Heat-recoverable article
AssigneeRaychem Corporation
InventorsKenneth B. Pithouse, Thomas A. Kridl, James T. Triplett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat recoverable article comprises a recoverable fabric and a polymeric layer of at least 0.03 mm thickness, and preferably unstressed. Such an article can be recovered by means of a torch to provide an environmental seal around substrates such as cables and pipes.
Claims24
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article for enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises a fabric having fibres which will recover when heated and which have a tensile strength of at least 0.1 MPa at their recovery temperature, the fabric having an external surface that is coated with a layer of polymeric material of at least 0.03 mm thickness, the polymeric material being softenable without flowing when heated to accomodate recovery of the article.
A dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a composite structure which comprises a polymeric matrix material and heat-recoverable fibres by virtue of which the composite structure is recoverable, a layer at an outwardly facing surface of the matrix material being cross-linked to a greater extent than the remainder of the matrix material.
A method of enclosing at least part of a substrate, which comprises:
- (a) surrounding said part with a dimensionally heat-recoverable article comprising a recoverable composite structure recoverable by virtue of a heat-recoverable fibre component thereof;
- and
- (b) heating the structure with an open flame or hot-air gun to cause the structure to recover into engagement with the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.