Recyclable Reinforced Flexible Hose With Compatible Polymer Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current reinforced flexible hoses are difficult and costly to recycle due to incompatibility between polymeric materials and yarn, leading to impurities in recycled granules that negatively impact mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A reinforced flexible hose design with layers made of mutually compatible thermoplastic elastomers, allowing the hose to be ground without separating the reinforcement layer, resulting in a mixture that can be reused to produce new hoses with comparable mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If reinforcement yarn is made of incompatible material with polymeric layers, then mechanical strength is improved, but recyclability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by making the reinforcement layer material compatible with the polymeric layers through selective polymerization. The reinforcement layer is transformed from an incompatible textile yarn into a polymeric structure that is chemically compatible with the adjacent polymeric layers, allowing all components to be processed together during recycling without separation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical and physical parameters of the reinforcement layer by subjecting it to selective polymerization. This transforms the reinforcement material from a non-polymeric textile yarn into a polymeric structure with specific properties (compatibility with polymeric layers, controlled porosity, appropriate mechanical strength) that enable both structural function and recyclability.
2Manufacturing precision
If polymeric layers and yarn are separated for recycling, then purity of recycled material is improved, but processing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reinforcement layer with the polymeric layers through compatibility engineering. By making the reinforcement layer chemically compatible with the polymeric layers via selective polymerization, all components can be processed together as a single unit during recycling, eliminating the need for separate handling and separation operations while maintaining material purity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the incompatibility problem by transforming the reinforcement layer into a compatible polymeric structure. Instead of dealing with incompatible materials that require separation, the reinforcement layer is converted into a form that can be directly integrated with the polymeric layers in the recycling process, removing the extraction/separation step entirely.
3Strength
If reinforcement layer is made of incompatible material, then mechanical properties are enhanced, but separation completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies homogeneity by ensuring the reinforcement layer becomes chemically compatible with the polymeric layers through selective polymerization. This creates a homogeneous polymeric structure throughout the hose wall, eliminating the heterogeneity that causes separation difficulties while maintaining the mechanical reinforcement function.
4Reliability
If incompatible materials are used in hose layers, then structural integrity is improved, but recyclability and environmental impact deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the reinforcement layer through selective polymerization, transforming it into a compatible polymeric material. This maintains the structural integrity and mechanical reinforcement function while enabling recyclability, thereby reducing environmental impact from waste hose disposal and virgin material production.
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
Enables cost-effective and efficient recycling of flexible hoses by producing a ground mixture with enhanced Shore A hardness and melt flow index, which can be used to manufacture new hoses with similar mechanical properties to the original, reducing waste and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a method for making a reinforced flexible hose according to the invention comprising the steps of: providing a preliminary hose comprising an inner layer, an outer layer and a reinforcement layer made of textile yarns; subjecting the reinforcement layer to a selective polymerization process
Implementation Method 2
a method for making a reinforced flexible hose starting from the ground mixture according to the invention comprising the steps of: extruding a fourth polymeric material comprising or consisting of the ground mixture
Data Source
AI summary
A reinforced flexible hose for transporting fluids includes a first load-bearing layer made of a first polymeric material, a second covering layer arranged externally to the first load-bearing layer made of a second polymeric material, and a reinforcement layer interposed between the first and the second layers made of a third polymeric material. The first and the second polymeric materials are thermoplastic elastomers, the third polymeric material being a thermoplastic polymeric material. The first, second and third polymeric materials are mutually compatible, so that the flexible hose can be ground without separation between the first, the second, and the reinforcement layer to obtain a ground mixture consisting of the first, the second and the third polymeric materials.