Hybrid chain link
The present invention relates to a chain link comprising a strip comprising warp yarns and weft yarns, with the warp yarns containing warp yarn A and warp yarn B, with the minimum creep rate of warp yarn B being higher than the minimum creep rate of warp yarn A, wherein the strip comprises a longitudinal core section and at least two longitudinal edge sections, and wherein the concentration of warp yarn A in the core section is higher than the concentration of yarn A in the edge sections of the strip and the concentration of warp yarn B in the edge sections is higher than the concentration of warp yarn B in the core section of the strip. The invention also relates to a chain comprising said chain link and to use of said chain in different applications.
1. A chain link comprising a strip of fabric comprising woven weft yarns and warp yarns, wherein
the warp yarns comprised of warp yarn A and warp yarn B each comprised of a plurality of polyolefin filaments having a tenacity of at least 1.2 N/tex and respective minimum creep rates measured at a tension of 900 MPa and a temperature of 30° C., wherein the minimum creep rate of warp yarn B is higher than the minimum creep rate of warp yarn A such that a ratio of the minimum creep rate of the warp yarn B to the minimum creep rate of the warp yarn A is at least 2, and wherein
the strip comprises a longitudinal core section and at least two longitudinal edge sections adjacent to and facing laterally outwardly from the core section such that the core section is located between the longitudinal edge section in the strip, wherein each of the longitudinal core section and the at least two longitudinal edge sections have respective concentrations of the warp yarn A and warp yarn B, and wherein
the concentration of the warp yarn A in the core section is higher than the concentration of the warp yarn A in the edge sections of the strip and the concentration of the warp yarn B in the edge sections is higher than the concentration of the warp yarn B in the core section, and wherein
the concentration of the warp yarn B in the core section is from 0 wt % to 20 wt %, based on total weight of the warp yarns in the core section, wherein
the warp yarn A and the warp yarn B are present in the strip of fabric in an amount to achieve a weight ratio of the warp yarn A to the warp yarn B (A/B) of 0.1≤A/B≤10.
2. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein the minimum creep rate of the warp yarn A is at most 1×10 −5 % per second measured at a tension of 900 MPa and a temperature of 30° C.
3. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein each of the warp yarn A and the warp yarn B is comprised of a plurality of high performance polyethylene filaments.
4. The chain link of claim 3 , wherein the warp yarn A comprises a plurality of high performance polyethylene filaments comprising an olefinic branched polyolefin.
5. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein the warp yarns in the edge sections have a length that is higher than a length of the warp yarns in the core section of the strip.
6. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the warp yarn B in each of the at least two longitudinal edge sections is from 100 wt % to 50 wt %, based on total weight of the warp yarns of each of the edge sections.
7. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the strip forms a plurality of convolutions, the strip having a longitudinal axis and each convolution of the strip comprises a twist along the longitudinal axis of the strip which is an odd multiple of 180 degrees.
8. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein each of the warp yarn A and the warp yarn B comprise a plurality of polyethylene filaments.
9. The chain link of claim 8 , wherein the polyethylene is an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).
10. The chain link of claim 4 , wherein the high performance yarn is an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) comprising olefinic branches.
11. The chain link of claim 10 , wherein the olefinic branches of the UHMPE comprise alkyl branches.
12. The chain link of claim 11 , wherein the alkyl branches of the UHMPE comprise ethyl or butyl branches.
13. The chain link of claim 10 , wherein the UHMWPE has an amount of olefinic branches per thousand carbon atoms (OB/1000 C) of between 0.05 and 1.30.
14. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein the OB/1000C of the UHMWPE is between 0.1 and 1.10.
15. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein the warp yarn A and the warp yarn B have different titers.
16. The chain link of claim 15 , wherein the warp yarn A has a titer which is higher than a titer of warp yarn B.
17. The chain link of claim 1 , wherein
each of the longitudinal edge sections of the strip further comprises a warp yarn C comprised in each of the longitudinal edge sections, and wherein
the warp yarn A has a titer which is higher than a titer of the warp yarn B, and the titer of the warp yarn B is higher than a titer of warp yarn C, and wherein
the concentration of the warp yarns B and C in the longitudinal edge sections is higher than the concentration of warp yarns B and C in the core section of the strip.
18. The chain link of claim 17 , wherein the warp yarn C is located at an outermost longitudinal edge section of the strip.
19. The chain link of claim 15 , wherein the titer of the warp yarn A is in a range of from 2000 dtex to 3000 dtex.
20. The chain link of claim 15 , wherein the titer of the warp yarn B is in a range of from 800 dtex to 3000 dtex.
21. The chain link of claim 17 , wherein the titer of the warp yarn C is in a range of from 220 dtex to 7500 dtex.
22. The chain link according to claim 7 , wherein the strip is coiled into a plurality of overlapping layers which are substantially superimposed upon one another.
23. The chain link according to claim 22 , wherein the chain link comprises at least 4 of the convolutions of the strip of material.
24. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the minimum creep rate of warp yarn B to the minimum creep rate of warp yarn A is at least 5.
25. The chain link according to claim 2 , wherein the minimum creep rate of warp yarn A is at most 4×10 −6 % per second measured at a tension of 900 MPa and a temperature of 30° C.
26. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the minimum creep rate of warp yarn B to the minimum creep rate of warp yarn A is at least 10.
27. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the warp yarn A consists of filaments formed of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).
28. The chain link according to claim 27 , wherein the UHMWPE comprise an amount of 0.10 to 1.10 olefinic branches per thousand carbon atoms (OB/1000 C).
29. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the warp yarn B in the core section is from 0 wt. % to 10 wt. %, based on total weight of the warp yarns in the core section.
30. The chain link according to claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the warp yarn B in the core section is from 0 wt. %, based on total weight of the warp yarns in the core section.
31. A chain comprising the chain link according to claim 1 .