Flexible pipe covering seam sealing

A flexible pipe covering having a seam or split along its length is placed over a water or like pipe. The seam is sealed by the use of a pressure sensitive adhesive transfer tape which is factory mounted on one side of the seam and provides a protective sheet that is removed after the flexible pipe covering is mounted in position. Upon removing the protective sheet, the pressure sensitive adhesive will be made to contact both sides of the seam and seal the seam. A similar type of adhesive joint may be formed at the butt end of two adjacent pipes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention is directed to a flexible pipe covering or long 
tubular-shaped object which has a split or seam along its length and this 
seam is sealed by the use of a pressure sensitive adhesive. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,217 is directed to a pipe which is used for insulation 
purposes and a pressure sensitive adhesive with a protective sheet applied 
to an overlapping flap is used to seal the seam in the pipe after it is 
mounted in position. 
With flexible insulation, it is known to apply in the field, after the pipe 
covering is mounted in position over a water or like pipe, a contact 
adhesive material by brushing to both sides of a seam in order to seal the 
seam. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An article for insulation or like purposes has a long tubular shape with a 
split along the length of the article. The slit forms a seam which has two 
abutting sides. An adhesive coating is positioned on at least one flat 
surface of the seam and a protective sheet overlays the adhesive and 
prevents the adhesive from bonding to the other surface of the seam. After 
the article is mounted in position over a water or like pipe, the 
protective sheet is removed and the adhesive coating fastens together the 
two sides of the seam. 
A similar type of adhesive coating may be placed on the butt end of the 
article and two adjacent articles may be fastened together in position on 
a water or like pipe structure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The article of FIG. 1 has a long tubular shape 2 with a longitudinal axis 
and a split or seam 4 in the wall of the article parallel to the 
longitudinal axis of the tube. The split extends all the way through one 
wall of the article and extends the full length of the tubular shape. The 
wall on either side of the split has flat surfaces 6 and 8 that abut 
together when the split is forced into a closed position. An adhesive 
transfer tape 9 with an adhesive coating 10 is applied to at least one of 
the flat surfaces. As shown in FIG. 1, it is applied to surface 6. A 
protective sheet 12 overlays the adhesive and prevents the adhesive from 
bonding to the other flat surface 8 of the split or seam to fasten the two 
flat surfaces together to force the seam into a closed position. 
The article of FIG. 1 has a end which forms a flat surface 14. FIG. 2 shows 
the flat surface 14 and on that surface is positioned an adhesive 16 which 
is part of a transfer tape, which adhesive may contact the end of an 
adjacent article. FIG. 2 also shows the seam in a sealed position with the 
adhesive fastening together the two walls of the seam. The adhesive is 
provided on the protective sheet 12 and any pressure sensitive adhesive on 
a protective sheet may be used. Particularly, useful are the 3M adhesive 
transfer tapes 465, 920 and 950. Adhesive may be provided in one 
continuous strip covering the total wall 6 or could be provided in plural 
strips along the wall 6. The adhesive can be provided on both walls 6 and 
8 and both ends of the pipe. Other pressure sensitive adhesives may be 
used and the only requirement being that they bond together the particular 
material being used in the pipe covering. 
The pipe covering is a flexible pipe covering and it is similar to that 
shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,028. 
The protective sheet 12 and the adhesive 10 is factory applied and the 
article is shipped with the adhesive and protective sheet in place to the 
job site. The protective sheet 12 prevents the adhesive from sticking to 
other articles or the wall 8 of the pipe covering. After the flexible pipe 
covering is slipped over a water or like type pipe that needs to be 
insulated, the protective sheet 12 is removed and the both walls 6 and 8 
of the seam are pressed together and the adhesive bonds both surfaces 
together to form a water impervious seal. 
The same type of adhesive may be formed into a disk shape and placed on the 
end of the pipe covering. The adhesive may be provided on one or both ends 
of the pipe covering and it is covered by a protective sheet. When the 
protective sheet is removed, then the butting ends of two adjacent pipe 
coverings may be pressed together to form a water impervious seal joining 
the two pipe coverings together.