Hose cleaning plant

A hose cleaning plant comprises an elongated horizontal receptacle (10) in which a number of hoses (16) may be placed side by side in extended positions, washing equipment (13) provided at one end of the receptacle (10), and a transport device (18) which is movable along the receptacle to draw a hose (16) through the washing equipment and along the receptacle (10), above the same. In order to make it possible, upon completion of a washing operation on a hose (16), to have the hose laid down in proper position in the receptacle (10) without considerable manual efforts, said transport device is formed by a carriage (18) which is supported on rails (19), provided adjacent to the longitudinal upper edges of the receptacle (10), and which is provided with means (20) for releasably holding an end portion of a hose (16) in a selected position in the transversal direction of the receptacle (10).

The present invention relates to a plant for use in connection with 
cleaning fire-hoses or other similar hoses. More particularly, the 
invention relates to such a plant of the kind comprising an elongated 
horizontal receptacle in which a plurality of hoses may be placed side by 
side in extended positions, a washing equipment provided at one end of the 
receptacle, and a transport device which is movable along the receptacle 
and by which a hose may be drawn through the washing equipment and along 
the receptacle, over the same, in order to be laid down in the receptacle 
upon completion of a washing operation on the hose. 
In prior art hose cleaning plants of said kind, the type of transport 
device used has been found very unfavourable in practice, as it has made 
it necessary to rely on considerable manual efforts to ensure that the 
hoses are properly placed in intended side by side positions in the 
receptacle, which serves as a drying chamber. 
An object of the invention is to avoid the above disadvantage and to reduce 
to a minimum the manual work required to ensure that the hoses are 
properly placed in intended positions in the receptacle. 
According to the invention, for this purpose, there is provided a hose 
cleaning plant of said kind, which is characterized primarily in that the 
transport device is formed by a carriage which is supported on rails 
provided adjacent to the longitudinal upper edges of the receptacle, and 
which is provided with means for releasably holding an end portion of a 
hose in a selected position in the transversal direction of the 
receptacle. By using such a carriage, it is possible to ensure that a hose 
will assume the desired position in the transversal direction of the 
receptacle when drawn along the receptacle by said device. 
The hose holding means of the carriage may comprise a number of stationary 
hose holders which are located at spaced apart positions in the 
transversal direction of the carriage. Alternatively, said means may 
consist of a single hose holder which is adjustable in the transversal 
direction of the carriage. The hose holding means may preferably be 
adapted to permit a hose held thereby to be released through remote 
controlled operation of said means. 
In order to prevent a hose from being subjected to an excessive tension 
when drawn along the receptacle by the carriage, the carriage may be 
arranged to be stopped automatically when the tension in the hose reaches 
a predetermined value. Such an automatic stop function may be obtained by 
distributing the weight of the carriage in such a manner as to ensure that 
the driven wheels of the carriage will start skidding on the rails when 
the tension in the hose reaches said value. 
To further facilitate an appropriate positioning of a hose in the 
receptacle, the washing device should preferably be adjustable in the 
transversal direction of the receptacle, hereby permitting its position to 
be adapted to a selected position for the connection between a hose and 
the carriage.

