AU640406B2

AU640406B2 - Tube connection

Info

Publication number: AU640406B2
Application number: AU62124/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen Ross Walker
Original assignee: STEVE WALKER SAILS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: STEVE WALKER SAILS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1989-09-04
Filing date: 1990-09-04
Publication date: 1993-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2010-09-04
Also published as: AU6212490A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 644 0 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: S Priority Related Art:

S

Name(s) of Applicant(s): Address(es) of Applicant(s): APPLICANT'S REF.: C.A.P. OF PJ6124 STEVE WALKER SAILS PTY. LTD.

5a Moore Street, WYNYARD, TASMANIA, 7325, AUSTRALIA 0.

r c *S Actual Inventor(s): STEPHEN ROSS WALKER Address for Service is: PHILLIPS, ORMONDE AND FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne, Australia, 3000 Complete Specification for the invention entitled: TUBE CONNECTION The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): P19/3/84 TUBE CONNECTION The present invention relates to a flexible tube connection and a duct assembly.

It is necessary in many underground mines and in other areas to provide temporary ducting to carry air or other gases to a portion of a mine or to carry gases such as exhaust fumes from a portion of a mine to the ground surface. The ducting often is required to cover large distances, up to several kilometres, in a continuous length, so short lengths of duct are often connected together. The ducting is merely temporary and so.each length of ducting is preferably detachable from each adjacent length.

Various systems have previously been used and proposed to provide said ducting. In some forms metal tubing was used but this was cumbersome, heavy and inefficient. In other forms flexible ducting has been used but at the regions where S tubes are joined, substantial leakage occurs and/or the joins break or deteriorate. The resultant leakage greatly reduces S the efficiency of the ducting system. Most systems are 00 extremely inefficient in both assembly and relocation because the ends of the tubing must be laced together. The action of lacing is extremely cumbersome and time consuming, while the lace itself can be lost, tangled and/or wear and break.

Further, the eyelets through which the lace passes tend to 0000 pull out of the tubing when the lace is tightened.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a duct assembly and flexible tube connection which will alleviate or at least partially overcome some of the prior art deficiencies.

30 According to the present invention there is provided a duct assembly comprising a first flexible tube having at least one fastening member located thereon at or near one end thereof and extending circumferentially substantially therearound, and a second flexible tube having at least one fastening member located thereon at or near one end thereof and extending substantially circumferentially therearound, said duct assembly also comprising a collar capable of extending substantially around the circumference of said 39 first and second tubes, said collar having at least one 2 fastening member cooperable with the fastening members of said first and second tubes such that when said ends of said first and second tubes are placed end to end i -f the collar is capable of being placed around said first and second tubes whereby said at least one collar fastening member will cooperate with said first and second tube fastening members to form a flexible E- connection therebetween.

The present invention also provides a flexible tube suitable for use in the above duct assembly, wherein said flexible tube includes a first fastening member located at or near one end thereof, and a second fastening member located at or near the other end thereof, each of said first and se.cond fasteningS members extending ci j the tube. The flexible tube is thus S" adapted to connect at either end to further similar flexible tubes by use of the collar described above, to form a flexible tube connection according to the invention.

The present invention further provides a method for forming the above duct assembly by providing a first length of flexible tube, securing thereto at or near one end a fastening member to extend circumferentially substantially thereabout, providing a second length of flexible tube and 0*0 securing thereto at or near one end a fastening member to extend circumferentially substantially thereabout, and providing a collar capable of extending substantially around the circumference of said first and second lengths, said collar having at least one fastening member capable of cooperating with the fastening members of the first and second lengths, wherein the collar is capable of being placed around said first and second lengths such that said at least one fastening member of said collar will cooperate with the fastening members of the first and second lengths to form a flexible ti'- connection.

The flexible tubes may be any suitable shape, size or length, and may be made of any suitable material. It will be appreciated that the shape and size of the tube will be dependent upon the particular application, the type of /n-substance to be transported, and the desired location of the 3 JLS u tube. For example, the tubes may simply be elongate lengths for providing a long straight duct. Alternatively, the tubes may include or comprise corners of slight or of severe curvature, T-junctions, four-way junctions such as cross-junctions, reduction or enlarging pieces, or pieces to split a single duct into two or more ducts. Each of these pieces may be joined to each other, or to elongate lengths of tube, or to inlet and/or outlet components, as requiied, and by way of a flexible tube connection according to the invention.

