Reinforced strip and flexible hoses produced therewith

摘要

Strips for use in forming flexible hoses from helically wound convolutions of the strip are disclosed, in which the strip has a substantially U-shaped body including a pair of radially projecting, spaced-apart walls connected by a transverse wall, and in which the body is produced from a polymeric material having a predetermined Young's modulus, and substantially the entire surface of the body is composed of that polymeric material, so that adjacent portions of the body can be directly bonded together to form a flexible hose upon the helical winding of the strip. Furthermore, supports are embedded in the pair of walls in order to reinforce the walls and permit the body to substantially retain its shape upon the application of external forces thereto. Methods for making flexible hoses from these strips are also disclosed.