JP2010265914A - Air conditioning foam flexible hose - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air conditioning foam flexible hose improved in bending state shape retaining power and sagging properties by enhancing the sliding resistance of a fitting part, having high-class appearance, and used for piping for air conditioning in a factory or the piping of a blowout port. <P>SOLUTION: In the air conditioning foam flexible hose, foamed resin, preferably a resin composition including 70 wt.% or more of rigid olefin resin having a flexural modulus of 1,000 MPa or larger, 30 wt.% or smaller of a mineral filler, and thermally expandable microspheres having thermoplastic resin as a shell component added in a range of 0.1-1.0 wt.% is foamed by melt-extruding by an extruder. A cross section of an obtained different profile is in a two-leg shape having an arrow head and a neck and branched into two from the neck and having a burr for preventing the come-off at tips, and a different profile is spirally wound, and simultaneously, the arrow head and the neck are inserted into an opening of the adjacent two legs, and a tubular shape is obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a hose having flexibility and shape-retaining properties obtained by helically fitting a resin-made profile, and in particular, by foaming a constituent resin, the resin surface state is satin-finished. In this way, the sliding resistance of the fitting portion is improved, and the weight reduction makes it possible to improve the shape retention force in the bent state and the sag resistance, and to obtain a high-quality appearance. Is a general foaming effect, which reduces the amount of raw material resin, prevents condensation due to heat retention, and reduces blast heat loss, and is used for air conditioning piping in plants and piping for air outlets, etc. Useful as a hose.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a flexible hose having flexibility and shape retention by fitting a deformed profile in a spiral shape has been used for piping such as air conditioning piping and outlets in factories.
Such a flexible hose is molded with hard resin, mainly hard vinyl chloride or polypropylene, which has been blended with fillers to improve its profile extrudability, and has come to be widely used. In this case, it is necessary to provide suspension fixing at an interval of about 1 m from the concern that it will hang down due to its own weight, which is a labor for installation and installation. Furthermore, because the aim is to aim at the spot and blow air at the outlet, the short fixed interval impairs the flexibility of the hose, and as a result the bent shape bows due to its own weight. Can also be seen. In addition, the idea of reducing the environmental impact due to heat loss in consideration of the heat insulation of the hose is a form in which the phenomenon avoidance of the dew condensation prevention function is prioritized and a double pipe covered with a non-woven pipe or a foam attached to the hose surface In any case, the functional material is added to the conventional flexible hose. If you turn your eyes to the amount of resin used, the amount used will increase, and the material used will be reduced. Cannot achieve compatibility with function and performance.

Conventionally, a profile with a deformed cross section consisting of two legs with bifurcated branches, neck and bifurcated branches and with a stopper clip at the tip is spirally wound, and at the same time, the filed part in the opening formed with two legs As for the flexible hose which forms a tube form by inserting the neck portion, it is known (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
However, in these known documents, the resin itself to be used is devised, but by controlling the state of the resin surface, the slip resistance of the fitting portion is increased and the bending state holding power of the flexible hose is increased with a sense of quality. However, no consideration is given to the prevention of dew condensation and the like with regard to the improvement in weight and the weight reduction.

The flexible hose formed by helically fitting the irregular profile described above is a reinforcing core at the overlapping part by winding a belt-like body in which a nonwoven fabric is laminated on one side or both sides of a resin film or metal foil. A heat insulating double pipe that exhibits a heat insulating effect and an anti-condensation effect by being arranged in a non-woven pipe having a material has been proposed as a technology that achieves the purpose while maintaining the flexibility and shape retention of the inner pipe, It has been used for piping for air conditioning and outlets in factories. (Patent Document 3)
However, when cutting at an arbitrary length, special members and techniques are required to seal the gap between the double pipes at the cut surface and form a heat-insulating air layer, and lack flexibility in construction. There was a problem.