Preferably, the tubes may be formed of flexible sheet material which may be folded but which will expand, when in use, into a tubular configuration. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, cloth, canvas, plastic, *e :woven fabrics and plastics, multi-panel constructions of metal, plastic or other materials, fibreglass or other woven, S non-woven or reinforced sheet material, or a combination of these. The most preferred type of material is a coated woven polyethylene fabric, such as that marketed under the trade name CANVACON.

The fastening members may be any suitable fastening member of a type that provides releasable fastening.

S Suitable fastening members include releasable glues, velvet-type fasteners, TOUCH TAPE (trade mark), GRIPASTRIF (trade mark), zips, press studs, or any other fastening means which provides a reasonably sealed connection, or a combination of these. Further, the fastening members may either be integral with the elongate flexible tubes and the collar, or may be connected thereto. Suitable means of connection of said fastening member to the flexible tube may include gluing, stitching, or other suitable means, or a combination of these.

In a preferred form, the fastening members utilized are of the velvet-type fastener such as that marketed under the trade name VELCRO. Velvet type fasteners are generally composed of a male piece having a plurality of upright hook elements disposed on a base fabric, and a female piece having a plurality of loop elements formed on a separate base 39 fabric. The hook elements detachably engage with random loop 4 elements when the male piece is combined with the female piece. In this preferred form of the invention, the fastening members of the flexible tubes may comprise the male piece of a velvet type fastener, with the fastening member of the collar comprising the female piece, or vice-versa. Of course, it may be that one end of a first tube may have a male-piece while one end of an adjacent tube may have a female-piece. In this arrangement, the collar will have respective female and male pieces.

The use of such velvet-type fasteners allows the collar to be easily and quickly placed around adjacent ends of two tubes. Strict alignment of the male and female pieces is not necessary to provide a satisfactory connection, allowing the tubes to be connected in areas where access or lighting is 9*eS poor, such as in mine-shafts. Velvet-type fasteners also S" allow a connection to be easily disassembled if relocation of the ducting is required. Further dampness or dirt will not have a large effect on the efficiency of this type of fastener. Thus, velvet-type fasteners have been found to be 9**S particularly advantageous as a suitable fastening member, even though this would not be expected due to the open-weave or porous nature of the connection between the male and female pieces. Indeed, velvet-type fasteners provide a seal *900 between tubes which is substantially air-tight at low pressures.

The fastening members may be located at or near the tube end. In one embodiment of the invention, at least one fastening member is provided on the first tube at one end of the first tube, and at least one fastening member is provided on the second tube at a location spaced from the end of the second tube. In another embodiment, the fastening members of each of two tubes which are to be connected are located in the region of but spaced from the respective ends.

In an alternative form, the end regions of two tubes can be configured such that one tube end is adapted to be inserted within the other tube end, such that the end of one tube forms a male end and the end of the other tube forms a female end, to provide an overlap in the desired direction to 39 assist in providing a substantially air-tight seal.

5 Preferably, the ends of both tubes are of substantially the same diameter such that either tube end may form the male and/or female end as desired. In this form, at least one fastening member on one tube is spaced from the end of said tube to allow said end section to be inserted as a male end without the fastening member being covered by the female tube end into which said male tube end is inserted. It will be appreciated that in another form the ends of the tubes may be constructed such that either may form a female end or a male end but will not act as both.

A convenient method for overlapping the ends of the tubes is described in Australian Patent 471,926, however it 09S* is not necessary that the male and female ends or sleeves be S. formed by folding the end portions of the tubes back inside the tubes. The sleeves may be formed from separate lengths of tubing connected to the end portions of the tubes and extending back inside the tubes. The length of the sleeve is chosen to give the required amount of overlap. When air passes through a duct formed from tubes which include these sleeves the windward sleeve inverts resulting ii an overlapping joint. The sleeves may be stitched to the end Sportions of the tubes at the same time as the fastening members are stitched.

The collar may be made of any suitable material.

Preferably, the collar is made of a material substantially similar to the material from which the flexible tubes are made. Suitable materials include those referred to above in 000.

connection with tubes. However, a portion of the collar may be made of, or may include, a substantially inflexible material. Further, the collar may be any suitable shape or size. In this regard, the collar should be of sufficient width to at least partially extend between the two tube fastening members located on the first and second tubes which are to be connected. Preferably, the collar is of sufficient length to extend around substantially the full circumference of the tubes, although this may not be necessary in order to provide a satisfactory connection Sbetween the tubes. In a further preferred form, the collar 6a eg. *g o oooo 5 o. S eg..

0 *o S"" s..

