Milliken + Co

David Drew Morris

Steven Lee Bedingfield

Shulong Li

Andrew D Child

Cheryl J Brickey

Charles William Prestridge

Jules A Haneburger

A winding system contains a let off stand, a winding coordinator, and a wind-up stand. The left off stand contains a tape holder and a generally planar base which rotates in a first direction. The winding coordinator contains a generally planar section having an opening for an elongated element and rotates in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Winding system for elongated elements

An innerduct for segregating cables in a conduit is provided wherein the innerduct is constructed from one or more strip-shaped lengths of a woven textile fabric and configured to provide multiple longitudinal compartments for the cables, and the textile fabric has a warp of monofilament yarn ends and a filling of a combination of monofilament and multifilament yarn picks, with the multifilament yarn picks being multiple-inserted yarns.

Woven textile fabric and innerduct having multiple-inserted filling yarns

A process for extruding a divided conduit comprising obtaining an extrusion die head, inserting a strip-shaped substrate into the extrusion die head such that the strip shaped substrate is located within the tip gap and extends at least partially out of the tip gap such that the longitudinal edges are located in the die gap, and flowing molten polymer through die gap, encapsulating the longitudinal edges of the strip-shaped substrate in molten polymer. The extrusion die head contains a tip region and a bushing. The tip region contains at least 2 tips separated by a tip gap. The bushing extends around the tip region and the distance between the tip region and the inner surface of the bushing is defined to be the die gap and the die gap varies around the bushing.

Process for forming a divided conduit

A method of forming a conduit having at least one strip-shaped fabric substrate dividing the conduit into channels. The method contains obtaining an extrusion die configured to form the wall of the conduit and a slot configured for receipt of a strip-shaped fabric substrate and introducing a strip-shaped fabric substrate into the slot. The strip-shaped textile is air permeable and contains enlarged regions at the first and second longitudinal edges. Molten polymer is introduced at a first point in the extrusion die and at the first point the slot and the area configured to form the wall of the conduit are not in communication. The slot is exposed to the molten polymer at a point between the first point and the die exit forming the first polymeric layer of the conduit such that the first longitudinal and second longitudinal edges of the strip-shaped fabric substrate embed into the molten polymer.

Fabric and die design for divided conduit

An electromagnetic shielded sleeve containing a multilayer composite material formed in such a way as to define at least one longitudinal channel configured to enclose and carry a cable. The multilayer composite material contains a first textile, an electromagnetic shielding material, and a second textile, where the electromagnetic shielding material is located between the first textile and the second textile.

Electromagnetic shielded sleeve

An apparatus and method are provided for making a conduit divided into channels by one or more strip-shaped substrates. The channels may be used for cables, such as fiber optic cables, coaxial cables, electrical cables, electrical wiring, and the like. Each divided conduit provides channels that allow e.g., cables to be pulled through without snagging or excessive heat build-up due to friction. In addition, the divided conduits do not allow contact or alternation losses between adjacent cables in other channels of the conduit.

Divided conduit extrusion die and method with joining features

Divided conduit extrusion die and method

Provided herein are flexible, low friction innerduct structures configured to contain at least one cable within a conduit. The innerduct structures, or conduit inserts, include one or more strip-shaped panels of flexible material that are joined to define at least one channel through which a cable can extend. The innerduct structures preferably are formed from a woven textile fabric having warp yarns that are monofilaments and fill yarns that are an alternating pattern of monofilament yarns and multifilament yarns. Such construction increases the flexibility of the fabric, as compared to previous innerduct fabrics, resulting in a reduction of the pulling force required to draw the cable through the innerduct and into position.

Innerduct structure having increased flexibility

A detectable pull tape comprising at least one elongated conductive wire extending longitudinally in the tape, wherein each elongated conductive wire has a coating of insulation, a woven outer cover formed from nonconductive warp and nonconductive weft yarns, the warp yarns extending longitudinally in the tape and the weft yarns extending transversely in the tape and weaving over and under the warp yarns, and a set of binder yarns extending longitudinally in the tape, the binder yarns weaving with the weft yarns on at least one side of the conductive wires to lock the warp yarns and the conductive wires in position relative to each other. A method of detecting the location of conduit using a detectable pull tape is also disclosed.

Detectable pull tape

A flexible innerduct structure is configured to contain a cable within a conduit. The innerduct structure includes a pair of adjacent strip-shaped layers of flexible material that are joined along their longitudinal edges to define a channel through which the cable can extend longitudinally through the innerduct structure between the layers. The adjacent layers have differing widths between their longitudinal edges, whereby the wider layer bulges away from the narrower layer to impart an open configuration to the channel. Other features of the innerduct structure relate to the material of which it is formed. Such features includes the structure of the material, such as a woven structure, and further include properties such as melting point, tensile strength, elongation, coefficient of friction, crimp resistance and compression recovery.

Conduit insert for optical fiber cable

A flexible fire resistant innerduct structure is configured to contain a cable within a conduit. The innerduct structure includes a pair of adjacent strip-shaped layers of flexible material that are joined along their longitudinal edges to define a channel through which the cable can extend longitudinally through the innerduct structure between the layers. The adjacent layers have differing widths between their longitudinal edges, whereby the wider layer bulges away from the narrower layer to impart an open configuration to the channel. Other features of the innerduct structure relate to the material of which it is formed. Such features includes the structure of the material, such as a woven structure, and further include properties such as melting point, tensile strength, fire resistance, elongation, coefficient of friction, crimp resistance and compression recovery.

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Newnan, GA, United States of America

David Drew Morris