Reinforced recyclable flexible hose
OwnerLuca Battagliainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reinforced flexible hose for transporting fluids includes a first load-bearing layer made of a first polymeric material, a second covering layer arranged externally to the first load-bearing layer made of a second polymeric material, and a reinforcement layer interposed between the first and the second layers made of a third polymeric material. The first and the second polymeric materials are thermoplastic elastomers, the third polymeric material being a thermoplastic polymeric material. The first, second and third polymeric materials are mutually compatible, so that the flexible hose can be ground without separation between the first, the second, and the reinforcement layer to obtain a ground mixture consisting of the first, the second and the third polymeric materials.
Claims12
A method of making a recycled flexible hose for transporting fluids, comprising:
- providing a ground mixture obtained by grinding a reinforced flexible hose, which includes:
- a first load-bearing layer made from a first polymeric material,
- a second covering layer arranged externally to the first load-bearing layer, the second covering layer being made from a second polymeric material, and
- a reinforcement layer interposed between the first load-bearing layer and the second covering layer, the reinforcement layer being made from a third polymeric material,
- wherein the first and the second polymeric material are thermoplastic elastomers, the third polymeric material being a thermoplastic polymeric material, and
- wherein the first, the second, and the third polymeric material are mutually compatible, so that the reinforced flexible hose can be ground without separation between the first and the second layer and the reinforcement layer;
- and
- extruding a fourth polymeric material comprising the ground mixture to obtain a first layer of the recycled flexible hose,
- wherein the fourth polymeric material comprises the ground mixture and a sixth polymeric material compatible therewith, the sixth polymeric material being a virgin thermoplastic elastomer, and
- wherein the fourth polymeric material has a weight ratio between the ground mixture and the sixth polymeric material comprised between 1:99 and 30:70,
- further comprising the step of:
- providing a production lines configured to make the reinforced flexible hose;
- and
- making the ground mixture starting from a production waste of the production line.
A recycled reinforced flexible hose for transporting fluids, comprising:
- an extruded first layer comprising:
- a mixture obtained by grinding a reinforced flexible hose, the ground reinforced flexible hose comprising:
- a first load-bearing layer made from a first polymeric material,
- a second covering layer arranged externally to the first load-bearing layer, the second covering layer being made from a second polymeric material, and
- a reinforcement layer interposed between the first load-bearing layer and the second covering layer, the reinforcement layer being made from a third polymeric material,
- wherein the first and the second polymeric material are thermoplastic elastomers, the third polymeric material being a thermoplastic polymeric material, and
- wherein the first, the second, and the third polymeric material are mutually compatible, so that the reinforced flexible hose can be ground without separation between the first and the second layer and the reinforcement layer;
- and
- a fourth polymeric material,
- wherein the fourth polymeric material consists of the mixture and a sixth polymeric material compatible therewith, the sixth polymeric material being a virgin thermoplastic elastomer,
- wherein the fourth polymeric material has a weight ratio between the ground mixture and the sixth polymeric material comprised between 1:99 and 30:70,
- wherein the fourth polymeric material has a weight ratio, between the ground mixture and the sixth polymeric material, comprised between 1:99 and 10:90, and
- wherein the ground mixture is made starting from production waste of a production line of the recycled reinforced flexible hose of one working day or less so as to avoid accumulation of material to be ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.