Bentley-harris Inc.

Federal-mogul Systems Protection Group, Inc.

Janice R Maiden

Joan Bitwinski

Robert J Brushafer

Michael J Piotrowski

Joseph P Hess

Gerald Thomas Lien

Woven fabric sleeves are comprised of interwoven glass fiber yarns or similar mineral or ceramic fiber yarns, and hybrid yarns or wires utilized as fill yarns. The fill yarns preferably/consist essentially of glass or ceramic fibers with resiliently settable polymeric materials and/or resilient formable wires or combinations thereof. The wires or hybrid yarns are resiliently set to form resilient hoops yieldably imparting to the fabric side edges a tendency to move into adjacent or overlapping relationship. In one form of the method of making a sleeve, the hybrid fill yarns are resiliently set by placing the woven fabric in a folder, applying heat to cause the fill yarns to assume a set in the wrap around or folded condition and then cooling so that the product is resiliently maintained in the set condition. In an alternative method of making the product, the product is woven on a shuttle loom and one or more wires are used as fill yarns. The wires are fed from pretensioned spools. The tension on the spools of wire imparts a resilient set which biases the side edges of the fabric into adjacent and overlapping relationship.

Thermally protective sleeving

Woven fabric sleeves are comprised of interwoven glass fiber yarns or similar mineral or ceramic fiber yarns, and hybrid yarns or wires utilized as fill yarns. The fill yarns preferably consist essentially of glass or ceramic fibers with resiliently settable polymeric materials and/or resilient formable wires or combinations thereof. The wires or hybrid yarns are resiliently set to form resilient hoops yieldably imparting to the fabric side edges a tendency to move into adjacent or overlapping relationship. In one form of the method of making a sleeve, the hybrid fill yarns are resiliently set by placing the woven fabric in a folder, applying heat to cause the fill yarns to assume a set in the wrap around or folded condition and then cooling so that the product is resiliently maintained in the set condition. In an alternative method of making the product, the product is woven on a shuttle loom and one or more wires are used as fill yarns. The wires are fed from pretensioned spools. The tension on the spools of wire imparts a resilient set which biases the side edges of the fabric into adjacent and overlapping relationship.

A woven fabric sleeve for protecting and covering elongated substrates is made up of circumferentially and longitudinally extending interlaced fill and warp members, the fill members forming circumferentially extending alternating bands of relative flexibility separating bands of inflexibility. The fill members may be comprised of monofilament or multifilament yarns of alternating large and small diameters and may include wire, especially resilient wire, heat settable materials, including polyester served wire and DREF yarns having resiliently settable cores. The fill members may be held in relation to one another utilizing Leno and mock Leno weaving.

Woven fabric having improved flexibility and conformability

A braided product and process include a first sleeve formed of interbraided first and second yarns which may be continuous E glass yarns. Warp beads formed by knitting or braiding are equidistantly spaced around the circumference of the braid and introduced to the braider to form an integral part of the structure. One or more heavy denier yarns are loaded on carriers so as to cross the warp beads under relatively high tension, forcing the beads selectively to the inside or outside of the sleeve surface so as to create longitudinally extending spacers which create air gaps between the sleeve and the surface of the substrate being covered.

Growing community of inventors

Oreland, PA, United States of America

Janice R Maiden