The hose cleaning plant shown in the drawing comprises an elongated 
horizontal receptacle 10 defining a drying chamber 11 in which a plurality 
of hoses may be laid down side by side in extended positions. The drying 
chamber 11 may be closed by means of a cover 12. At one end of the 
receptacle 10, there is provided a hose washing equipment 13, and at the 
other end of the receptacle, there is provided a hose winder 14. A 
trough-shaped hose magazine 15 is provided in front of the washing 
equipment 13. A hose 16, to be cleaned in the plant, may be placed in 
helically coiled state in said magazine in order to be successively 
withdrawn therefrom and through washing equipment 13, in which the hose 16 
is cleaned by being sprayed with water and forced to pass between pairs of 
opposite rotating brushes 17. 
Reference numeral 18 designates a carriage which serves as a hose transport 
device and which is movable on rails 19 extending in the longitudinal 
direction of receptacle 10 and located adjacent to the longitudinal upper 
edges of the receptacle. Said carriage 18 is provided with a driving motor 
23, shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2 and adapted to permit the carriage to 
be driven in both longitudinal directions of receptacle 10. At its end 
facing washing equipment 13, carriage 18 is provided with a number of hose 
holders, generally designated 20, which are spaced apart in the 
transversal direction of the carriage and permit hose 16 to be connected 
releasably with its one end to the carriage in a selected position in the 
transversal direction of the carriage. At the end facing washing equipment 
13, the track for carriage 18 formed by rails 19 extends a length in front 
of drying chamber 11 to form a parking place 21 for the carriage, where 
the carriage may be parked when the drying chamber is to be closed by 
means of cover 12. 
As can be seen from FIG. 2, each hose holder 20 of carriage 18 comprises an 
upper fixed jaw 20', a fixed tongue 20", located at some distance below 
jaw 20' and extending in an inclined downward direction from the end wall 
of the carriage, and a lower movable jaw 20'", having a generally 
forkshaped outer portion with two upstanding legs which are located each 
on one side of tongue 20". By means of the two jaws 20' and 20"', a 
terminal piece 22 connected to the connection piece 16' of hose 16 may be 
releasably attached to the carriage in a position resting on the upper 
portion of tongue 20". By means of a remote controlled electromagnet, 
provided behind the cover of the carriage, the movable jaw 20"' may be 
moved in a downward direction from its illustrated locking position to a 
lower release position in which said jaw will release terminal piece 22 
and permit it to slide out from fixed jaw 20' in a downward direction 
along tongue 20". 
Carriage 18 has two wheel axles and, as indicated in FIG. 2, its driving 
motor 23 is adapted to drive the wheel axle located at the end of the 
carriage turned away from hose holders 20. Hereby it is possible through 
suitable distribution of the weight of the carriage to ensure that the 
carriage will not subject a hose 16 connected thereto to a tension of 
unpermissible magnitude. The tension in the hose will give reason to a 
torque on the carriage 18, around the wheel axle located nearest hose 
holders 20. Said torque will normally be balanced by an opposite torque 
caused by the weight of the carriage. However, when the tensile force in 
the hose reaches a predetermined value, the size of which is determined by 
the weight of the carriage and the position of the centre of gravity of 
the carriage, the first-mentioned torque will tend to tilt the carriage in 
such a direction as to lift the wheels of the driven axle from rails 19. 
As soon as the carriage is subjected to such a tilting tendency the driven 
wheels will start skidding on rails 19. As a consequence, carriage 18 will 
be stopped automatically and it will be prevented from increasing the 
tension in the hose further. 
Since the carriage 18 is provided with a number of different hose holders 
20 which are spaced apart in the transversal direction of the carriage, 
each hose to be cleaned may be connected to the carriage at a position in 
the transversal direction of the carriage selected in view of the desired 
location of the hose in the drying chamber 11. In order to facilitate an 
appropriate positioning of each hose 16 in drying chamber 11, the washing 
equipment 13 and the hose magazine 15 are movable in the transversal 
direction of receptacle 10. Hereby, the position of the washing equipment 
and the hose magazine may be adjusted to fit the position of the selected 
hose holder 20 on carriage 18 before starting the cleaning operation on a 
hose. 
The hose cleaning plant above described may be used in the following 
manner. 
Upon preceding soaking, a hose 16 to be cleaned in the plant is placed in 
coiled state in magazine 15. A short end portion of the hose 16 is unwound 
from the coil, whereupon a terminal piece 22 is mounted on the hose and 
placed in a selected hose holder 20 on the carriage 18, which should be in 
its parking position 21. Simultaneously, the adjacent portion of the hose 
is inserted in the washing equipment 13 between brushes 17. The washing 
equipment is then started and carriage 18 is caused to start moving in a 
direction away from said equipment. Hose 16 will hereby be successively 
withdrawn from magazine 15 through washing equipment 13 and along drying 
chamber 11. When the rear end of the hose reaches the washing equipment, 
carriage 18 is stopped and the hose is taken out from the washing 
equipment, whereupon the rear end of the hose is connected to a hose 
connection provided in the drying chamber. Carriage 18 is then started 
again in order to provide a stretching operation on hose 16, the leading 
end of which is then released from carriage 18 and permitted to fall down 
into drying chamber 11, in which the hose now will rest in extended 
position on a suitable support. 
Carriage 18 may now be returned to its parking position 21 adjacent to 
washing equipment 13, whereupon a washing operation on another hose may be 
initiated. In this case, another hose holder 20 of the carriage than the 
one previously used will be utilized. Additionally, magazine 15 and 
washing equipment 13 are set into new positions adapted to suit the 
position of the hose holder now to be used. The process above described is 
then repeated until a suitable number of hoses have been washed and placed 
side by side in drying chamber 11. 
The hoses are now subjected to a hydrostatic pressure test and any leak 
points are marked in suitable manner. The hoses are then emptied of water, 
whereupon terminal pieces 22, which are provided with built-in check 
valves, are removed from the hoses. The drying chamber 11 is then closed 
by means of cover 12, whereupon a drying process is started during which 
hot air is blown through the hoses as well as around the same within 
drying chamber 11. The required drying time may amount, for instance, to 
one hour. When the drying process has been ended, cover 12 is opened and 
the hoses are disconnected from the hose connections in the drying 
chamber, whereupon each hose is wound into a coil by means of a wind-up 
equipment 14 which may be adjustable in the transversal direction of 
receptacle 10 in order to permit its position to be adapted to the 
position of the hose within the drying chamber. 
Carriage 18 may, as a whole, be arranged for remote controlled operation 
from an operator's place adjacent to washing equipment 13. Further, the 
speed of the carriage 18 may be variable to permit a hose to be drawn 
through the washing equipment at a speed selected in view of how soiled 
the hose is. Additionally, the carriage should preferably be adapted to be 
driven at high speed during its return movement to parking place 21. 
The invention is not restricted to the embodiment above described and shown 
in the drawing. Especially, it should be noted that it may be favourable 
to use, instead of a drier comprising a single drying chamber, a drier 
having two parallel drying chambers which may be charged and operated in 
an alternating manner in order to permit continuous operation of the 
complete hose cleaning plant. Furthermore, instead of magazine 15, it is 
possible to use a flat horizontal support on which the coiled hose may be 
placed in a lying position. In this case, the flat hose will have to be 
turned 90.degree. around its longitudinal axis during its passage from the 
coil to the washing equipment.