Furthermore, it is difficult to arbitrarily cut and use the flexible hose, and a special end treatment is required. Therefore, as a form that can be arbitrarily cut, the surface of the flexible hose is combined with the helical pitch. A structure in which a cut foam and a molten resin sheet are spirally wound and fixed has been proposed (Patent Document 4).
However, this technique has problems such as the addition of a functional member to the flexible hose, the inhibition of shape retention due to an increase in weight, and the occurrence of new environmental problems due to the increased use of resin raw materials. Furthermore, structurally, the foam has to be intermittent at the time of elongation, and there is a problem that dew condensation occurs in a portion where the foam is missing.

JP-A-1-283126 (Claims) JP 2000-256526 A (Claims) Japanese Patent No. 3,156,952 (Claims) Registered Utility Model No. 3039444 (Claims)

  The present invention relates to a flexible and shape-retaining hose formed by helically fitting a deformed profile made of hard resin, and in particular, by foaming a constituent resin, the resin surface is matte, As a result, the sliding resistance of the mating part is increased, and the weight reduction makes it possible to improve the shape retention force in the bent state and improve the sagability, and to give the appearance a high-class feeling. Foaming hose for air conditioning used in piping for air conditioning and outlets in factories, which achieves reduction of raw material resin, which is a typical foaming effect, prevention of condensation due to heat retention and reduction of blast heat loss, etc. The purpose is to provide.

  That is, the present invention is made of foamed resin, and the extruded profile has a cross-sectional shape of a two-footed part having a fraying part, a neck part, and a stopper leg that is bifurcated from the neck part. In addition, the air-conditioning foamed flexible hose has a tubular shape in which the deformed profile is spirally wound and the filed portion is inserted into the opening of adjacent two legs.

Preferably, the foamed resin contains 70 wt% or more of a rigid olefin resin having a flexural modulus of 1000 MPa (JIS 7171: 1994) or more and 30 wt% or less of a mineral filler, and further includes a thermoplastic resin as an outer shell component. It is the said flexible foam hose for an air conditioning which contains the thermally expansible microsphere to perform in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 weight%, and was made to foam by melt-discharging from an extruder.
Furthermore, preferably, the foaming flexible hose for air conditioning described above has a foaming ratio of the foamed resin of 120% to 250%.

  More preferably, the inside diameter of the flexible foam hose for air conditioning is in the range of 25 to 500 mm, the vertical width of the deformed profile is in the range of 10 to 50 mm, and the opening width of the two legs in the deformed profile is jagged. The above-mentioned foam for air conditioning, which is wider than the width, and in a state where it is spirally wound and formed into a tube, the opening is closed due to the difference between the inner and outer circumferences of the deformed profile, and the two-legged burrs are in contact with the neck A flexible hose. In addition, it is mentioned that the opening width is not less than the file width and the neck is sealed due to the difference between the inner and outer circumferences of the spiral winding. It is an effective countermeasure for the results.

  According to the present invention, the resin constituting the flexible hose for air conditioning having flexibility and shape retention is foamed to improve the slip resistance of the fitting portion by making the resin surface satin, and By reducing the weight, it is possible to improve the shape holding force in the bent state and improve the sagging resistance, and to obtain a high-grade appearance, and further, to reduce the raw material resin, which is a general foaming effect, It is possible to obtain an air-conditioning foam flexible hose used for piping such as air-conditioning piping and outlets in a factory, such as prevention of condensation due to heat retention and reduction of blast heat loss.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view including a partial cross-sectional view showing that the profile of the profile expands by foaming at the stage of being melted and discharged from the extruder.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view including a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing an example of a flexible foam hose for air conditioning in which a deformed profile that has been cooled and solidified is spirally wound and molded into a tubular shape after being melted and discharged and foamed.

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows that a profile 1 of the present invention is accompanied by a volume expansion 4 due to foaming immediately after being discharged from a tip die 3 of an extruder 2 and is cooled and fixed by a siding cooling device 5 without being limited thereto. Is shown.
The volume expansion due to this foaming is as follows: a rigid olefin resin having a flexural modulus of 1000 MPa (JIS 7171: 1994) or more, 70% by weight or more, a mineral filler of 30% by weight or less, and a thermally expandable microsphere of 0.1 to 1.0% by weight. When the resin blended in the range is melted and discharged from the extruder, the volume expansion is 120% to 250%, and the independent cell type foaming is formed. Molding is possible due to the strength at the time of melting and surface adhesion resistance, and the resistance to deformation caused by the indentation pressure that inserts the filer 8 and neck 9 into the opening 7 formed by the two legs 6 while spirally winding after cooling. Is a suitable blending range.

