Patent ID: 6547908
Filing Date: 2003-04-15
Classification: B29C,B29K,B29L,F16L

Abstract:
A method of insulating a fluid conveying pipe, the method comprising the steps of:providing a rotatable and laterally movable mandrel; coating the rotatable mandrel with a brittle polymeric coating: extruding a melt profile of a polyolefin material onto the mandrel and spirally winding the melt profile around the mandrel while both rotating the mandrel and moving the mandrel laterally to produce adjacent windings, the adjacent windings of the melt profile being arranged to make contact to form a polyolefin jacket on the mandrel which is in engagement with the brittle coating; applying an external compressive force to the tubular member thus formed while the member is still on the mandrel sufficient to crush the brittle coating, thereby freeing the polyolefin jacket from engagement with the mandrel; removing the polyolefin jacket so formed from the mandrel; positioning the polyolefin jacket in spaced relationship about a fluid conveying pipe to be insulated; filling the space between the jacket and pipe with an insulating material.