AU5196101A - Flexible hose - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): TOTAKU INDUSTRIES, INC.

Invention Title: FLEXIBLE HOSE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: FLEXIBLE HOSE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION i. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible hose made of a synthetic resin. Particularly, it relates to a flexible hose suitable for use as an electric cleaner hose (cleaner hose) for general home.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this kind of flexible hose, for example, a cleaner hose comprises a coated steel wire, which is a hard steel wire coated with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, and a coated electric wire, which is a stranded copper electric wire coated with the PVC resin for insulation. The coated steel wire and the coated electric wire are arranged properly and wound spirally with a predetermined pitch. Around the outer circumference of the coated steel wire and the coated electric Swire, aband-likematerialmade of the PVC resin is also spirally wound. A tube wall is formed in such a way that the overlapping surfaces of the band-like materials are fused or bonded to each other. Further, the tube wall, the coated steel wire and the coated electric wire are also fused or bonded one another. As described above, in the conventional cleaner hose employing a reinforcing wire, such as the coated steel wire, a PVC resin i 25 is generally used as each of the coating resin in the coated steel wire, the coating resin in the coated electric wire and the resin material constituting the tube wall.

However, such hoses containing PVC resin generate dioxins and other substances harmful to the human body when discarded hoses are burned like ordinal wastes. It is a great social problem how to eliminate the harmful substances such as described above. Further, total weight of the hose is heavy because PVC resin, which is contained in the hose as a resin material, has the large specific gravity, and also both of a hard steel wire for retaining the shape of the hose and a copper electric wire for conducting electricity are used. As a result, the heavy total weight makes users of the hose exhausted after they use the hose for a long time. In addition, the hose is not suitable also from a viewpoint of cost.

Therefore, this applicant developed, as a.non-PVC hose, a hose as shown in Fig. 9 and filed an application on it (refer to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 9-39971) In this hose, the resin material forming the tube wall is formed of an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA) including 20 no chlorine.

eee i The hose manufactured on the basis of the invention of this prior application is superior in retainess of the shape of hose to the conventional PVC resin hose, and lighter in the total weight of the hose than the conventional PVC resin hose.

:2i 58 It is confirmed that this hose has an advantage in that the hose has easy operativity enough not to make users exhausted after long timeuse. However, incasethatthetubewallhas sufficient softness and flexibility on use, anti-abrasion property comes to be inferior. It is confirmed that the abrasion at around the outer surface portion of the reinforced wire is particularly large and it is difficult to provide a product suitable for a long use. Varied hoses were produced and then tested repeatedly for accomplishing the purpose that makes anti-abrasion property higher by making walls thicker, employing materials with higher hardness and so on. But it is confirmed that the above material is not suitable for a long use because of lessened flexibility and softness or because of heavy weights of the hoses.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the invention is intended to solve these problems. It is an object of the invention to provide a hose *that employs non-PVC resin materials, which use no PVC resin material and does not generate dioxins even upon incineration.

A further object is to provide a hose that has advantages in 20 that the hose has good retainess of the shape, light total weight .eoeoi and easy operativity enough not to make users exhausted after long time use. In addition, a further object is to provide a hose that has little stickiness and also an enough anti-abrasion property, compatible with the advantages in the above-mentioned 5 objects.

25 objects.

Means for achieving the object will be described referring to partial reference numerals and signs used in drawings in which embodiments are shown. A flexible hose of the invention comprises a urethane resin-coated steel wire spirally wound at a predetermined pitch; a urethane resin tube wall formed by a thin film-shaped urethane resin band material (5a) which is wound spirally on an outer peripheral surface of the urethane resin-coated steel wire while overlapping surfaces of the urethane resin band material (5a) are fused or bonded together, the urethane resin tube wall being fused or bonded to the urethane resin-coated steel wires a urethane resin narrow band (4a) spirally wound on an outer surface portion of the urethane resin tube wall covering on the outer peripheral surface of the urethane resin-coated steel wire so as to cover the urethane resin-coated steel wires double,. the narrow bands (4a) being integrally fused to the tube wall S" or integrally bonded thereto through a urethane adhesive the urethane resin narrow band (4a) being higher in hardness :than the urethane resin band material e* BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a front view partially showing the interior of a cleaner hose in order to illustrate the first embodiment; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a tube wall of 25 the cleaner hose; the cleaner hose; Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional view for explaining manufacturing means; Fig. 4 is a partly omitted front view of the cleaner hose; Fig. 5 is a front view showing the hose used in a cleaner; Fig. 6 is a front view partially showing the interior of a cleaner hose in order to illustrate the second embodiment; Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a tube wall of the cleaner hose shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is an exploded sectional view for explaining manufacturing means in the second embodiment; and Fig. 9 is a front view partially showing the interior of a cleaner hose in order to illustrate a hose in a prior art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention has the above constitution. In case that the invention is carried out, four coated steel wires 3 may be disposed so as to provide the hose with two electrical circuits, or two coated steel wires 3 may be disposed so as to provide ova..i the hose with one electrical circuit. Alternatively, three coated steel wires 3 may be disposed so as to provide the hose S with one electrical circuit and an earth wire. Depending on the situation, the hose may be provided with only one coated steel wire for retaining the shape like an upright type cleaner hose. Further, the used hard steel wire 1 itself may be a wire I 25 material of non-treatment. However, in case that the hard steel wire of which a surface is copper-plated is used, there are such advantages that not only electrical conductivity can be improved but also soldering to another electric wire or an electrical connector can be easily performed.