*O C *e *S S *o is longer than the circumference of the tubes such that it at least partially overlaps upon itself. Further fastening members may be located in the region of each end of the collar such that one end of the collar may fasten to the collar in the region of the other end thereof when the collar overlaps upon itself. This overlap provides improved fastening and/or sealing efficiency.

The elongate flexible tubes may include one or more longitudinally extending ribs. The ribs may provide stiffening, or may assist in protecting the walls of the tubes from damage. The ribs may be made of any suitable material, or may be integrally formed from the tubes themselves. In one form, one or more ribs may be provided using a substantially similar material to that from which the

S

4

RB

T 9-\ tube is made. The rib material may be connected to the tubes, such as by stitching, gluing or otherwise connecting.

In a preferred form, at least one rib is formed by folding a section of the tube material, and thereafter stitching longitudinally along the folded section.

One or more of these ribs may include fixing members so that the tube can be fixed in place for use, such as being hung from the roof or side-wall of a mine shaft. The fixing members may be made of any suitable material and may be any suitable shape or size. Suitable materials include materials suitable for use in making flexible tubes as referred to above, and suitable types of fixing means may be any suitable means including eyelets for receiving ties, or similar means to those used for the fastening members. In one form, the fixing members are one or more flexible fixing flaps. In this form, one end of each fixing flap is attached to or is integral with an elongate rib. It will also be appreciated that the collar may also include fixing means.

For assistance in arriving at an understanding of the present invention, an embodiment of a duct assembly and a flexible tube connection incorporating the present invention is illustrated in the attached drawings. However the particularity of the drawings is not to be understood as *Got o superseding the generality of the preceding description.

Figure 1 shows a side view of two elongate flexible tubes according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a side view of the tubes of Figure 1 when engaged; Figures 3a and 3b show views of a collar according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 shows a side-view of a flexible tube connection according to the invention utilizing the tubes of Figures 1 and 2 and the collar of Figures 3a and 3b.

Illustrated in Figure 1 are two of the components of a duct assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a first elongate flexible tube having a fastening member 12 extending circumferentially completely therearound near one end 14 thereof. Also shown 39 is a second elongate flexible tube 16 having a fastening 7 member 18 extending circumferentially therearound near one end 20 thereof.

The fastening members 12 and 18 are strips of the male piece of a velvet-type fastener which have been stitched to the tubes 10 and 16 respectively. Specifically, the fastening members 12 and 18 are strips of a base fabric having a plurality of hook elements disposed thereon, which have been indicated generally by "positive" signs. The preferred velvet-type fastener is that marketed under the trade mark VELCRO, although other suitable fasteners may be utilized.

The elongate flexible tubes 10 and 16 are made of a coated woven polyethylene fabric, such as that marketed under the trade name CANVACON, although other suitable materials *a may be utilized.

Figure 2 show tubes 10 and 16 of Figure 1 engaged in a male/female type connection. The part 22 of tube 16 beyond fastening member 18 has been inserted within the open end of tube 10. Because the tubes 10 and 16 are of the same circumferential dimension, the inserted part 22 of tube 16 requires minor deformation in order to allow insertion thereof. Such deformation may simply be a minor fold or kink in the material of tube.

Tube 16 is inserted to a distance where the end 14 of tube 10 lies adjacent to or abuts the fastening member 18.

In this embodiment the flow of air or other gas in the ducting is preferably in the direction of arrow 24. Thus, the overlap due to the partial insertion of one tube within another assists in providing a substantially air tight connection at relatively low pressures.

Figure 3a illustrates one side 36 of a collar 30 for a duct assembly according to this embodiment of the present invention. The collar 30 is a flat piece of material substantially rectangular in shape, and preferably of the same material as that of tubes 10 and 16. Stitched to one side 36 of the collar 30 are fastening members 32 and 34.

Fastening members 32 and 34 are indicated generally by "negative" signs, and are strips of a base fabric having a 39 plurality of loop elements disposed thereon, capable of 8 detachably engaging the "positive" hook element fastening members 12 and 18 respectively.

With the tubes 10 and 16 arranged as illustrated in Figure 2, the collar 30 may be wrapped therearound so that member 32 engages member 12 all around the tube 10, and member 34 engages member 18 all around the tube 16. Thus, a flexible tube connection is provided between tubes 10 and 16. The term "flexible tube connection" refers to the connection of flexible tubes.

