SELF-WRAPPING, BRAIDED TEXTILE SLEEVE WITH SELF-SUSTAINING EXPANDED AND CONTRACTED STATES AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF

• US 20200131681A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal-Mogul Powertrain, LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Federal-Mogul Powertrain, LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: ZHANG, ZHONG HUAI, TEAL, JIMMY E., GAO, TIANQI, KRAUSER, LEIGH
• Granted Patent: US 11,313,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 1/0041 Cut or abrasion resistant
• CPC Class Codes: D03D 3/08 Arched, corrugated, or like fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 1/02 made from particular materials
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 1/06 Braid or lace serving particular purposes
• CPC Class Codes: D06C 7/02 Setting
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2401/046 Shape recovering or form memory
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2403/0311 Small thickness fabric, e.g. ribbons, tapes or straps
• CPC Class Codes: D10B 2505/12 Vehicles D10B2505/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A self-wrapping protective textile sleeve and method of construction is provided. The sleeve includes a braided, tubular wall having opposite free edges extending lengthwise between opposite ends. The wall has a first state with a decreased length, increased cross-sectional area and a second state with an increased length, decreased cross-sectional area, as viewed in cross-section taken generally transversely to a central longitudinal axis. The wall further includes braided, heat-set yarns imparting a bias on the wall, wherein the bias causes the wall to self-wrap into a tubular configuration and to remain substantially in the first and second states absent some externally applied force.

Claims

1. A method of constructing a self-wrapping textile sleeve, comprising:

braiding a plurality of yarns with one another to form a wall extending lengthwise along a central longitudinal axis between opposite ends with at least some of said yarns being provided as heat-settable yarns, said wall being moveable between a decreased length, increased cross-sectional area first state and an increased length, decreased cross-sectional area second state;

forming said wall having opposite free edges extending lengthwise between said opposite ends; and

wrapping said opposite free edges toward one another and heat-setting said heat-settable yarns with said wall being in one of said first state and second state to form heat-set yarns that impart a bias on said wall, said bias causing said wall to self-wrap about the central longitudinal axis into a tubular configuration and causing said wall to substantially remain in each of said first and second states absent an externally applied axial force causing said wall to be moved to the other of said first or second states.

2. The method of claim 1 further including braiding said wall with a lace-braiding machine.

3. The method of claim 1 further including braiding said wall as a seamless, circumferentially continuous wall and then cutting said wall lengthwise to form said opposite free edges.

4. The method of claim 3 further including performing the heat-setting step prior to performing the cutting.

5. The method of claim 3 further including performing the heat-setting step after performing the cutting.

6. The method of claim 1 further including braiding said wall as a substantially flat layer having said opposite free edges.

7. The method of claim 6 further including wrapping said wall about a mandrel and then performing the heat-setting.

8. The method of claim 1 further including forming the wall including non-heat-settable yarn.

9. The method of claim 1 further including forming at least some of the yarns as bundles of yarn twisted with one another.

10. The method of claim 9 further including forming at least some of the bundles entirely with heat-settable yarn.

11. The method of claim 9 further including forming at least some of the bundles including non-heat-settable yarn.

12. The method of claim 9 further including interlinking loops of one bundle with loops of another bundle to interlock the bundles with one another.