Further, a urethane resin band material 5a forming a tube wall 5 is formed form a resin within a range of 45 to 85 degrees in hardness of A type hardness test by JIS (hereinafter referred as JIS A hardness). A narrow band 4a is formed from a resin within a range of 70 to 99 degrees in JIS A hardness, that is, the narrow band 4a is formed form a resin of which hardness is higher than that of the resin band material 5a. Further, from an easier manufacturing viewpoint, it is preferable that hose H is formed with such two materials 4a, 5a as that band material for forming main part of the tube wall 5 and narrow band 4a for coating the outer peripheral surface of the coated wire 3 double-layer-wise are formed as one material by co-extrusion.

However, these both band materials 5a and 4a may be formed by two kinds of band materials extruded respectively from plural resin extrusion dies.

20 Embodiments of the invention will be described below with go goi reference to drawings. In the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing a flexible hose in the first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an external diagram, in which a part of a hose H is broken away in section, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an enlarged section of a tube wall, and Fig. 3 is an exploded view for 25 section of a tube wall, and Fig. 3 is an exploded view for explaining means for manufacturing the hose.

A hose H shown in the embodiment has a structure in which four coated steel wires 3 are disposed apart from each other at a given distance. The coated steel wire 3 has been formed by insulation-coating a hard steel wire 1 with a resin of high hardness, for example, a urethane resin material 2 of SHORE D 68 degrees. Instead of the hard steel wire (piano wire) 1, another metal wire material of high hardness such as a stainless steel wire or the like may be used. Further, a surface of the hard steel wire in the embodiment is copper-plated or bronze-plated. Namely, in the hose H shown in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, four coated steel wires 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d, as a set S, have been wound spirally and continuously, keeping a predetermined pitch w as well as a fixed interval w between the steel wire 3d at a preceding position and the steel wire 3a at a following position. That is, the coated steel wires 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are disposed side by side at predetermined intervals w in a cross section.

.o..oi The urethane resin band materials 5a are spirally wound so that their side edge portions overlap with each other on the outer peripheral surface of the specified coated steel wire 3, and the overlappedside edgeportions are fused (orbondedthrough utethane adhesive for example) together to form a tube wall At this time, a urethane adhesive 6 generally known as a hot 25 melt is applied on the outer peripheral surfaces of the coated :.ol 25 melt is applied on the outer peripheral surfaces of the coated steel wires 3 to bond the urethane resin band material 5a to each coated steel wire 3. The urethane resin band material has long and thin film shape, and has the width of good four fixed intervals 4w formed by the four coated steel wires 3a, 3b, 3c, 3 d and the coated steel wire 3dpreviouslywound adjacently, that is, has the width of five coated steel wires 3 (In Fig.

3, a band material 5a is previously formed in the form of a wavy uneven shape fitted to the unevenness of the coated steel wires 3, however it may be a flat band). The urethane resin band material 5a has the JIS A hardness of 70 degrees.

In the urethane resin band material 5a shown in the embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, at the forming time of the tube wall 5, four narrow bands 4a are extruded on the outer surface portion of the urethane resin band material 5a located on the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective coated steel wires 3 from the same resin extrusion die as that of the urethane resin bandmaterial 5a simultaneously and integrallywith the urethane resin band material 5a. Accordingly, at the same time that the tube wall 5 is formed by the urethane resin band materials the tube wall 5 having anti-abrasional linear portions 4 is obtained on the outer surface portion of the tube wall 5 covering the respective coated steel wires 3. The four narrow band 4a has the JIS A hardness of 90 degrees larger than that of the urethane resin band material .:Goo: 25 The wide urethane resin band materials 5a each having the four narrow urethane resin bands 4a of the high hardness, as shown by arrows a andb in Fig. 3, are sequentially wound spirally on the outer peripheral surfaces of the four coated steel wires 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d while a side edge portion of the band material 5a is being placed on one coated steel wire 3. The overlapped surfaces of the band materials 5a are fused to each other to form a series of spiral tube wall 5. At this time, an adhesive 6 such as a hot melt is applied on the coating resin 2 of each coated steel wire 3 to bond the band material 5a forming the tube wall to the coating resin 2 of the four coated steel wire 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d.

