Milliken + Co

Milliken Research Corporation

Willy De Meyer

Michael W Gilpatrick

William S Parks

Jeffery E Bacon

Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand extremely high internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, high pressure underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), modulus strength allowances to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific fabric articles which permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations. A one-step, potentially on-site production method, is also contemplated within this invention.

Method of on-site production of novel textile reinforced thermoplastic or thermoset pipes

Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), flexibility (and thus modulus strength allowances) to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, reduced crack propagation possibilities, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific textile reinforcement materials that permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations and also serve to prevent propagation of any cracks which may develop within the thermoplastic or thermoset materials. Such pipes exhibit an elongation at break in relation to that provided by the textile reinforcement and not with regard to the same type of elongation at break characteristic for the thermoplastic or thermoset composition.

Textile reinforced thermoplastic or thermoset pipes

The weft threads ( ) of a textile product ( ) run at an angle of at least approximately 70 degrees with respect to its warp threads ( ) and the weft threads ( ) protrude, by a piece, beyond the outermost warp threads ( &prime;), on at least one side of the strip-shaped textile product ( ) in a strip-shaped textile product ( ), consisting, in particular, of filaments, threads, or a yarn, for use as a reinforcement layer for hoses, tubes, pressure containers, and similar hollow objects. Alternately or in addition, the warp threads ( ) are formed thinner than the remaining warp threads ( ) in at least one boundary area (R) of the textile product ( ).

Ribbon-like textile product and method for producing a body reinforced with said textile product

Strip-shaped textile product and method for the production of an object reinforced with the textile product

The weft threads ( ) of a textile product ( ) run at an angle of at least approximately 70 degrees with respect to its warp threads ( ) and the weft threads ( ) protrude, by a piece, beyond the outermost warp threads ( ), on at least one side of the strip-shaped textile product ( ) in a strip-shaped textile product ( ), consisting, in particular, of filaments, threads, or a yarn, for use as a reinforcement layer for hoses, tubes, pressure containers, and similar hollow objects. Alternately or in addition, the warp threads ( ) are formed thinner than the remaining warp threads ( ) in at least one boundary area (R) of the textile product ( ).

Novel thermoplastic pipes which can withstand internally generated and/or applied pressures for utilization within, primarily, underground liquid and gas transport systems are provided. Such pipes are improvements over standard metal (i.e., steel, lead, and the like) pipes due to construction costs, shipping costs, implementation costs (particularly underground), flexibility (and thus modulus strength allowances) to compensate for underground movements (i.e., earthquakes and tremors), non-rusting characteristics, reduced crack propagation possibilities, and ease in manufacture. Such pipes are preferably reinforced with specific textile reinforcement materials that permit a lower thickness of plastic to be utilized than is generally required to withstand high pressure situations and also serve to prevent propagation of any cracks which may develop within the thermoplastic or thermoset materials. Such pipes exhibit an elongation at break in relation to that provided by the textile reinforcement and not with regard to the same type of elongation at break characteristic for the thermoplastic or thermoset composition. Furthermore, a leakage or burst detection system and a heating method to ensure non-freezing of transported materials within such pipes is also contemplated within this invention.

Thermoplastic or thermoset pipes including conductive textile reinforcements for heating and leak detection purposes

A bonded fabric comprising a mesh of filament yarns of the core-sheath type having little or no elasticity in the longitudinal direction but which will break when bent without affecting the filaments in the core.

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Drogen, Belgium

Willy De Meyer