Method for covering elongated articles, in particular lines

1 . A method of jacketing elongate items with an adhesive tape comprising a carrier in strip form that has been provided with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on at least one side, wherein the adhesive comprises a polymeric film former matrix and a curable composition, wherein the curable composition comprises one or more epoxy resins and at least one curing reagent for epoxy resins, wherein the curing reagent comprises at least one epoxy-amine adduct that is the reaction product of (A) at least one epoxy compound comprising a molecule having at least one cyclic ether group and (B) at least one amine compound, said at least one epoxy-amine adduct having a softening point of at least 100° C., said adhesive tape having a storability (Lf) as determined by dynamic differential calorimetry (DSC) of ≥0.82 after storage for 10 days at 60° C., said method comprising running the adhesive tape in a helical line around the elongate item or wrapping the elongate item by the adhesive tape in an axial direction, putting the elongate item together with the adhesive tape in a desired arrangement, holding the elongate item and the adhesive tape in this arrangement, and making the curable composition to cure by supplying thermal energy.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the compound having at least one cyclic ether group is a polyfunctional epoxy compound.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amine compound is a compound comprising at least one tertiary amino group.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a further starting material added in the preparation of the epoxy-amine adduct is a stabilizing component.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the stabilizing component is used in the presence of 0.05 to 5.0 molar equivalents of water per molar equivalent of epoxy groups in the compound of the epoxy-amine adduct having the at least one cyclic ether group.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the epoxy-amine adduct is used in particulate form.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the epoxy compound is a polyfunctional epoxy compound selected from a polyglycidyl ether, a polyglycidyl ether ester, a polyglycidyl ester, a glycidylamine, an epoxidized novolak, or an epoxidized polyolefin.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amine compound conforms to one of the following general formulae:

where

X is —OH, —NH 2 , —NH or —SH,

R 1 and R 2 are independently selected from the group consisting of

hydrogen atoms,

C 1 - to C 20 -alkyl groups,

C 2 - to C 20 -alkenyl groups,

unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbyl groups,

substituted aromatic hydrocarbyl groups, optionally substituted by oxygen, halogen, —OH, —NH 2 , —NH and/or —SH,

R 3 is a saturated or unsaturated, unbranched or branched hydrocarbon chain having 1 to 20 carbon atoms,

R 4 is a saturated or unsaturated, unbranched or branched hydrocarbon chain having one to 20 carbon atoms,

R 5 is a cyclic aliphatic or aromatic, saturated or unsaturated, substituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbon radical which has two bonds to the nitrogen atom and has 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and which may be partly substituted by heteroatoms,

R 6 , R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are independently selected from the group consisting of

hydrogen atoms,

C 1 - to C 20 -alkyl groups,

C 2 - to C 20 -alkenyl groups,

unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbyl groups,

substituted aromatic hydrocarbyl groups, optionally substituted by oxygen, halogen, —OH, —NH 2 , —NH and/or —SH,

—OH, —NH 2 , —NH and/or —SH,

with the proviso that

R 9 =H or that at least one of the R 6 , R 7 and/or R 8 groups is one of the —OH, —NH 2 , —NH or —SH groups.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amine compound is selected from the group consisting of:

2-dimethylaminoethanol, 1-methyl-2-dimethylaminoethanol, 1-phenoxymethyl-2-dimethylaminoethanol, 2-diethylaminoethanol, 1-butoxymethyl-2-dimethylaminoethanol, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl)-2-methylimidazole, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl)-2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-butoxypropyl)-2-methylimidazole, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-butoxypropyl)-2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl)-2-phenylimidazoline, 1-(2-hydroxy-3-butoxypropyl)-2-methylimidazoline, 2-(dimethylaminomethyl) phenol, 2,4,6-tris(dimethylaminomethyl) phenol, N-β-hydroxyethylmorpholine, 2-dimethylaminoethylamine, 3-dimethylamino-n-propylamine, 2-diethylaminoethylamine, 3-diethylamino-n-propylamine, N-methylpiperazine, imidazole, 2-methylimidazole, 2-ethylimidazole, 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole, 2-isopropylimidazole, 2-undecylimidazole, 2-octadecylimidazole, 2-phenylimidazole, 2-phenyl-4-methylimidazole, 2-dimethylaminoethanethiol, methimazole, 2-mercaptobenzoimidazole, and 2-mercaptobenzothiazole.

10 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin used is an elastomer-modified epoxy resin.

11 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin used is a fatty acid-modified epoxy resin.

12 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the curing reagent comprises one or more compounds other than the epoxy-amine adduct as curing agent or accelerator for the curing reaction of the epoxy resin.

13 . The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the curing agent or accelerator other than the epoxy-amine adduct are selected from the group consisting of:

dicyandiamide

anhydrides

blocked or unblocked imidazoles

hydrazides

reaction products of diacids and polyfunctional amines.

14 . A jacketed elongate item obtained according to claim 1 .

15 . A vehicle comprising a jacketed elongate item as claimed in claim 14 .