Stitched at one end of the other side 38 (illustrated in Figure 3b) of collar 30, are overlap fastening members and 42. In a preferred form, the length of the collar is greater than the circumference of the tubes so that when wrapped therearound an end of the collar overlaps onto the other end. Thus, if fastening members such as 40 and 42 are S*i provided on the other side 38 of the collar 30, the overlap may be fastened thereto. Further, additional fastening members 44 and 46 may be provided between fastening members 32 and 34 and 40 and 42 respectively to provide additional strength to the connection.

Illustrated in Figure 4 is the finished flexible tube connection showing all components of the duct assembly of the embodiment. The components are those as illustrated in c, Figures 1, 2, 3a, and 3b. However, the tubes 10 and 16 include respective longitudinal ribs 48, 50 which are formed from a fold in the tubes having been stitched along lines 52, 54. The ribs 48, 50 include eyelets 56 which are capable of receiving a tie, such as a length of lace, to support the ducting on the roof or side-wall of a mineshaft or the like.

30 Figure 4 shows the collar 30 in overlapped engaging relationship wherein the fastening members 32, 34 thereof cooperate with the fastening members 12, 18 of the tubes 16 to form a flexible tube connection therebetween.

Finally it is to be understood that various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the construction and arrangement of parts previously described without departing from the spirit and ambit of the invention.

39 9

Claims

1. A duct assembly comprising a first flexible tube having at least one fastening member located thereon at or near one end thereof a.-l extending circumferentially substantially therearound, and a second flexibile tube having at least one fastening member located thereon at or near one end thereof and extending substantially circumferentially therearound, said duct assembly also comprising a collar capable of extending substantially around the circumference of said first and second tubes, said collar having at least one fastening member cooperable with *the fastening members of said first and second tubes such that when said ends of said first and second tubes are placed end to end in a juxtaposed position. the collar is capable of being placed around said 9 first and second tubes whereby said at least one collar 6966 fastening member will cooperate with said first and second tube fastening members to form a flexible tube connection therebetween.

2. A duct assembly according to claim 1 wherein the fastening members are velvet-type fastening members.

3. A duct assembly according to claim 2 wherein the fastening members of the first and second tubes are a strip of base fabrj. having a plurality of upright hook elements disposed thereon, and the at least one fastening member of the collar is a strip of base fabric having a plurality of loop elements disposed thereon, wherein the hook elements are *.oo capable of detachably engaging the loop elements when combined.

4. A duct assembly according to claim 2 wherein the .•Q0 fastening members of the first and seconid tubes are a strip of base fabric having a plurality of loop elements disposed thereon and the at least one fastening member of the collar is a strip of base fabric having a plurality of upright hook elements disposed thereon, wherein the hook elements are capable of detachably engaging the loop elements when combined. A duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the length of the collar is greater than the 39 circumference of said first and second tubes, such that the \?P 0 .f collar is capable of overlapping itself when placed around said first and second tubes.

6. A duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to wherein said first and second tubes also include at least one respective longitudinal rib which includes means capable of fastening said first and second tubes to a support member such as a roof or side-wall of a mineshaft.

7. KA flexihi tube suitable.for.,u@,,in the ajct assembl according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said flexible tube includes a first fastening member located at or near one end thereof, and a second fastening, member located at or near the other end thereof, each of said first and second fastening members extending circumferentially substantially around the tube.

8. A flexible tube according to claim 7 wherein said first boo and second fastening members are velvet-type fasteners, such that either of said first or second fastening members are either of a strip of base fabric having a plurality of upright hook elements disposed thereon or a strip of base 20 fabric having a plurality of loop elements disposed thereon.

9. A flexible tube connection formed by the duct assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A method for forming the duct assembly according to any .BB4 one of claims 1 to 6, said method comprising providing a QS first length of flexible tube, securing thereto at or near one end a fastening member to extend circumferentially substantially thereabout, providing a second length of flexible tube and securing thereto at or near one end a fastening member to extend circumferentially substantially ,,a0 thereabout, and providing a collar capable of extending substantially around the circumference of said first and second lengths, said collar having at least one fastening member capable of cooperating with the fastening members of the first and second lengths, wherein the collar is capable of being placed around said first and second lengths such that said at least one fastening member of said collar will cooperate with the fastening members of the first and second lengths to form a flexible tube connection. 39 11. A duct assembly according to claim 1 substantially as 11 herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A flexible tube according to claim 7 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. A flexible tube connection according to claim 9 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method according to claim 10 substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 4 September, 1990. PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK ATTORNEYS FOR:- STEVE WALKER SAILS PTY. LTD. 4806i v, f a: 0 a p .c 0 60 907 se a 0000 ass. a 0* 0 39 L< T TO 12