In order to use the thus formed hose H as a cleaner hose, it is firstly cut into the required length suitable for the cleaner hose; connection cylinders 6 and 7 separately formed are respectively attached to both end portions as shown in Fig. 4; two sets of copper-plated hard steel wires i, in which a set *o 0o comprises two coated steel wires 3,3, are connected to the respective connectors 6a and 7a by soldering; and two pairs of fee :electric circuits are formed between these both connectors 6a 20 and 7a.

oo**o0 As described above, the connection cylinders 6 and 7 are connected at both ends of the cleaner hose. Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the connection cylinder 7 on one end side is inserted into and connected to a suction cylinder E of an electric cleaner body C. On the other hand, the connection cylinder 6 on the 25 body C. On the other hand, the connection cylinder 6 on the other end side is inserted into and connected to an air inhalation cylinder D at the upper end of an operation pipe P. Between the cleanerbody C andthe operationpipe P, an airsuctionpassage, an electric circuit for ON/OFF operation of the cleaner body C, and an electric circuit for ON/OFF operation of a small-sized motor provided inside of an air inhalation nozzle head N at the leading end of the operation pipe P are thus formed, and these operations can be performed by a switch S in hand.

Figs. 6 to 8 show a hose H in the second embodiment, and the hose H in this embodiment uses only two resin coated steel wires 3, which have been described in the aforesaid embodiment.

The coated steel wires 3 in the second embodiment consist of a hard steel wire 1 coated with urethane resin 2, as used in the first embodiment. Two coated steel wires 3a, 3b as a set are wound spirally and continuously at a predetermined distance w, and the coated wire 3b wound in the preceding winding has o oo the same distance w form the coated wire 3a wound in the following winding.

ooaoo: The urethane resin band material 5a, which has good two predetermined intervals of 2w width that is formed by a *positioning of a pair of these coated steel wires 3a, 3b and the preceding and adjacent wire 3b in winding, is extruded from a die of a synthetic resin extrusion apparatus, which is arranged sideward and not shown in the Figs, and then is wound around the coated steel wire 3 to form the tube wall 5 and is simultaneously bonded to the coated steel wire 3 beneath the tube wall 5. Separately the urethane resin narrow band 4a with higher hardness is extruded from a die of another synthetic resin extrusion apparatus, which is arranged sideward and not shown in the Figs, and then is wound around the outside of the tube wall 5 to form anti-abrasional linear portion, which is corresponding to where the coated steel wires 3 is bonded.

The urethane resin band material 5a forming this tube wall and the narrow bands 4a, 4a forming the anti-abrasional linear portions 4 may be fused or bonded through an adhesive. Namely, the resinbandmaterial 5a and the narrow bands 4a, 4aare spirally wound in order of arrows a, b and c shown in Fig. 8, and the respective contact surfaces are bonded to form the tube wall Other points apply correspondingly to the explanation in the first embodiment.

In case that the thus formed hose is employed as a cleaner hose, it is used as described in the first embodiment.

The urethane resin in the invention specifically points to a resinmaterialhaving a urethane group (-NH-COO-) inmolecule, which isproducedbyintermolecularreaction ofthreecomponents: 1* polyol (long-chaindiol), 2. diisocyanate, and 3. short-chain diol. The polyol and the short-chain diol addition-react on the diisocyanate thereby to produce linear polyurethane. The character of the linear polyurethane is influencedby properties 25 ofrawmaterial, conditionofpolymerization, and compound ratio.

The basic character is determined almost by a kind of long-chain diol, and the hardness canbe controlledby ratio of hard segment.

The kinds of long-chain diol include: 1. caprolactone type <polylactone ester polyol obtained by ring-opening caprolactone>; 2. adipicacidtype adipatetype)<esterpolyol adipate of adipic acid and glycol>; and 3. PTMG (polytetra-metylene glycol) type (=ether type) <polytetra-metylene glycol obtained by ring-opening polymerization of tetrahydrofuran>, etc.

The urethane resin has superior characteristics that other resins do not have. Namely, it is provided with the following superior characteristics: 1. slidingwearandscratchresistance are superior; 2. mechanical strength such tensile strength and tear strength is superior; 3. oil resistance and gasoline resistance are superior; 4. property at low temperature is superior, and weathering resistance and ozone proof property are good; and 5. this resin is adapted to the Food Sanitation Act (Notification No. 20 of the Ministry of Health and Welfare) In the invention, the urethane resin having such the characteristics is used.

