Textile Reinforced Hose – Anatomy, Materials and Applications

R.Senthil Kumar, Senior Lecturer, KCT, Coimbatore-06.

sen29iit@yahoo.co.in

Introduction:
Textile fabrics are used as reinforcement in many applications. Hose is one of such
product where the fabric reinforced in its structure to attain desirable properties.

Definition:
A Hose is a flexible link on pipe capable of use with gases, liquids, solids or admixtures
of such under positive or negative pressures.
The reinforcement of any hose structure may comprise many materials or combinations
of materials, dependent on the end use of the item. The reinforcement may be braided,
woven or in wound form and it may be in single or multiple plies.

Construction:

Hose has three parts as shown in Fig.1: cover, body or carcass (reinforcement) and the
tube or lining.

Fig.1

Cover: It is the outermost layer of the hose. It protects against wear, abrasion, cuts,
weather and general destruction encountered in normal service.
 Body or Carcass: It is the reinforcement supporting structure of the hose. It can be
simple or complex and may be made of cord, yarn, fabric, wire, or any combination of
these.

Tube or Lining: It is the innermost element of the hose and is in contact with the
material being carried. Therefore it must be resistant to the properties of that material.

Reinforcement and its construction:

The purpose of reinforcement is
• Primarily to withstand pressure
• To prevent under vacuum conditions for providing medium against kinking
• To resist against external damage
• To conduct electrostatic charges to the earth
• To increase heat resistance
• To enable couplings to be anchored securely

Four Basic Methods of Hose Construction:

Although there are thousands of types of hose for specialized applications, there are only
4 basic construction methods used. Since each of these 4 methods embodies certain
fundamental characteristics that make it particularly suitable for certain functions, an
understanding of these methods may assist you in making the best choice.

Type 1 - Vertical Braided Hose:

Entire hose length cured in one operation.

A. Extruded seamless tube.
B. Seamless reinforcing braids of synthetic textile wire, or other material- applied by
 high speed vertical or horizontal braiders.
C. Rubber layers between braids establish positive bond between braids when
vulcanized.
D. Extruded seamless cover.

Braided Hose Advantages:

Extremely flexible. High resistance to kinking. Cover either smooth or wrapped.
Available in long continuous lengths. Very economical process because of continuous
production methods.

Type 2: Spiral Hose:

Built by machine with either textile or wire cord reinforcement applied so that each ply is
laid at a given angle for maximum dimensional stability.

A. Extruded or calendered tube.

B. Reinforcement of synthetic textile wire or other material
C. Rubber layers between reinforcement plies to establish positive bond
D. Cover

Spiral Hose Advantages:

Extremely flexible. Resistant to kinking. Smooth bore, uniform tube. High strength with
long length capability.
Type 3: Hand Built Spiraled Ply Hose:
Built by hand on a mandrel. Cured under pressure applied from outside by cloth wraps
and steam.

A. Calendered or "built-up" tube to fit service.

B. Tailor-made spiral wrapped fabric.
C. Wire reinforcement where needed
D. Cover stock of selected gauge and compound. Wrap cured

Hand Built Spiraled Ply Hose Advantages:

Craftsman-built to special requirements. Wide variation in sizes, constructions, and
materials. Built-in strength to fit most rugged job requirements.

Type 4: Knitted Hose:

A. Extruded seamless tube.

B. Seamless woven textile jacket.
C. Interwoven wire helix reinforcement where needed
D. Extruded seamless cover
Knitted Hose Advantages:
Flexible and lightweight. Highly crush resistant. No length changes under pressure.
Resistant to kink assuring continuous full flow.

Materials used for Reinforcement:

Cotton, Asbestos, Glass, Polyester, Nylon, Rayon, high tensile steel wires and various
stainless steels. Reinforcement materials are chosen depending upon service requirements
and economical aspects.

The industrial uses of the hose are innumerable and cotton is being increasingly
supplemented by man-made fibre to give special qualities such as higher bursting
strength, higher flex resistance, abrasion resistance, rot resistance, ease of handling which
may be connected with low moisture absorption, greater flexibility and weight reduction
due to using high tenacity fibre.

The reinforcement guarantees the hose integrity during its life time. The higher the
working pressure is, the more critical the reinforcement becomes. A way to show this to
modify the well known bursting pressure equation for single braids in such a way that all
relevant parameters for the reinforcing material in this equation are represented by one
symbol “C”.

Modified bursting pressure equation,

Pb * Dv = 3.7 C

Where,
C = T ∕ {(1+E/100)2 * √ (Titre/ρ)}, no unit
Dv =_reinforcement diameter in mm
E = elongation in %
Pb = bursting pressure (N/mm2)
 T = breaking force in Newton
Titer = Weight per length dtex (gm/1000m)
ρ = specific weight (Kg/cu.m)

‘C’ value for various Textile reinforcing material:

Table: 1

S.No. Reinforcing Range Mean

material
1 Rayon 46-88 67
2 Nylon 66 50-85 68
3 Polyester 65-120 93
4 PVA 101-147 124
5 Steel wire 230-280 255
6 Aramid 270-388 329

Rayon and Polyamide shows lowest C value. The high elongation of polyamide offsets
the higher strength.
Polyester is roughly 50 % stronger in hose than rayon or polyamide. PVA is on its turn
some 25 % stronger than polyester whereas aramid is the strongest reinforcing material.
For the same thickness of the reinforcing layer and 100 % coverage aramid offers 4 to 5
times more strength than rayon or polyamide.

In case of high adhesion levels are required, on the same level as the other reinforcing
materials, polyester and aramid need normally double bath dipping. The moisture
sensitiveness is important for the residual strength or corrosion. The high temperature
resistance is given by aramid and steel wire.

Polyester monofilament fiber reinforcement provides slightly higher pressure resistance

and better resistance to hose kinking at a small bend radius.

Glass fiber reinforcement offers higher temperature resistance, up to 570oF (300oC)

intermittent exposure, but is not recommended for dynamic or high frequency pulsating
pressure applications.
Aramid fiber reinforcement is suitable for dynamic applications up to 570oF (300oC)
intermittent exposure. Aramid fiber is the best all round reinforcement with regard to
resilience and high burst pressure but is more expensive than glass or polyester.

The Nomex family of reinforcement fabrics was developed for relatively high
temperature applications. Hydrolysis, alkali and oxidative resistance are all excellent. The
Nomex family is considered a premium class of fabrics for rubber reinforcement. Nomex
has also been used as a reinforcement fabric in hose construction.

Application of Textile reinforced hoses in different sector:

Hose categories in the market:

Table: 2

S.No Hose Type % in Market

1 Hydraulic hose 25 %
2 Chemical hose 20 %
3 Water hose 20 %
4 Automotive hose 10 %
5 Gas 9%
6 Fire & Irrigation 5%
7 Petrol 4%
8 Food 1%
9 Others 6%

75 % of the total hoses have less than 50 mm bore and the remaining 25 % have large
bore (more than 50 mm). 90 % of the hydraulic hoses are used on all sorts and types of
mechanical equipment. 5 % is for the aeronautical and military end use and the remaining
is for mining equipments.
Conditions Affecting Hose Performance:
Hose performance can be adversely affected by many variable conditions. The major
ones are:

• Exposure to severe external abuse such as kinking, bending, high end pull,
crushing or abrasion.
• Exposure to higher-than-rated working pressures or to high surge pressures.
• Exposure to higher-than-rated temperatures.
• Misapplication or exposure to corrosive liquids or gases outside the range of
listed application information.