JP3452370B2 - Flexible tube for transferring chlorine-containing hot water - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible tube having excellent durability against hot water containing chlorine such as hot tap water. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flexible tube used for the purpose of transferring and supplying hot tap water to, for example, a local cleaning device provided in a Western style toilet or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a local cleaning device installed in a Western-style toilet, hot tap water is transferred and supplied to a desired place by using a hot water supply pipe provided inside the device. Generally, the injection mechanism of this type of local cleaning device is configured so that hot tap water in a water storage tank provided in the device passes through a hot water supply pipe and is injected from a hot water injector such as a cleaning nozzle. As a hot water supply pipe for connecting the water storage tank to the hot water injector, a silicone rubber tube having excellent heat resistance and flexibility has been conventionally used. Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-33875 describes in detail an example of piping for a hot water supply pipe used in a local cleaning device. A silicone rubber tube is molded in a semi-crosslinked state, and its shape is fixed by hot air crosslinking. Therefore, as shown in the above publication, it can be used by being bent into an "S" shape.

[0003]

However, when the silicone rubber tube is in contact with hot tap water for a long period of time, it is contained in chlorine (actually, in the form of hypochlorous acid, etc.) contained in the hot tap water. That is, the tube material is deteriorated and the tube material is thinned and cracked. In addition, since the silicone rubber tube is soft and has poor elasticity, it may be flattened or bent during use, which may hinder the transfer of hot tap water.

The present invention has been made on the basis of such a point, and the object thereof is not to be affected by chlorine-containing hot water for a long period of time, and it is preferably formed into an "S" shape by some method. It is possible to provide a flexible tube which can be used and is equivalent to or more than a silicone rubber tube in terms of usability, and which can stably transfer hot tap water without being deformed such as being crushed or bent during use. .

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a flexible tube containing chlorine containing hot water according to claim 1 of the present invention is mainly composed of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer and has a Vicat softening point of 40 ° C. Over ethylene
It is characterized by being formed by crosslinking a composition in which a polymer is mixed . Also, transfer of hot water containing chlorine according to claim 2
The flexible tube is for transporting hot water containing chlorine according to claim 1.
In a flexible tube, the composition is tetrafluoro
With respect to 100 parts by weight of polyethylene-propylene copolymer,
Ethylene polymer 10 having a Vicat softening point of over 40 ° C
Characterized by mixing more than 50 parts by weight
It is what that's all

As the tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer, for example, one commercially available from Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. under the trade name of Aflas may be used, and the present invention can be used by adding various fillers and crosslinking agents. In the composition. After the composition is extruded, the composition is heat-crosslinked by a known method to form a crosslinked tube.
The crosslinking may be electron beam crosslinking, and in this case, the crosslinking agent in the composition is not particularly necessary.

The above composition is also preferably JIS K 6730 (1) in order to shape the tube into an "S" shape.
981), it preferably contains an ethylene-based polymer having a Vicat softening point of higher than 40 ° C., and more preferably the ethylene-based polymer is based on 100 parts by weight of a tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer. 10,
It is preferable that the mixing amount is 50 parts by weight or more and 50 parts by weight or less.
The "S" -shaped shaping is performed by heat setting using crystals of an ethylene-based polymer. Any ethylene-based polymer may be used as long as it has a Vicat softening point of higher than 40 ° C., but preferably 100 ° C. or lower is used to ensure flexibility. When the Vicat softening point is lower than 40 ° C, the "S" shape is broken when the hot tap water is transferred, which is not preferable. Further, if the mixing amount of the ethylene-based polymer is less than 10 parts by weight, the heat setting is insufficient, and if it exceeds 50 parts by weight, the flexibility is slightly lost and the chlorine-containing hot water is deteriorated, which is not preferable. .

[0008]

[Operation] Since the tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer has both the property of not deteriorating even if it is exposed to warm water containing chlorine for a long time and the flexibility, the tube made of a composition mainly made of this is made of chlorine. It is optimal for use in equipment that uses hot water. Further, when the composition mainly composed of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer contains an ethylene-based polymer, a desired "S" shape such as an "S" shape can be obtained by heat setting while maintaining the above excellent properties. It can be shaped. Further, the tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer is also excellent in elastic force,
Deformation such as crushing and bending of the tube during use does not occur, and hot water can be stably transferred.