  Examples of the rigid olefin resin include resins such as polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polystyrene (PS). Of these, polypropylene resins are preferable. Further, examples of the mineral filler include talc and calcium carbonate, and talc is particularly preferable. In the case where the flexural modulus of the rigid olefin resin is less than 1000 MPa, when the pipe is formed by spiral winding, the deformed profile may be broken in the middle of winding, which is not preferable. More preferably, the flexural modulus is in the range of 1100 to 1500 MPa.

  When the blending ratio of the rigid olefin resin is less than 70% by weight, that is, when the addition amount of the mineral filler exceeds 30% by weight, unsatisfactory stretching occurs during extrusion. On the other hand, when no mineral filler is included, the sharp edge expression in profile extrusion is inferior, which is not preferable. A more preferable state is when the rigid olefin resin is 80 to 90% by weight and the mineral filler is 20 to 10% by weight.

  Examples of the blowing agent include butane, pentane, cyclopentane, trichlorofluoromethane (R11), chlorodifluoroethane (R142b), trichlorotrifluoroethane (R113), and the like. Examples of the thermoplastic resin for the foaming agent include polymers such as vinylidene chloride and acrylonitrile, copolymers of vinylidene chloride and acrylonitrile, copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acrylonitrile. Examples of commercially available products include EXPANSEL 091, 120DU, 461, 461DU, 551 manufactured by Nippon Ferrite Co., Ltd., and Matsumoto Microsphere F-30, F-50, F-80 manufactured by Matsumoto Yushi Seiyaku Co., Ltd. . And as a suitable addition amount of such a thermally expansible microsphere type foaming agent, the range of 0.1 to 1.0 weight% is preferable with respect to the total amount of resin and filler which comprise a deformed profile, 0 When the amount is less than 1% by weight, it is difficult to confirm the effect of foaming, and when it exceeds 1.0% by weight, it is difficult to perform profile extrusion molding, which is not preferable. More preferably, it is in the range of 0.3 to 0.8% by weight.

  Further, in the present invention, the resin constituting the flexible hose needs to be foamed, and the foam resistance can be improved by matting and weight reduction of the resin surface by foaming. The holding power is improved and the sag resistance is improved, and further, the amount of resin used, the prevention of condensation and the reduction of blast heat loss are achieved. The foaming degree is preferably 110% to 200%, more preferably 120 to 150%. In the present invention, the foaming rate is a value obtained from specific gravity, assuming that 100% is not foamed at all.

FIG. 2 shows one end of the tube forming method of the present invention.
The cooled deformed profile is spirally wound (arrow A), and the filer and neck are continuously inserted into the opening formed by two legs. The part is an air-conditioning foamed flexible hose 12 that is hermetically sealed 11 in a state in which the spiral 10 at the tip of the two-legged spiral is in contact with the neck and incorporated into a tubular shape.

  The tubular product obtained by spirally winding such a deformed profile has a deformed profile as the file inserted between the two legs is caught by the burrs when stretched, compared to other cross-sectional tubular products. It has the feature of preventing tube collapse due to falling off. And by using what was foamed as resin which constitutes such a tubular thing, the shape retention power of the bent state by the increase in the slip resistance of the fitting part caused by the matte finish of the resin surface state in particular In addition, the appearance and high-quality appearance can be raised, and furthermore, the reduction of raw material resin, which is a general foaming effect, the improvement of sag resistance by weight reduction, the prevention of condensation due to heat retention and the reduction of blast heat loss, etc. Features can be obtained.

The foam flexible hose for air conditioning according to the present invention has an inner diameter of φ25 mm to φ500 mm, which is preferably used in view of the problem of the air flow rate of general-purpose air conditioning equipment and duct piping space. In hose molding, the vertical width (hereinafter simply referred to as vertical width) from the tip of the filed portion to the tip of the deformed profile after foaming and cooling and solidification is in the range of 10 to 50 mm. This is a preferable range from the balance between the bending radius and the bend shape fixability.
In particular, the vertical width of 12 mm to 18 mm is optimal for the inner diameter φ75 mm to φ175 mm, and the vertical width of 15 mm to 22 mm is optimal for the inner diameter φ175 mm to φ300 mm.

Next, the balance of each part in the cross section of a profile profile is shown.
In the deformed profile which has been cooled and solidified, it is important for insertion molding at the time of spiral winding that the opening formed between the two legs (strictly, between the tips of the burrs) is not less than the file width.

Further, the depth (length) of the opening and the length from the neck to the tip of the filer are in the range of 1: 0.8 to 1: 1.2, more preferably 1: 0.95 to 1: 1.05. It is important to efficiently exhibit stretchability and flexibility as a flexible hose.
Although not particularly limited, the file width is 1.5 to 2.5 times the neck thickness, more preferably 1.8 to 2.2 times, and even more preferably about 2 times. It is 0.3 to 0.7 times the neck thickness, more preferably 0.4 to 0.6 times, and even more preferably about 0.5 times. It is preferable as a form that bites into the protrusions on the side of the part and prevents tube collapse due to falling off of the irregular profile. A form having all of these is the optimum form of the profile profile.

Although it is an example, it is preferable that the deformed profile that is melted and discharged and foamed is cooled and solidified by a siding cooling device in order to stabilize the deformed shape.
The siding device is a device that continuously molds the resin with a resin pulling force while keeping the cooling temperature by passing water inside and fixing the shape along the outer shape with a vacuum function. It is used for foam profile profile molding by passing it through the device after being reduced in adhesiveness, and then immediately submerged in water to completely cool it, and the profile profile is melted and discharged to completely fix the shape. From the functional structure of cooling and fixing the shape by passing it along, the strength at the time of melting by resin blending and the resistance due to surface adhesion at the time of melting are important factors in stable molding.

  Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples.

Example Polypropylene resin having a flexural modulus of 1,200 MPa (Nippon Polypro Co., Ltd .: Novatec EC9) 100PHR, Talc 15PHR, thermal expansible microsphere foaming agent (Nippon Philite Co., Ltd .: Expancel DU120) 0.5PHR is blended. The resin was extruded at a discharge temperature of 200 ° C. and cooled and fixed by a siding cooling device. The opening was 8 mm, the file width was 2.8 mm, the length from the neck to the tip of the file was 9 mm, the opening was 9 mm deep, and the neck thickness was 1. An irregular profile having a length of 2 mm, a width of 19 mm and a foaming ratio of 133% was obtained. This deformed profile is spirally wound with an inner diameter of 200 mm, and at the same time, a filed portion and a neck portion are inserted into the opening of adjacent two legs, and the foaming for air conditioning is 10 m in length when shrinking and 17 m in length when stretched. A flexible hose was obtained. This flexible hose has a textured surface and has a high-class feeling.

Comparative Example Polypropylene resin having a flexural modulus of 1,200 MPa (manufactured by Nippon Polypro Co., Ltd .: Novatec EC9) 100PHR and resin containing talc 15PHR were extruded at a discharge temperature of 200 ° C., cooled and fixed by a siding cooling device, and an opening of 8 mm. An irregular profile having a file width of 2.8 mm, a length from the neck portion to the tip of the file portion of 9 mm, an opening depth of 9 mm, a neck thickness of 1.2 mm, and a vertical width of 19 mm was obtained. This deformed profile is spirally wound with an inner diameter of 200 mm, and at the same time, a filed portion and a neck portion are inserted into the opening of adjacent two legs, and the foaming for air conditioning is 10 m in length when shrinking and 17 m in length when stretched. A flexible hose was obtained. This hose is not foamed and the hose surface is slippery.

  The weight reduction effect by foaming in the examples is the specific profile specific gravity, which is “Comparative Example: 1.03” with respect to “Example: 0.68”. The weight during shrinkage was “Comparative Example: 2.1 kg / m” versus “Example: 1.4 kg / m”. In other words, the example shows that the comparative example, which is a conventional product, is lightened by about 33% by foaming, that is, the fossil raw material resin used is reduced by about 33%.

