Wrappable Textile Sleeve with Closed-Loop Lace Closure for Aerospace
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing self-wrapping textile sleeves used in the aircraft and aerospace industries are laborious and costly to secure due to the tedious and time-consuming process of applying and knotting lacing tapes around the circumference of the sleeves, which often leads to disassembly or loosening of the laces during installation.
Innovation Solution
A textile sleeve design featuring interlaced yarn with closed loops along its length, where a flexible lace is routed in a zig-zag pattern through these loops to maintain the edges in an overlapping position, ensuring secure closure without the need for constant re-tightening, and can be constructed using woven or knit methods with heat-settable yarns for enhanced self-biasing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If individual lacing tapes are wrapped and knotted around the circumference of the sleeve, then the sleeve can be secured, but the process becomes tedious, laborious and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual lacing operations into a single continuous lace that passes through multiple sets of loops along the sleeve length. Instead of applying separate lacing tapes at different locations, one continuous lace secures the entire sleeve length by passing through alternating sets of loops, reducing the number of discrete operations required.
Solution Approach 2:
The lace is divided into multiple passes or segments that sequentially engage with different sets of loops at different locations along the sleeve. The lace alternates between first and second sets of loops, creating segmented engagement points that collectively secure the entire sleeve length through a single continuous element.
2Ease of operation
If lacing tapes are individually applied and knotted, then closure is achieved, but the task becomes time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The loops are pre-formed and attached to the sleeve at predetermined locations before the lace is applied. This preliminary preparation allows the lace to be simply threaded through the existing loop structure without requiring complex knotting or attachment operations during installation, significantly reducing installation time and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The loops serve as intermediary elements between the lace and the sleeve edges. Instead of directly knotting the lace to the sleeve material, the loops mediate the connection by providing pre-formed attachment points that guide and secure the lace, simplifying the overall closure application process.
3Ease of operation
If open eyelets are used for lacing, then the lace can be threaded, but the lace may fall out or become disassembled during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The loops are designed with closed circumferences that prevent lace escape before the lace is fully installed and tensioned. This prior cushioning measure ensures that even when the lace is loosely threaded during installation, it cannot fall out or become disassembled, providing reliability throughout the installation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The closed loop structure provides a simple, robust retention mechanism that is easier and more reliable than attempting to secure open eyelets. The loops act as self-contained retention features that require no additional securing mechanisms, effectively preventing lace loss through a simple geometric design.
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
This solution simplifies the securing process by allowing the lace to be initially threaded loosely and then drawn tight, ensuring it remains in place, providing a quick, reliable, and secure closure along the full length of the sleeve, particularly beneficial for long sleeves in aerospace applications.
Implementation Method 1
Some of the yarns in the fill direction of the sleeve are formed of heat-settable material and are heat-set to a curled shape so as to self-bias the sleeve into a closed, tubular form
Data Source
AI summary
A wrappable textile sleeve with closure system and method of construction is provided. The sleeve has a wall of interlaced yarn with opposite edges extending in a lengthwise direction along a longitudinal axis between opposite ends. The opposite edges are wrappable into overlapping relation with one another to form a tubular cavity. The wall has a first set of closed loops positioned adjacent one of the opposite edges and a second set of closed loops positioned adjacent the other of the opposite edges. At least one flexible lace is disposed through the closed loops in a zig-zag pattern, thereby extending back-and-forth between the first set of loops and the second set of loops. The flexible lace is slidable through the plurality of loops to facilitate drawing and maintaining the opposite edges in overlapping relation with one another.