Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C61/00—Shaping by liberation of internal stresses; Making preforms having internal stresses; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C61/02—Thermal shrinking
  • B29C61/025—Thermal shrinking for the production of hollow or tubular articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C2793/00—Shaping techniques involving a cutting or machining operation
  • B29C2793/009—Shaping techniques involving a cutting or machining operation after shaping
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
  • Y10T156/10—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
  • Y10T156/1052—Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
  • Y10T156/1062—Prior to assembly
  • Y10T156/1067—Continuous longitudinal slitting
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/13—Hollow or container type article [e.g., tube, vase, etc.]
  • Y10T428/1328—Shrinkable or shrunk [e.g., due to heat, solvent, volatile agent, restraint removal, etc.]

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a process for creating a protective jacket for the temporary protection of an article having a generally extended or longitudinal geometry.
• the invention also relates to the protective jacket itself as obtained by such a process .
• the components of an exhaust system typically include several longitudinal tubes and exhaust parts which are linked together through one or more flexible unit, such as heat-resistant flexible tubes or hoses. While such exhaust systems are relatively common, problems often occur when the exhaust system is completely assembled as a "sub-assembly" at a first manufacturing site and then transported to a second manufacturing site, where the exhaust system is installed into a vehicle. Such sub-assemblies are becoming more common as automobile manufacturers purchase completed automobile sub-systems (such as exhaust systems, dashboards, interiors, etc.) from different manufacturing sources and then assemble the sub-systems into the final vehicle.
• heat- shrinkable articles cannot be wrapped around the object to be protected. Additionally, the heat-shrinkable article would have to be cut off the protected object, which is a time consuming process that may damage the protected object. Further, the protective tubes would need to be discarded after a single use, which is not cost effective.
• the present invention provides a jacket for the protection of the extended article which can be obtained from the following process:
• a heat-shrinkable tube is selected which has a length which essentially corresponds to the length of the section of the extended article that is intended to be protected, and an inner diameter exceeding the largest diameter of the section to be protected.
• the heat-shrinkable tube is able, through the application of heat, to shrink onto an article and conform itself substantially to the given geometry of the article.
• the tube remains in the shrunk-down position after cooling.
• the heat-shrinkable tube is shrunk onto a mold body having dimensions which essentially correspond to the dimensions of the section of the article to be protected and which can withstand the temperature and forces occurring at a heat-shrink process .
• the heat-shrinkable tube is placed over the mold body, and heat is applied to the tube so that it shrinks down onto the body. After cooling, the now shrunk tube is cut along its longitudinal length so that an open or split sleeve with two lateral sides is created. The split sleeve is then removed from the mold body.
• the two lateral sides of the split sleeve are provided with mechanical fastening means which are selected so that the sleeve may be placed over the section of the extended article to be protected and then securely fastened about the section through the use of the mechanical fastening means.
• Heat-shrinkable tubes of the type contemplated herein are well known, for example, in the electrical field for the protection of electrical splices. They consist of materials well known to one skilled in the art. Those tubes are pre-expanded under a suitably high temperature and cooled in the expanded state so that they remain in an expanded condition. When sufficient heat is applied to the expanded tube, the tube shrinks back into its original position configuration, provided that it is not blocked from doing so. In the invention described herein, the tube shrinks onto the mold body and substantially conforms itself onto the mold body. After the tube is cooled, the tube is again mechanically stable. Therefore, after cutting the tube along its length, the tube can be removed from the mold body and retain its "shrunk-down" shape. The invention, therefore, takes advantage of the very specific features of a typical heat-shrinkable tube.
• the heat-shrinkable tube should be chosen so that it is capable of shrinking down to the smallest diameter of the section of the article to be protected.
• a sleeve could be fixed onto the extended article with additional means such as tapes, ropes, etc.
• fastening means it is preferred to attach fastening means to the split sleeve, where the fastening means remain with the split sleeve. In this manner, a product is obtained which can be opened and placed over the extended article, then closed onto the article by the mechanical fastening means. Used in this manner for the intended purpose, such as transportation, the split sleeve can be reopened very easily and reused for a similar purpose .
• the split sleeve When temporarily fastened about the extended article, the split sleeve provides protection to the article and especially gives the protected system additional desired stability and rigidity which is needed during transportation.
• the fastening means are attached to the lateral sides of the sleeve which been created through the cutting of the sleeve.
• the fastening means could be of any type. They might be, for example, a zipper or individual fastening means of the hook and loop type, or they may comprise micro-structured surfaces which are capable to interact with each other.
