IE900198A1 - Insulation tape for cables and pipes - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to insulating tapes for cables and pipes, in particular to flexible tapes made in a sound- or heat-insulating material such as a foamed polymeric material.

Tapes made in a foamed polymeric material such as foamed polyurethane including a self-adhesive backing strip, protected by a peel-off strip of silicone-treated paper or plastics film, have been widely used in various applications for heat and sound insulation purposes, not only as a cable harness or pipe lagging, but also as a draught-proofing material on window and door openings.

In the automotive industry, it has been the practice to wrap cables running through cavities in the body work, such as under floors, behind dash-boards, and through doors, with a polyurethane foam material which is wound around the cables in order to harness the cables and to prevent any rattling noise should the cables become loose. Thus, the cables may be supported by other means, and the main purpose of the foam material is to provide sound insulation. However, when paper-backed adhesive insulating tape is used, this results in large quantities of waste paper which cause a potential hazard and cause untidiness in assembly plants, and which must be disposed of. Furthermore, conventional tape with or without peel-off backing strips IE 90198 must be wound helically around the cable or bundle of cables, which is a time-consuming operation and can only be carried out manually.

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems associated with 5 the use of conventional paper-backed and self-adhesive insulating tapes, when used as a cable harnessing material, but also has wider application, for example as a pipe lagging material, or as a flame-resistant or retardant covering material for cables or pipes in buildings or in electrical apparatus including computer hardware.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate the need for a peel-off protective backing strip, and the invention also aims to provide a method of application of a tape to cables or pipes which is faster and more efficient than helical winding.

According to the present invention, there is provided a flexible insulation tape, comprising pressure-sensitive adhesive means bonded or applied to one surface thereof adjacent to a first longitudinal margin of the tape, and flexible backing means to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive means is only barely adherent, bonded to or applied to the tape, spaced laterally from the pressure-sensitive adhesive means.

Preferably, the flexible backing means is bonded or applied to the tape in the form of a continuous strip of film material. Preferably, the pressure-sensitive adhesive means is bonded or applied to the tape in the form of a continuous strip of film material.

Most preferably, the backing strip is located on the same side of the tape as the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip. Most preferably, the backing strip is adjacent to the longitudinal margin of the tape opposite said first longitudinal margin.

Advantageously, the backing strip and the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip have a pressure- or heat-sensitive adhesive applied on one side thereof, by which they may be bonded to the tape. The tape preferably possesses sound- or heat-insulating, or flame-retardant characteristics IE 90198 - 3 The tape is preferably made of foamed polymeric material, most preferably foamed polyurethane. The foamed polymeric material may if desired be a flame-retardant foam material, such as a polyurethane/ polyester mix.

The backing strip is preferably a silicone surface-treated polyester film.

The pressure-sensitive adhesive strip is preferably a tissue film treated with acrylic resin adhesive.

The invention also provides a method of wrapping a cable or pipe with a flexible insulation tape, as described, comprising the steps of; (a) separating an integral pressure-sensitive adhesive strip on the tape from an integral backing strip on the tape, (b) locating the flattened out tape along one side of the pipe or cable, (c) wrapping the tape about the pipe or cable, (d) optionally tucking in a margin portion of the tape including the backing strip, and (e) pressing the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip against an unmasked portion of the tape so as to bind a longitudinal margin of the tape to itself thereby enveloping the pipe or cable.

A preferred embodiment of a pressure-sensitive sound- or heatinsulating tape in accordance with the present invention, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, Figure 1 is a plan view from above of a section of a tape in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, when flattened out, IE 90198 - 4 Figure 2 is a plan view of the opposite side of the tape, Figure 3 shows a conventional self-adhesive tape, in plan view, for comparison purposes, Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the tape of Figures 1 and 2 in a folded condition, prior to use, Figures 5 to 6 show perspective views of 3 steps during the application of the tape as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 to a length of cable, shown in cross-section, Figure 8 shows, in end elevation, a tape in accordance with another embodiment of the invention, Figure 9 shows, in end elevation, the tape of Figure 8 in a folded condition prior to use, and Figure 10 shows, in end elevation, and partly in cross-section, a mode of use for the tape shown in Figures 8 and 9.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a flexible insulation and cable-harnessing tape 1 comprises a band 2 of flame retardant foamed polyurethane/polyester, for example of about 5mm thickness having a pressure-sensitive adhesive tissue tape 3 heat bonded along one margin of the band 2, and, on the same side thereof, a strip 4 of polyester film bonded by heat and/or adhesives to the opposite margin of the band 2. Once the tape 3 and strip 4 have been applied to the band 2 during manufacture, they cannot be removed without considerable force.

The strip film 4 is preferably surface-coated with silicone such that the adhesive tape 3 is barely adherent to the strip 4, when folded in the manner shown in Figure 4. Thus, when the band 2 is folded in half, as shown in Figure 4, the adhesive tape 3 may be easily peeled away from the strip 4, which in the folded condition acts as an integral backing strip. The strip 4 is preferably wider, for example, twice as wide as the width of the tape 3. The adhesive arcylic resin in the IE 90198 - 5 tissue tape 3 is strongly adherent to the foamed polymer forming the band 2.

For comparison purposes, Figure 3 shows a conventional self-adhesive 5 tape 5 of foamed polyurethane material having an adhesive material or tape 6 bonded to one side thereof, protected by a separate silicone-treated paper backing strip 7.

In the automotive industry, electric wiring and other cables are supported individually or in bundles, for example, by means of bundling straps, in bodywork cavities, for example behind a dashboard, under floors, inside doors, etc. It is a requirement that such cables be harnessed by a covering of sound-insulating material such as a foamed polymeric material. In the past, a tape of the type illustrated in Figure 3 has been wound helically around the cables, somewhat in the manner in which a bandage is applied. If the cables become loose or if these are loosely supported, the layer of foam material will deaden any sound produced by vibration or rattling of the cables. However, enormous amounts of backing paper are produced as waste.

Figures 5 to 7 show the method by which the tape of the present invention may be used as cable harnessing in the automotive industry. Firstly, the tape will be presented folded in half as shown in Figure 4, wound on a roll. The tape is unwound and then flattened out as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by peeling the two halves apart (see Figure 4). The tape is then cradled under a cable 8 (see Figure 5), and then the edges are folded up towards each other around the cable, working along the cable (see Figure 6). The backing strip 4 is then tucked in against the cable, and the adhesive tape 3 is pressed firmly against the foam material on the other side of the tape 1, as shown in Figure 7. Thus, the tape 1 is not wound helically around the cable as in the prior art, but is rolled around the cable so as to overlap along one side of the cable, i.e. the tape is applied in a spiral roll along the length of the cable rather than in an overlapping helix. This method of application is much faster and does not produce any waste backing strip. The risk of leaving portions of the cable uncovered is also greatly reduced, and the surface area of exposed side edges of adhesive IE 90198 - 6 tape (which may not be flame-retardant) is much less than in a helically wound tape.

Before pressing the adhesive tape 3 down onto the foamed material 2, the tape 1 may be pulled tight so that the cable is firmly harnessed.

It will be appreciated that the same tape may be used to harness a single cable or a bundle of cables, with a lesser degree of overlap in the latter case. Thus, different widths of tape will not be required for different applications.

It will also be appreciated that the backing strip 4 and the adhesive tape 3 do not have to be on the same side of the band 2. Thus, in a second embodiment, shown in Figures 8 to 10, an adhesive strip 30 is applied to one side of a tape 20 of foamed polymeric material and a backing strip 40 is applied to the other side, still laterally spaced apart. When presented for use, the tape 20 is folded so as to overlap as shown in Figure 9. When used to harness a cable or bundle of cables 80, the adhesive strip 30 is applied to the tape 20 in a non-overlapping fashion as illustrated in Figure 10.

IE 90198

Claims (15)

1. CLAIMS 51. A flexible insulation tape, comprising pressure-sensitive adhesive means bonded or applied to one surface thereof adjacent to a first longitudinal margin of the tape, and flexible backing means to which the pressure-sensitive adhesive means is only barely adherent, bonded to or applied to the tape, spaced laterally from 10 the pressure-sensitive adhesive means.
2. 2. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the flexible backing means is bonded or applied to the tape in the form of a continuous strip of film material.
3. 3. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive means is bonded or applied to the tape in the form of a continuous strip of film material. 20
4. 4. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the backing strip is located on the same side of the tape as the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip.
5. 5. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the 25 backing strip is located adjacent to the longitudinal margin of the tape opposite said first longitudinal margin.
6. 6. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 5 wherein the backing strip and the pressure-sensitive adhesive 30 strip have a pressure - or heat - sensitive adhesive applied on one side thereof, by which they may be bonded to the tape.
7. 7. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the tape possesses sound - or heat - insulating, 35 or flame-retardant characteristics. IE 90198 -
8. 8. 8. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 7 in which the tape is made of foamed polymeric material.
9. 9. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 8 in which the 5 poylmeric material is polyurethane.
10. 10. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in Claim 8 in which the polymeric material is a polyurethane mix. 10
11. 11. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in any of Claims 2 to 6 wherein the backing strip is a silicone surface-treated film.
12. 12. A flexible insulation tape as claimed in any of Claims 3 to 6 wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip is a tissue film 15 treated with acrylic resin adhesive.
13. 13. A flexible insulation tape substantially as described herein, with reference to, and as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4 to 6, or as shown in Figures 8 to 10, of the accompanying drawings.
14. 14. A method of wrapping a cable or pipe with a flexible insulation tape, according to any of Claims 1 to 13, comprising the steps of: (a) separating an integral pressure-sensitive adhesive strip on 25 the tape from an integral backing strip on the tape, (b) locating the flattened out tape along one side of the pipe or cable, 30 (c) wrapping the tape about the pipe or cable, (d) optionally tucking in a margin portion of the tape including the backing strip, and 35 (e) pressing the pressure-sensitive adhesive strip against an unmasked portion of the tape so as to bind a longitudinal margin IE 90198 - 9 of the tape to itself thereby enveloping the pipe or cable.
15. 15. A method as claimed in Claim 14, substantially as described 5 herein, with reference to, and as shown in Figures 5 to 6 or Figures 8 to 10 of the accompanying drawings. Dated this 17th day of April 1991. £ppT\Scants' Agents,