specific yarn counts and twist rates to ensure processability and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional reinforcement layers are used in polymer hoses, then the hose can provide basic structural support, but it cannot withstand high loads effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite yarns combining different fiber types (aromatic polyamides, polyesters, polyolefins, viscoses) in specific ratios within a single yarn structure. This composite approach allows the reinforcement layer to achieve high load-bearing capacity through material synergy while maintaining structural efficiency, resolving the contradiction between strength and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement layer is segmented into multiple independent yarns (at least three) with different material compositions and orientations. Each yarn type targets specific stress directions and load conditions, allowing the overall structure to withstand high loads through distributed reinforcement rather than requiring a single complex homogeneous structure.
2Strength
If fibers are oriented in various directions for omnidirectional strength, then the reinforcement is more versatile, but force distribution becomes less uniform
Solution Approach 1:
Different yarns within the reinforcement layer have locally optimized fiber orientations and material compositions tailored to specific stress patterns. For example, some yarns are oriented at 0 degrees while others are at ±45 degrees, with each orientation locally optimized for its specific stress direction. This local quality approach ensures uniform force distribution in each direction while maintaining overall structural versatility.
3Strength
If individual yarns are twisted to increase strength, then the yarn becomes stronger, but it develops a curling tendency that complicates knitting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent balances the twist directions of individual yarns so that S-twisted yarns and Z-twisted yarns are intermixed in the reinforcement layer. The opposite twists counterbalance each other's curling tendencies, allowing each yarn to maintain its high strength from twisting while the collective structure remains flat and knit-friendly, eliminating the manufacturing complexity issue.
4Strength
If high twist rates are used to maximize yarn strength, then the yarn achieves high strength, but processability during manufacturing decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the twist rate parameter to a specific range (50-200 twists per meter) rather than using maximum possible twist. This parameter optimization achieves the necessary yarn strength for load-bearing while maintaining sufficient flexibility and surface smoothness for easy handling, weaving, and knitting processes, thereby balancing strength and manufacturability.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a polymer tube (100) with an embedded textile reinforcement carrier (101) which is made up of a yarn (103) and the yarn (103) comprises several counter-rotating individual yarns (105-1, 105-2, 105-3) whose fiber orientation (107) lies in the longitudinal direction of the yarn (103).