Accordingly, in the hose shown in the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, by making the thickness of the tube wall 5 as thin as possible andmaking its total thickness nearly uniform, the anti-abrasional linear portion 4 is disposed on the outer 25 surface portion of the tube wall covering the coated steel wire 3. Further, in the hose shown in the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, by making the thickness of the tube wall 5 a little large and making only the portion of the tube wall covering the outer peripheral surface of the coated steel wire 3 partially thin, the anti-abrasional linear portion is disposed on this thin portion so that the total thickness of the tube wall 5 is made nearly uniform. However, the modes of these embodiments are typical, and a middle mode of these embodiments or a modified embodiment in which the coating thickness of the coated steel wire 3 is changed into a suitable thickness may be carried out.

Though the embodiments typical of the invention have been described above, the invention may be embodied in forms suitably modified within a range in which the aforesaid composing requirement is provided, the object of the invention is achieved, and the following effects are provided. Further, the hose of the invention can be applied also to others than the cleaner *hose.

As clear from the above description, the flexible hose of the invention uses the specified chlorine-free resinmaterials which do not generate gases harmful to the human body, such as dioxins, upon burning in any of the resin material coating the hard steel wire, the resin material constituting the tube wall, the resin material of the linear portion for strengthening the anti-abrasion property, and the adhesive. Therefore, it is 5 possible to obtain a flexible hose which does not cause 25 possible to obtain a flexible hose which does not cause environmental pollution by burning after having been discarded.

The flexible hose of the invention includes, at the outer surface portion of the tube wall covering the coated steel wire, the anti-abrasional linear portion formed by the resin material of which the hardness is higher than that of the resin material forming the tube wall. Therefore, since the anti-abrasional linear portion that is higher in hardness receives sliding friction and contact-scratch resistance, the hose is advantage not only in that it is superior in anti-abrasion property, it is not blindly damaged and it can be fit for a long use but also in that stickiness of the urethane resin material that is low in hardness, which we feel when gripping, can be reduced.

Further, specific gravity of the urethane resin material used in the flexible hose of the invention is 1.1 to 1.2 on an average although that of the PVC resin generally used as a hose material is 1.2 to 1.3. Therefore, in case of using the materials ".."forming the tube wall of the same volume, the weight of the tube Wall of the urethane resin hose of the invention can be reduced simplyby 10% andmore, compared with the PVC resin hose. Further, in the urethane rein hose of the invention, sliding abrasion 000000 and scratch resistance are superior, mechanical strength against tensile and tear forces is superior, and weathering resistance is also superior. Therefore, since the average thickness of the tube wall of the urethane rein hose of the invention can .25 be made thinner than that of the PVC resin hose, the weight of 5 be made thinner than that of the PVC resin hose, the weight of the hose can be further reduced, so that an advantage that exhaustion in use can be reduced can be obtained.

For the purposes of this specification it is to be clearly understood that the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and that the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

a a.

9

Claims (9)

1. A flexible hose comprising: a urethane resin-coated steel wire spirally wound at a predetermined pitch; a urethane resin tube wall formed by a thin film-shaped urethane resin band material (5a) which is wound spirally on an outer peripheral surface of the urethane resin-coated steel wire while overlapping surfaces of the urethane resin band material (5a) are fused or bonded together, the urethane resin tube wall being fused or bonded to said urethane resin-coated steel wires a urethane resin narrow band (4a) spirally wound on an outer surfaceportionof the urethane resin tubewall covering on the outer peripheral surface of said urethane resin-coated steel wire so as to cover the urethane resin-coated steel wires double, the narrow bands (4a) being integrally fused to said tube wall or integrally bonded thereto through a 0*e urethane adhesive the urethane resin narrow band (4a) being higher in hardness than the urethane resin band material S

2. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein the urethane resin band material (5a) is formed of a resin within a range of 45 to 85 degrees in hardness by JIS A type hardness test, and the narrow band (4a) is formed of a resin within a 25 range of 70 to 99 degrees in hardness by JIS A type hardness test.

3. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein said urethane resin coated steel wire includes a hard steel wire coated with a urethane resin material wherein the hard steel wire has a surface which is copper-plated.

4. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein said urethane resin coated steel wire includes a hard steel wire coated with a urethane resin material wherein the hard steel wire has a surface which is bronze-plated.

The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein said flexible hose is employed as an electric cleaner hose.

6. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein the S urethane resin band material (5a) and the narrow band (4a) are S@* resin band materials extruded simultaneously from one resin S extrusion die.

7. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein the urethane resin tube wall is bonded to said urethane resin-coated steel wire through the urethane adhesive (6) 25

8. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein 5 5 overlapping surfaces of the urethane resin band material are bonded together through the urethane adhesive

9. The flexible hose according to Claim 1, wherein the urethane resin is a resin material having a urethane group in molecule. A flexible hose substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 15 th day of June 2001 TOTAKU INDUSTRIES, INC. By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK e