JP2003130260A - Low permeable hose - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high performance low permeable hose capable of properly suppressing the permeation of a fluid such as a refrigerant and providing excellent vibration absorptivity and assembling workability by allowing excellent gas barrier capability and flexibility to co-exist with each other. SOLUTION: This low permeable hose comprises at least one layer of an elastic layer 1 and a reinforcement layer 2 stacked thereon from the inner layer side thereof. A gas barrier layer 3 formed of a resin material is spirally installed on the elastic layer 1. Desirably, an outer surface layer is installed on the outermost layer, and polyamide resin is used as the resin material. The reinforcement layer 2 is desirably be formed of a layer obtained by braiding or spirally winding a metal wire or a fiber material.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a low-permeability hose (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "hose"), and more specifically, it is a hose used for transporting refrigerants for automobiles, which has low fluid permeability. A low permeability hose that is flexible and has excellent vibration absorption and assembly workability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a hose used for transporting a fluid, such as a hose for transporting a refrigerant for an automobile, it is necessary that the permeability of the fluid be low and the leakage of the fluid be appropriately suppressed.
In particular, the alternative CFC HFC-314a (R-3
When using 14a) or the like, suppression of refrigerant gas permeation is becoming more important from the viewpoint of environmental problems.

As such a low-permeability hose, there is conventionally known a laminated hose provided with an inner pipe made of a rubber material and a gas barrier layer made of a resin material such as polyamide or a mixture of polyamide and olefin. Conventionally, these resin materials are used, for example, in the innermost layer of the hose at 50 to 300 μm.
It is a general method to suppress fluid permeation by forming a gas barrier layer in the laminated structure of the hose by extruding at about m or by extruding in the middle of two rubber layers ( Barrier hose, veneer hose, etc.).

[0004]

However, in the conventional low-permeability hose as described above, although the permeation of fluid can be suppressed well, a resin material such as polyamide is formed into a tubular shape and used as a gas barrier layer. Therefore, the rigidity of the hose becomes high, and there is a problem that it is inferior in vibration absorption and assembling workability.

When the hose is formed only by a layer made of a rubber material without providing such a gas barrier layer, the hose is good in flexibility and assembling workability, but inferior in gas barrier property. In this case, it is possible to increase the gas barrier property by increasing the wall thickness of the hose, but since the increase in wall thickness increases the weight and cost of the hose,
Unable to meet practical requirements.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to achieve good gas barrier properties and flexibility at the same time so that permeation of a fluid such as a refrigerant can be appropriately suppressed, and vibration absorption and assembly workability are excellent. It is to provide a high performance low permeability hose.

[0007]

As a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor achieved the above object by improving a gas barrier layer which was conventionally formed in a tubular shape so as to have a predetermined shape. The inventors have found that it is possible to complete the present invention. That is, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is as follows.

<1> In a low-permeability hose in which at least one elastic layer and a reinforcing layer are laminated from the inner layer side, a gas barrier layer made of a resin material is spirally provided on the elastic layer. It is a low permeability hose characterized by that.

<2> The low permeability hose of the above <1>, wherein the outermost layer has an outer surface layer.

<3> The low permeability hose of the above <1> or <2>, wherein the resin material is a polyamide resin.

<4> The low permeability hose according to any one of the above <1> to <3>, wherein the reinforcing layer is a layer formed by braiding or spirally winding a metal wire or a fiber material.

<5> The low permeability hose according to any one of the above <1> to <4>, wherein the gas barrier layer has a thickness of 10 to 1000 μm.

<6> In the low permeability hose according to any one of the above <1> to <5>, the gas barrier layer has a coating area ratio of 30 to 95%.

According to the invention of <1>, especially <2>,
By forming the gas barrier layer made of a resin material in a spiral shape, it is possible to realize a low permeability hose having sufficient flexibility of the hose itself while maintaining the gas barrier property. In addition, by appropriately setting the conditions for forming the gas barrier layer, it is possible to design a hose considering the balance of flexibility, gas permeability and other various performances, and it is also possible to obtain the effect of greatly expanding the degree of freedom in design. it can. Further, according to the invention of <3> above, a suitable form of the gas barrier layer can be obtained, and particularly excellent gas barrier properties can be obtained. Further, according to the invention of <4> above, a preferable form of the reinforcing layer can be obtained, and the strength of the hose can be further enhanced. Furthermore, according to the invention of <5> or <6>, the gas barrier performance of the gas barrier layer can be optimized, and the permeation of fluid can be suppressed more appropriately.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The low-permeability hose according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least one elastic layer 1 from the inner layer side, as shown in FIG.
And a reinforcing layer 2 are laminated, and a gas barrier layer 3 made of a resin material is provided in a spiral shape. In the present invention, the gas barrier layer, which is conventionally formed in the shape of a tube, is formed into a spiral shape, and as shown in the figure, a region where the gas barrier layer 2 exists and a region where the gas barrier layer 2 does not exist are provided, so that low fluid permeability is obtained. It is possible to achieve a high degree of compatibility between the flexibility and the flexibility of the hose itself.

In the present invention, since the gas barrier layer 3 needs to be provided in a spiral shape on the inner layer side, an elastic layer is provided at least in the innermost layer of the hose of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elastic layer is provided as one or more layers (layers shown by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1) or two layers (layers shown by reference numerals 1a and 1b in FIG. 2) from the inner layer side. be able to. Further, although not shown, the elastic layer 1 may be further provided on the outer layer side of the gas barrier layer, and the arrangement condition of the elastic layer is not particularly limited as long as at least one innermost layer is provided.

The elastic layer can be formed of an elastic material such as a rubber material known as a hose material. There is no particular limitation on the rubber composition that can be used, but in the case of the elastic layers 1 and 1a provided in the innermost layer, it is preferable to select a rubber composition that takes into consideration the resistance to refrigerating machine oil and mandrel extraction workability. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the case of the elastic layer 1b which is the second layer from the inner layer side when it is provided in two layers,
It is preferable to select a rubber compounding considering the gas permeation resistance. Examples of rubber materials that can be used for the elastic layer 1 include ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM), nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), chloroprene rubber (CR), butyl rubber (IIR), and acrylic rubber (AC).
M), ethylene acrylic rubber (AEM), etc.,
These may be applied alone or in an appropriate mixture.

The gas barrier layer 3 can be provided, for example, by spirally wrapping a film or sheet made of a resin material on the elastic layer on the inner layer side. The spiral shape of the gas barrier layer 3 can be appropriately set depending on desired gas barrier properties, flexibility and other characteristics, and is not particularly limited, but preferably, the coating area ratio is 30 to.
95%, more preferably 50 to 90%. If the coating area ratio is lower than this range, sufficient gas barrier properties cannot be obtained, while if it exceeds this range, flexibility is impaired.

The width of the spiral shape of the gas barrier layer 3 (that is, the width of the film, sheet, etc.) may be selected according to the desired spiral shape, the covering area ratio, etc., but is preferably 1.
-20 mm, more preferably 5-10 mm. The thickness of the gas barrier layer 3 is preferably 10-100.
The thickness is 0 μm, more preferably 50 to 300 μm. If the thickness is less than this range, sufficient gas barrier performance cannot be obtained, while if it exceeds this range, flexibility may be impaired.

The resin material used is not particularly limited as long as it has an excellent gas barrier property, but is preferably a polyamide resin such as PA6, 66, 11 and 12 or a polyamide resin and an olefin resin. A mixture or polymer alloy is used.

The reinforcing material used for the reinforcing layer 2 is not particularly limited, but preferably a metal wire such as a steel wire wire or a stainless wire, or a known fiber material such as polyethylene terephthalate fiber (PET) or polyethylene. Naphthalate fiber (PEN), nylon fiber,
Aramid fiber, carbon fiber, etc. are used. The fiber material is
For example, it can be used by adhering it by interposing an elastic adhesive layer, and a hose using a fibrous material as a reinforcing material can be used as a low permeability hose in applications where the working pressure is low.

The reinforcing layer 2 may be formed of a single layer as shown in the drawing, or may be formed of a plurality of layers (not shown) of two or more layers. It is preferable that the number of layers is appropriately determined according to the pressure of the gas during use, that is, the internal pressure applied to the hose. In this case, the structure of each layer in the reinforcing layer 2 is not particularly limited, but preferably, a layer structure made of a braid of a metal wire or a fiber material, or at least a pair of alternately wound reinforcing materials. The layer structure is composed of the spiral layer of. With such a layer structure, the inner layer side is effectively protected, and the kink resistance of the hose is increased,
The handleability can be improved. In addition, when the reinforcing layer 2 is formed of a plurality of layers, the wires may be separated from each other by applying an adhesive or an adhesive layer of an elastic body between the layers, or by interposing a fiber layer, or when the wires are in use. It is possible to prevent the wire from moving and wearing due to the change in the internal pressure of the wire. Alternatively, a thermoplastic resin sheet may be inserted between the layers, and then high-frequency induction heating may be performed to bond the layers.

The low permeability hose of the present invention comprises at least
The elastic layer, the reinforcing layer and the gas barrier layer are laminated, but preferably, the outermost layer is further provided with an outer surface layer. For example, when the reinforcing layer 2 is formed of a stainless wire that is less likely to corrode, the strength of the hose can be sufficiently secured without providing an outer surface layer. However, depending on the material of the reinforcing layer 2, the reinforcing layer 2 may be By further providing the outer surface layer 3 for protection, the hose strength can be further improved. In this case, as the material of the outer surface layer, the same material as the elastic layer 1 can be used, but there is no particular limitation,
The optimum material can be appropriately selected as desired.
The thickness of the outer surface layer 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

[0024]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. Example 1 Using a refrigerating machine oil resistant compounded IIR rubber (see Table 1 below), a rubber tube having a wall thickness of 1.3 mm was produced by extruding on a mandrel by an extruder according to a conventional method, and one elastic layer was formed. Got On this elastic layer, a polyamide film (PA6 type) having a width of 5 mm and a thickness of 100 μm was spirally wrapped at a lapping density (covering area ratio) of 80% to form a gas barrier layer 3.

Next, using a PET yarn having a thickness of 4000 denier as a reinforcing material, four bobbins were combined and 1
By braiding with a 0 carrier braiding machine, the reinforcing layer 2 having a braided structure was formed on the outer peripheral portion of the gas barrier layer 3. Further, unvulcanized EPDM rubber was extruded on the outer periphery of the reinforcing layer 2 and wrapped with wrapping sheets to form an outer surface layer having a thickness of 1.1 mm. Obtained hose 60 at 150 ℃
After the resin was vulcanized for a minute and the wrapping sheets were peeled off, the mandrel was removed to obtain the low permeability hose of Example 1.
The inner diameter and outer diameter of this hose were 10.5 mm and 18.0 mm, respectively.

Example 2 Refrigerator oil resistant compound IIR rubber and low permeability compound IIR
Using two types of rubber materials, rubber (see Table 1 below),
According to a conventional method, a two-layer extruder was used to extrude the mandrel onto the mandrel to sequentially form two-layer rubber tubes having wall thicknesses of 0.3 mm and 1.0 mm to obtain a two-layer elastic layer. On this elastic layer, a polyamide film (PA6 type) having a width of 5 mm and a thickness of 100 μm is lapped at a density (covering area ratio) of 60%.
Then, the gas barrier layer 3 was formed by spirally wrapping. Except for this, the reinforcing layer 2 and the outer surface layer were formed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain the low permeability hose of Example 2.
The inner diameter and outer diameter of this hose were the same as in Example 1.

Comparative Example Two kinds of polyamide resin (PA6 type) and IIR type rubber were extruded to obtain a wall thickness of 100 μm and a thickness of 1.3 m, respectively.
A two-layer tube of m was prepared to form a gas barrier layer and an elastic layer. Except for this, the reinforcing layer 2 and the outer surface layer were formed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a low permeability hose of Comparative Example. The inner diameter and outer diameter of this hose were the same as in Example 1.

[0028]

[Table 1] * 1: Chrorobutyl 10 manufactured by JSR Corporation
66 * 2: Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd. N55-NP * 3: Kyowa Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. * 4: Ouchi Shinko Chemical Co., Ltd. Noxeller TT

The low-permeability hoses produced in Examples and Comparative Examples were tested for R-134a gas permeation amount and flexibility. For comparison, hoses having a structure in which a gas barrier layer was not provided in each of the examples and comparative examples were also manufactured, and the gas permeation amount test was conducted in the same manner.
The results are shown in Table 2 below together with the material and layer constitution of each layer. In addition, in each test, a known metal fitting for a high-pressure hose was crimped and used.

[0030]

[Table 2] * 1: Gas permeation amount (temperature 100 ° C) per 72 hours (3 days) from the hose when R-134a gas was filled to 0.6 g / cm ² * 2: 110 R (mm) for the hose Half force when bent at

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, by satisfying both good gas barrier properties and flexibility, it is possible to appropriately suppress the permeation of a fluid such as a refrigerant and to absorb vibration. It is possible to provide a high-performance low-permeability hose excellent in workability and assembling workability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing an example of a part of a laminated structure of a low permeability hose of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing another example of a part of the laminated structure of the low permeability hose of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,1a, 1b Elastic layer 2 Reinforcement layer 3 gas barrier layers

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3H111 AA02 BA12 BA15 BA25 BA28                       BA29 CA03 CA52 CB04 CB05                       CB06 CB29 CC13 CC18 DA26                       DB01 EA04                 4F100 AB01B AK01C AK46C AK75D                       AN02A AR00B AT00D BA10A                       BA10B BA10D DG13B EH51B                       EH51C JA20C JD02C JK07A                       YY00C

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A low-permeability hose formed by laminating at least one elastic layer and a reinforcing layer from the inner layer side,
A low permeability hose, wherein a gas barrier layer made of a resin material is spirally provided on the elastic layer. 2. The low permeability hose according to claim 1, wherein the outermost layer has an outer surface layer. 3. The low permeability hose according to claim 1, wherein the resin material is a polyamide resin. 4. The low-permeability hose according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing layer is a layer formed by braiding or spirally winding a metal wire or a fiber material. 5. The gas barrier layer has a thickness of 10 to 100.
The low permeability hose according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which has a thickness of 0 μm. 6. The coating area ratio of the gas barrier layer is 30 to 30.
It is 95%, The low permeability hose as described in any one of Claims 1-5.