Multilayered, braided tubular sleeve and method of construction thereof

Abstract

A multilayered tubular sleeve including a braided tubular inner wall extending about a central axis between opposite first and second inner end portions and a braided tubular outer wall extending about the central axis between opposite first and second outer end portions. The first inner end portion is bonded to the first outer end portion by a first bond joint, and the second inner end portion is bonded to the second outer end portion by a second bond joint, with the inner wall being detached from the outer wall over a length extending between the first and second bond joints.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A multilayered tubular sleeve, comprising:
 a braided tubular inner wall extending about a central axis between an open first inner end portion and an opposite open second inner end portion; and   a braided tubular outer wall extending about the central axis between an open first outer end portion and an opposite open second outer end portion, said first inner end portion being bonded to said first outer end portion by a first bond joint, and said second inner end portion being bonded to said second outer end portion by a second bond joint, with said inner wall being substantially detached from said outer wall over a length extending between said first and second bond joints.   
     
     
         2 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall is braided with heat-settable yarns, said heat-settable yarns being heat-set to bias said at least one braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall into a cylindrical tube. 
     
     
         3 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 2 , wherein each of said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall is braided with heat-settable yarns, said heat-settable yarns being heat-set to bias said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall into a cylindrical tube. 
     
     
         4 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 3 , wherein each of said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall is braided entirely with heat-settable yarns, said heat-settable yarns being heat-set to bias said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall into a cylindrical tube. 
     
     
         5 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 2 , wherein said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall are braided including different colored yarns from one another. 
     
     
         6 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein said first bond joint is a first heat-fused weld joint, and said second bond joint is a second heat-fused weld joint. 
     
     
         7 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 6 , wherein said braided tubular inner wall is entirely detached from said braided tubular outer wall over the entirety of the length extending between said first and second heat-fused weld joints. 
     
     
         8 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 7 , wherein said first and second heat-fused weld joints are circumferentially continuous. 
     
     
         9 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall is braided with 100% recycled material yarns. 
     
     
         10 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 1 , further a braided tubular intermediate wall extending about a central axis between an open first intermediate end portion and an opposite open second intermediate end portion, with said tubular intermediate wall being substantially detached from said tubular inner and outer walls over a length extending between said first and second bond joints. 
     
     
         11 . A multilayered tubular sleeve, consisting of:
 a braided tubular inner wall extending about a central axis between an open first inner end portion and an opposite open second inner end portion; and   a braided tubular outer wall extending about the central axis between an open first outer end portion and an opposite open second outer end portion, said first inner end portion being bonded to said first outer end portion by a first bond joint, and said second inner end portion being bonded to said second outer end portion by a second bond joint, with said inner wall being substantially detached from said outer wall over a length extending between said first and second bond joints.   
     
     
         12 . The multilayered tubular sleeve of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of said braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall is braided with heat-settable yarns, said heat-settable yarns being heat-set to bias said at least one braided tubular inner wall and said braided tubular outer wall into a cylindrical tube. 
     
     
         13 . A method of constructing a multilayered tubular sleeve, comprising:
 braiding a tubular inner wall extending about a central axis between a first inner end portion and an opposite second inner end portion;   braiding a tubular outer wall over the tubular inner wall in an overbraiding operation, with the tubular outer wall extending about the central axis between a first outer end portion and an opposite second outer end portion; and   bonding the first inner end portion to the first outer end portion with a first bond joint, and bonding the second inner end portion to the second outer end portion with a second bond joint, and leaving the inner wall detached from the outer wall over a length extending between the first and second bond joints.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further including forming the first bond joint and the second bond joint in a hot cutting operation. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further including using a hot wire cutter to perform the hot cutting operation. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further including heat-forming heat-settable yarns of the tubular outer wall and the tubular inner wall in a heat-rounding process to maintain the tubular outer wall and the tubular inner wall in a cylindrical tubular shape. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , further including heat-forming heat-settable yarns of at least one of the tubular outer wall and the tubular inner wall in a heat-rounding process to maintain the tubular outer wall and the tubular inner wall in a cylindrical tubular shape. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further including heat-forming heat-settable yarns of the tubular outer wall and the tubular inner wall in a heat-rounding process. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further including braiding a tubular intermediate wall about the tubular inner wall in an overbraiding operation prior to overbraiding the tubular outer wall, with the tubular intermediate wall extending between an open first intermediate end portion and an opposite open second intermediate end portion, and bonding the first intermediate end portion to the inner end portion and the first outer end portion with the first bond joint, and bonding the second intermediate end portion to the second inner end portion and the outer end portion with the second bond joint, and leaving the tubular intermediate wall detached from the tubular inner wall and the tubular outer wall over a length extending between the first and second bond joints. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , further including braiding the tubular inner wall and the tubular outer wall including different colored yarns from one another.