• the fastening means as such can be attached to the lateral sides of the sleeves by any means. These could be mechanical, such as rivets, or utilizing a method which is similar to the sewing of such a component to the sleeve, or they may be attached through an adhesive which could be either an adhesive layer which has been laminated onto the components of the fastening means, or a separate pressure-sensitive tape.
• Those tapes are known, for example, as double-sided tapes where one side is placed onto the lateral side of the sleeve. An eventually used liner is removed and on the second side of the tape a fastening component is adhered thereto.
• Figure 1 illustrates an example of an extended article to be protected, such as a part of an automobile exhaust system.
• Figure 2 illustrates a heat-shrinkable tube of the type generally known from which a protective jacket for the extended article of Figure 1 is formed according to the process of this invention.
• Figure 3 illustrates a mold body which will be used to shape the heat-shrinkable tube of Figure 2.
• Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat- shrinkable tube of Figure 2 on the mold body of Figure 3.
• Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to Figure 4, illustrating the separation line where the tube is cut in a longitudinal direction.
• Figure 6 is a perspective view of the protective jacket for the extended article, as created by the process described herein and provided with a releasable fastening means.
• Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 6, depicting the components of the releasable fastening means.
• Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 9, showing an alternate embodiment of the protective jacket.
• Figure 9 is an elevational view of the embodiment of Figure 8.
• Figure 10 is an elevational view of the embodiment of Figure 9, taken along line B-B in Figure 9.
• the inventive jacket for the protection of an extended or longitudinal article and the process for forming the protective jacket are shown and hereby described in more detail .
• FIG. 1 illustrates an extended article 10 which requires protection and/or reinforcement during shipping.
• the extended article 10 in this particular example represents a portion of an automobile exhaust system consisting of two exhaust pipes 12 and 14 and a flexible connection 16 which requires protection.
• Flexible connection 16 may, for example, consist of a heat-resistant flexible tube which connects the exhaust pipes 12, 14 and is used for different purposes, such as preventing vibrations from being transmitted between exhaust pipes 12, 14. It is preferred to protect at least the flexible connection 16 of this system, such as by protecting the section 18 which is slightly larger than flexible connection 16 itself.
• the section 18 to be protected has in this particular example a relatively large middle portion with a diameter 22 and smaller outer portions with a diameter 20.
• the geometry of the section 18 to be protected can vary within a wide range .
• the section 18 to be protected can be defined by its diameters which range from a minimum diameter 20 to a maximum diameter 22. These values are important for the appropriate selection of the components for the protective jacket.
• Figure 2 shows a heat-shrinkable tube 24 having a length 26 which essentially corresponds to the length of the section 18 to be protected, as depicted in
• the length 26 is preferably somewhat longer than the section 18 given in Figure 1. However, it is essential that there is a basic correspondence between these two lengths.
• the inner diameter 28 of heat- shrinkable tube 24 must to be larger than the maximum diameter 22 of the section 18 which is to be protected.
• Figure 3 shows a mold body 30 having a length 32 which substantially corresponds to the length 26 of the heat-shrinkable tube 24 in Figure 2.
• length 32 of mold body 30 may also be larger than that of heat-shrinkable tube 24.
• the shape of mold body 30 essentially matches the shape of the section 18 to be protected as depicted in Figure 1. However, it may be desired to provide mold body 30 somewhat larger dimensions than the section 18 to be protected, as will become apparent below. Therefore, the minimum diameter 34 and maximum diameter 36 of the mold body 30 may be larger than the corresponding minimum diameter 20 and maximum diameter 22 of the section 18 to be protected.
• Mold body 30 is made from any known material capable of withstanding the temperatures applied to heat-shrinkable tube 24 and the corresponding forces that occur during the heat-shrink process.
• mold body 30 could consist of wood, metal, or a plastic material capable of withstanding the temperature and pressure.
• a non-metallic material for mold body 30 is preferred.
• FIG 4 illustrates the heat-shrinkable tube 24 after it has been placed over the mold body 30 and heated.
• Heat may be applied in any well known manner, such as by an open flame, heating coil, hot air or other method.
• heat- shrinkable tube 24 shrinks down to conform to the specific shape of mold body 30.
• a heat-shrinkable tube 24 is chosen which is capable of shrinking down to at least the minimum diameter 20 of the section 18 to be protected. In this manner it can be ensured that the two ends 42, 44 of the shrunk down tube 24 are in intimate contact with the corresponding ends 46, 48 of mold body 30.
