Clamp having a core layer of rigid polyurethane

1. A clamp for mounting around a tubular member, said clamp comprising one or more segments adapted to surround the tubular member, each segment incorporating a creep resistant material, the creep resistant material comprising a core layer of rigid polyurethane with a first tensile reinforcement layer applied on one surface and a second tensile reinforcement layer applied on an opposed second surface of the core layer, the entire respective first and second tensile reinforcement layers being in contact with the respective first and second surfaces of the core layer of the material.

2. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the core layer further comprises nylon.

3. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the tensile reinforcement layers have a higher tensile modulus and a higher tensile strength that the core layer of the material.

4. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the tensile reinforcement layers comprises a fibre-reinforced composite material or a corrosion resistant metal sheet.

5. A clamp according to claim 3 , wherein the tensile reinforcement layers include woven or non-woven mat material.

6. A clamp according to claim 5 , wherein the mat material is a triaxial, biaxial or axial matting.

7. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein each tensile reinforcement layer comprises two or more layers of material laminated together and/or onto the core layer.

8. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the reinforcement layers are bonded to the core layer of the material.

9. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the tensile reinforcement layers are around about 3-20 mm thick.

10. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the core layer of the material comprises a rigid polyurethane with a hardness of greater than 60 shore D.

11. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the clamp segments comprise first and second arcuate sections which are spaced from one another by one or more spars.

12. A clamp according to claim 11 , wherein the creep resistant material extends between the arcuate sections of the clamp segments.

13. A clamp according to claim 11 , wherein the arcuate sections of the clamp comprise polyurethane.

14. A clamp according to claim 1 , further comprising fixing means provided on the clamp segments to enable connection between adjacent clamp segments.

15. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein each clamp segment comprises a region of enlarged thickness at each end of the segment, wherein the regions of enlarged thickness form a shoulder at the ends of the segments.

16. A clamp according to claim 15 , further comprising fixing means provided on the clamp segments to enable connection between adjacent clamp segments, wherein the fixing means connect the regions of enlarged thickness of adjacent clamp segments.

17. A clamp according to claim 1 , wherein the clamp further comprises one or more clamping elements mounted on an internal surface of each clamp segment, wherein the clamping elements comprise a resilient material.

18. A clamp according to claim 17 , wherein the clamping elements are mounted to the reinforcement layer of the clamp segments.

19. A method of forming components of a clamp for mounting around a tubular member, the method comprising steps of:

providing a trough mould shaped to form multiple segments of the clamp,

partly filling the mould with a polyurethane and allowing the polyurethane to cure in the mould to form a cured rigid polyurethane material,

removing the cured rigid polyurethane material from the mould and cutting through individual segments to form separate polyurethane segments, and

applying a first tensile reinforcement layer to a first surface of each of the polyurethane segments and applying a second tensile reinforcement layer to a second surface of each of the polyurethane segments.

20. A method of forming components of a clamp according to claim 19 , wherein the reinforcement material is draped over or pumped into the mould to coat the inner surfaces of the mould before the polyurethane is added to the mould.

21. A method of forming components of a clamp according to claim 20 , wherein the polyurethane is pumped into the mould onto the reinforcement covered inner surface of the mould.

22. A method of forming components of a clamp according to claim 19 , further comprising the step of separating the individual moulded segments of the clamp by machine cutting through the moulded component at spaced intervals.