Flexible tube having at least one elongated reinforcing element with a T-shaped profile

A reinforced flexible tube comprising:

• a helically wound first elongated reinforcing element having a T-shaped cross-sectional profile having a base and a foot projecting from a first side of the base, the base having a pair of spaced apart interlocking lobes extending from the first side of the base and further having a second side opposed to and flat and parallel to at least a part of the first side;
• and
• a helically wound second elongated reinforcing element having a U-shaped cross-sectional profile having a base and a pair of spaced apart interlocking lobes projecting from a first side of the base of the helically wound elongated second reinforcing element and the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element further having a second side opposed to and flat and parallel to at least a part of the first side of the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element;
• and wherein
• the spaced apart pairs of interlocking lobes of the first and second helically wound elongated reinforcing elements are interlocked such that each interlocking lobe of the base of the first helically wound reinforcing element is positioned to engage one of the pair of interlocking lobes of the second helically wound reinforcing element and faces the first side of the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element;
• the base of the helically wound first elongated reinforcing element has a pair of separated flat surface sections with each surface section being disposed respectively between one of the spaced apart interlocking lobes and the foot and the second side is opposed to and is flat and parallel to the separated surface sections of the first side;
• the first side of the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element has a flat surface section disposed between the spaced apart interlocking lobes and the second side of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element which is flat and is parallel to the first side of the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element;
• each interlocking lobe of the base of the first helically wound elongated reinforcing element faces the flat surface section of the first side of the base of the helically wound second elongated reinforcing element;
• and
• each interlocking lobe of the base of the second helically wound elongated reinforcing element faces a different one of the flat surface sections of the base of the helically wound first elongated reinforcing element;
• and wherein
• the interlocking lobes have a convex profile with portions of the convex profile of the interlocking lobes of the first and second helically wound reinforcing elements engaging each other.