• split sleeve 52 is created, as shown in a perspective view in Figure 6. Having been cut along line 50, split sleeve 52 is provided with two longitudinal lateral sides 54, 56. Split sleeve 52 is shown in Figure 6 after its removal from mold body 30. Furthermore, it is shown that on the lateral side 56 a mechanical fastening means 57 is attached.
• Figure 7 illustrates that mechanical fastening means 57 includes a first fastening component 58 which secures to a second fastening component 60.
• Components 58, 60 of mechanical fastening means 57 are attached to the lateral sides 54, 56 of split sleeve 52, such that when the two lateral sides 54 and 56 are overlapped fastening components 58, 60 interact to hold split sleeve 52 closed. Accordingly, it is advantageous that mold body 30 have slightly larger dimensions than the section 18 to be protected, as the extra material allows lateral sides 54, 56 to overlap each other when places on section 18.
• Fastening means 57 preferably are hook and loop type fasteners, such as SJ3551 from the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company (USA) , sold under the name Dual LockTM. Other types of fastening means may be used, such as snaps, pressure sensitive adhesives, etc.
• the fastening means 57 may be secured to lateral sides 54, 56 in any suitable manner, such as by adhesives, rivets, or the like.
• FIGS 8-10 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the invention.
• Split sleeve 62 is substantially identical to the previously described split sleeve 52.
• Split sleeve 62 includes a middle portion 64 having a somewhat larger diameter for conforming to maximum diameter 22 of the section 18 to be protected and two end portions 66, 68 having a smaller diameter for conforming to minimum diameter 20 of the section 18 to be protected.
• the split sleeve 62 is slit open longitudinally along one side.
• the longitudinal slit 70 can be seen in Figures 9 and 10.
• the split sleeve 62 can be closed over the section 18 to be protected through the use of mechanical fastening means 72, 74, 76.
• Fastening means 72 consist of two components 78, 80, correspondingly fastening means 74 has the components 82, 84 and fastening means 76 has the components 86, 88.
• the fixation of components 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 can be seen from Figure 8 and 10.
• the components 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 may be attached to split sleeve 62 in any suitable manner, such as by adhesives, rivets, etc.
• fastening components 78, 82, 86 are adhered to split sleeve 62 using an adhesive (not shown)
• fastening components 80, 84, 88 are attached to split sleeve 62 by the rivets 90, 92, 94.
• the manner of attaching components 78, 80, 82, 84, 86, 88 shown in Figures 8-10 is intended to be illustrative only, as other methods of attachment are contemplated. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that many other attachment methods may be used, and the particular attachment method selected may depend on many factors, such as the required durability of the attachment, cost, operating environment, etc.
• the fastening means form an integral part of the entire protective jacket, as for they are intended to remain with the split sleeves 52, 62.
• the automobile exhaust system is protected and mechanically stabilized by the split sleeves 52, 62 by placing a split sleeve over the section 18 to be protected. Subsequently, the split sleeve is closed using the fastening means by having the mating components overlap and engage each other.
• the fastening components are preferably of the hook and loop type, such as SJ3551 from the Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company (USA) , sold under the name Dual LockTM, although other fastening means may be used.
• the fastening components could be micro-structured surfaces which are adapted to releasably engage each other, or snap closures could be provided on the mating components of the fastening means, or a pressure sensitive adhesive could be used.
• split sleeves 52, 62 The main advantage of the split sleeves 52, 62 described herein is that they can be easily applied and removed from the automobile exhaust, and they also may be used repetitively. Therefore, it might be advantageous to mark onto the sleeve a message such as "Return to manufacturer" or a similar message.
• An additional advantage of the invention described herein is that a multiplicity of configurations may be easily formed, with each configuration requiring only a simple forming mold. Because multiple uses could be devised of for such a protective jacket and its method for manufacture, the invention must not be limited to the specific geometric embodiments described herein.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Buffer Packaging (AREA)
• Shaping By String And By Release Of Stress In Plastics And The Like (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Details Of Garments (AREA)
• Professional, Industrial, Or Sporting Protective Garments (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Families Citing this family (13)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1998
  • 1998-10-09 US US09/169,682 patent/US6156140A/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-01-25 EP EP99904227A patent/EP1119452B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-01-25 JP JP2000575676A patent/JP2002527258A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-01-25 DE DE69907242T patent/DE69907242T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-01-25 WO PCT/US1999/001453 patent/WO2000021733A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-01-25 BR BR9914321-6A patent/BR9914321A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-01-25 AU AU24672/99A patent/AU2467299A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (4)

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