Wrappable Thermal Sleeve with Sandwiched Reflective Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wrappable textile sleeves with an openly exposed reflective foil layer are prone to damage from debris or components, compromising their thermal shielding effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A wrappable textile sleeve design featuring a woven wall with an innermost and outermost layer sandwiching a reflective layer, where the outermost layer provides abrasion protection and the innermost layer includes heat-set thermoplastic yarns to maintain the reflective layer's integrity, and the outermost layer is woven with monofilaments for transparency and high reflectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the reflective foil layer is openly exposed in its entirety to the environment, then the reflective surface area is maximized for thermal shielding, but the foil layer becomes vulnerable to damage from debris or neighboring components
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective foil layer is nested between the innermost and outermost woven layers, with the foil layer being sandwiched within the multi-layer woven structure. This nesting arrangement protects the fragile foil layer from external damage while preserving its reflective functionality, resolving the contradiction between maximizing exposed reflective surface and protecting against environmental damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The outermost woven layer acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the reflective foil layer and the external environment. This intermediary structure shields the foil from debris and neighboring components while allowing the foil to maintain its thermal shielding function, thus resolving the vulnerability issue without sacrificing reflective surface area.
2Reliability
If the reflective layer is protected by sandwiching it between woven layers, then the foil layer's integrity is maintained, but the reflective surface area may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The outermost woven layer is constructed with specific local properties including transparent or translucent materials and optimized weave patterns that maximize light transmission. This local quality optimization ensures that while the foil layer is protected for integrity, the reflective surface area is maximized by allowing light to pass through the outer layer to reach the foil and reflect back, resolving the contradiction between protection and reflectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The outermost woven layer utilizes transparent or translucent materials that are optically designed to maximize light transmission and reflectivity. This material selection ensures that the protective layer does not significantly reduce the reflective surface area, as the transparent/translucent properties allow the underlying foil's reflective characteristics to manifest effectively, thus resolving the contradiction between integrity and reflective area.
3Illumination intensity
If the outermost layer is made transparent or translucent, then the reflective layer's visibility and reflectivity are maximized, but the layer's abrasion resistance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The outermost layer is constructed as a composite material combining transparent or translucent polymers with embedded abrasion-resistant particles or reinforcement structures. This composite approach allows the layer to maintain optical transparency for maximizing reflective visibility while simultaneously providing the necessary abrasion resistance through the reinforcing elements, thus resolving the contradiction between visibility and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The outermost layer employs local quality variations where different regions or aspects of the material possess different properties - the base material provides transparency for reflectivity, while embedded reinforcements or surface treatments provide localized abrasion resistance. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing both transparent visibility and abrasion resistance to coexist in the same layer.
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 solution enhances the durability and thermal shielding capabilities of the sleeve by protecting the reflective layer from damage and maximizing its reflective surface area, ensuring prolonged protection against radiant heat.
Implementation Method 1
the weft yarns include heat-set thermoplastic yarns imparting a bias on the wall to bring the opposite edges into overlapping relation with one another
Implementation Method 2
A reflective layer is sandwiched between the innermost woven layer and the outermost woven layer... maintaining the maximum capacity of the reflective layer to shield a member contained within the sleeve against exposure to external radiant heat
Implementation Method 3
the outermost woven layer provides protection to the underlying reflective layer against abrasion
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~3A
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A wrappable textile sleeve and method of construction thereof is provided. The sleeve includes a woven wall having opposite inner and outer edges extending in a lengthwise direction along a central longitudinal axis of the sleeve between opposite ends. The opposite inner and outer edges are wrappable into overlapping relation with one another to form an inner tubular cavity. The wall has an innermost woven layer and an outermost woven layer woven in attached relation with one another at one of the opposite inner and outer edges, A reflective layer is sandwiched between the innermost woven layer and the outermost woven layer, such that the outermost woven layer protects the underlying reflective layer against abrasion.