Federal-mogul Systems Protection Group, Inc.

Bentley-harris Inc.

Joan Bitwinski

Janice R Maiden

Robert J Brushafer

Joseph P Hess

Michael J Piotrowski

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 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.

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Philadelphia, PA, United States of America

Joan Bitwinski