  A comparison of the sagging property in Example 1 and Example 2 shows that in the hose contraction state 1 m, one end 0.5 m is fixed on the table, the other end 0.5 m is projected, and a load of 350 g is suspended at the tip. As a result of comparing the presence or absence of the sag and the sagging distance after standing in a constant temperature room at 80 ° C. for 3 hours, “Example: No sagging” is a comparative example: 15 mm. It was shown that the bending portion and the neck portion inserted into the opening of the two legs are less likely to be displaced, and that the bending fixing force and the heat-resistant sagability are improved by reducing the weight.

  In comparison of the heat insulation performance in Example 1 and Example 2, a sample in a hose contraction state of 5 m was connected to an air conditioner with an air volume of 250 m 2 / h for 3 hours, and the pipe inner temperature (2.5 m position) was set to 25 in the pipe. As a result of measuring the presence or absence of condensation and the surface temperature in the central part of the tube after exposure to environmental conditions of temperature 35 ° C and humidity 70% with the temperature adjusted to ℃, "Example: No condensation, surface temperature 29.4 ° C" “Comparative example: adhesion of fine condensation (no dripping) / surface temperature of 28.2 ° C.”, indicating that there is condensation prevention and heat retention performance under the conditions.

  Thus, in the flexible hose for air conditioning having flexibility and shape retention of the present invention, the resin surface is textured by the foaming of the resin, and thereby the slip resistance of the fitting portion The weight is further reduced, and the shape retention force in the bent state and the sag are improved, and a high-quality appearance is imparted. In addition, flexible foam hoses for air conditioning used for piping such as air conditioning piping and outlets in factories, such as reduction of raw material resin, which is a general foaming effect, prevention of condensation due to heat retention and reduction of blast heat loss, etc. Can be obtained.

  The hose having flexibility and shape retaining property obtained by helically fitting the resin-made profile of the present invention is fitted by the fact that the surface of the resin is made into a satin finish by foaming the surface. The sliding resistance of the joint is improved, and the weight is further reduced, which improves the shape retention force in the bent state, improves the sag resistance, and gives a high-quality appearance. . In addition, flexible foam hoses for air conditioning used for piping such as air conditioning piping and outlets in factories, such as reduction of raw material resin, which is a general foaming effect, prevention of condensation due to heat retention and reduction of blast heat loss, etc. Useful as.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Profile profile 2 Extruder 3 Tip die 4 Volume expansion by foaming 5 Siding cooling device 6 Two legs 7 Opening part 8 Slip part 9 Neck part 10 Frog 11 Sealing 12 Foam flexible hose for air conditioning

Claims (4)

The cross-sectional shape of the deformed profile made of foamed resin has the shape of two feet with a fraying part, a neck part, and a two-leg part with a retaining clip at the tip bifurcated from the neck part. An air-conditioning foaming flexible hose which is wound in a spiral and has a tubular shape with the filed portion inserted into the opening of two adjacent legs. The foamed resin contains 70 wt% or more of a rigid olefin resin having a flexural modulus of 1000 MPa (JIS 7171: 1994) or more, 30 wt% or less of a mineral filler, and further has a low thermal expansibility using a thermoplastic resin as an outer shell component. The foaming flexible hose for air conditioning according to claim 1, comprising a spherical foaming agent in a range of 0.1 to 1.0% by weight and foamed by being melted and discharged from an extruder. The foaming flexible hose for air conditioning according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the foaming rate of the foamed resin is 110% to 200%. The inside diameter of the flexible foam hose for air conditioning is in the range of 25 to 500 mm, the vertical width of the irregular profile is in the range of 10 to 50 mm, and the opening width of the two legs in the irregular profile is greater than the width of the file. In the state of being spirally wound and tube-molded, the opening is closed due to the difference between the inner and outer periphery of the deformed profile, and the two-legged burrs are in contact with the neck portion. The flexible foam hose for air conditioning as described.