[0009]

EXAMPLES The contents of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. Example 1 First, as Example 1, 100 parts by weight of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer, 60 parts by weight of food grade calcium carbonate, and triallyl isocyanurate 3 were added.
A tube was prepared by extruding a composition obtained by mixing 2 parts by weight of dicumyl peroxide and 2 parts by weight of dicumyl peroxide into an outer diameter of 7.5 mm and an inner diameter of 5 mm. This tube is JIS hardness 73
(JIS K 6301 A type) showed moderate flexibility.

Comparative Example Next, in order to evaluate the characteristics of the tube of Example 1 in comparison with conventional products, as a comparative example, a commercially available silicone rubber [manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd.,
After mixing the trade name: TSE2571-u] with the cross-linking agent,
A tube was extruded in the same manner as in Example 1 and immediately hot-air crosslinked (primary crosslinked) was further crosslinked at 150 ° C. for 2 hours to prepare secondary crosslinking.

Here, the tube of Example 1 and the tube of Comparative Example were subjected to a comparative test for chlorine-containing hot water by the following method. First, each tube was vertically cut and punched with a No. 2 dumbbell specified in JIS K 6301 to obtain a test sample. Then, as an accelerated test for those samples, 10 including the bleached powder 50PPM was used.
It was immersed in warm water of 0 ° C. and left to stand. It is taken out every one week after immersion, and each test of hardness, tensile strength and elongation is performed according to JIS K 63.
01 and compared with the normal state. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0012]

[Table 1]

Example 2 As Example 2, in the composition of Example 1, 70 parts by weight of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer and ethylene were used instead of 100 parts by weight of tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer. -Tube in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a mixture of 30 parts by weight of methyl methacrylate copolymer [Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., trade name: Acryft, grade: WH401, Vicat softening point 50 ° C] was used. Was produced. This tube is also J
It showed an IS hardness of 76 (JIS K 6301 A type) and an appropriate degree of flexibility. Further, the chlorine-containing hot water was evaluated by conducting the same test as in Example 1. The results are also shown in Table 1.

In addition to the above tests, the deformation resistance and the formability were also evaluated in this example. First, in the evaluation of deformation resistance, a sample of about 300 mm is taken from each tube, and a circle is formed while holding both ends of the sample. Further, the both ends are crossed and pulled in the horizontal direction to gradually reduce the inner diameter of the circle. At this time, the bending diameter immediately before the sample was crushed or bent was measured with a metal ruler. To evaluate the formability, clamp the tube so that it has an "S" shape, and
Heated for 5 minutes. Immediately thereafter, the water was cooled and the clamp was opened, and then the clamp was left at 40 ° C. for 12 hours, and it was visually confirmed whether or not it was shaped as shown in FIG. These results are also shown in Table 1.

As can be seen from the results shown in Table 1, the tubes according to the present invention (Examples 1 and 2) have high durability against the chlorine-containing hot water, and the manner of change is also essential. It can be seen that it is different from the silicone rubber tube (comparative example). Further, the tube of Example 2 to which the ethylene polymer having a Vicat softening point of higher than 40 ° C. was added, can be shaped, and is suitable for use in a local cleaning device equipped in a Western-style toilet.

[0016]

As described in detail above, the flexible tube for transporting hot water containing chlorine according to the present invention has excellent resistance to hot water containing chlorine and flexibility and can be shaped into a desired shape. The hot tap water can be stably transferred without deformation during use. Therefore, it can be used not only with a local cleaning device installed in a Western-style toilet, but also with all equipment that uses hot water containing chlorine, such as hot tap water, which can greatly contribute to improving the performance and safety of the equipment. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a flexible tube for transferring hot water containing chlorine according to the present invention is shaped into an “S” shape.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 tube

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Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A flexible tube for transporting chlorine-containing hot water, the tube is tetrafluoroethylene - mainly of propylene copolymer, the Vicat softening point of 40 ° C.
A flexible tube for transporting hot water containing chlorine, which is obtained by cross-linking a composition in which an ethylene-based polymer exceeding the above is cross-linked. 2. The flexible tube for transporting hot water containing chlorine according to claim 1, wherein the composition is tetrafluoroethane.
100 parts by weight of the ethylene-propylene copolymer,
Ethylene polymer having a softening point of over 40 ° C 10 weight
1 to 50 parts by weight are mixed, and a chlorine-containing hot water transfer flexible tube is characterized.