Textile Sleeve Segmented Wall for Snug Fit and Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing textile sleeves with circumferentially continuous heat-shrinkable yarns are costly and limit the type of protection they can provide, while also being complex to assemble and fit snugly around protected members.
Innovation Solution
A textile sleeve design featuring a circumferentially continuous wall with a first section of non-heat-shrinkable, non-elastic yarn and a second section of heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn, allowing for a radially expanded unconstricted state and a constricted state for a snug fit, reducing the need for costly yarns and secondary fasteners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If circumferentially continuous heat-shrinkable yarns are used to constrict the sleeve wall, then the sleeve can be brought into a snug fit about the member, but the cost of the sleeve increases due to the relatively costly yarn
Solution Approach 1:
The circumferential wall is segmented into two distinct sections: a first section made from non-heat-shrinkable, non-elastic yarn providing structural integrity, and a second section made from heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn providing constriction capability. This segmentation allows the sleeve to achieve snug fit without requiring the entire circumferential wall to be constructed from expensive heat-shrinkable yarn, thereby reducing cost while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If circumferentially continuous heat-shrinkable yarns are used to constrict the sleeve wall, then the sleeve can be brought into a snug fit about the member, but the type of protection provided by the wall is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the circumferential wall are assigned different functional qualities: the first section uses non-heat-shrinkable, non-elastic yarn for structural support and protection, while the second section uses heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn for conformability and snug fit. This local differentiation of material properties allows the sleeve to provide both mechanical protection and adaptive fitting, enhancing versatility without compromising snug fit capability.
3Ease of operation
If the sleeve is designed to be simple to assemble, then ease of assembly is improved, but achieving a snug fit becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The second section of the circumferential wall is pre-formed with heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn that can be easily stretched during assembly to allow simple installation over the member. After assembly, the yarn is heat-shrunk or allowed to relax, automatically achieving the snug fit without requiring complex secondary fastening mechanisms. This preliminary preparation of the constriction mechanism simplifies assembly while ensuring reliable snug fit.
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 sleeve provides cost-effective, adaptable protection against environmental effects by using less expensive yarns and eliminating the need for additional securing mechanisms, while maintaining optimal protection and fit around elongate members.
Implementation Method 1
the heat-shrinkable yarns, upon being heat-shrunk, constrict the wall about the entirety of its outer surface
Implementation Method 2
the elastic yarn is in a biased, stretched state, and the wall has a radially contricted second state, wherien the heat-shrinkable yarn is in a shrunken state or the elastic yarn is in a relaxed, reduced length state
Data Source
AI summary
A protective textile sleeve and method of construction thereof is provided. The sleeve includes a circumferentially continuous wall extending lengthwise along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The wall has a first section formed from a non-heat-shrinkable, non-elastic yarn and a second section formed from one of a heat-shrinkable or elastic yarn. The first section extends lengthwise between the opposite ends and spans (X) degrees about the circumference of the wall between opposite lengthwise extending edges while in an unshrunken or stretch. The second section extends lengthwise between the opposite ends and spans (360-X) degrees about the circumference of the wall. The heat-shrikable or elastic yarn of the second section extends continuously as an uninterupted yarn between the opposite edges of the first section.