JP2008133073A - Handrail and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a handrail made of a thermoplastic material, capable of resolving the problems such as excessive abrasion of a guide caused when rigidity is large, excessive abrasion travel resistance of the guide, an excessive traveling sound, and generation of chatter (vibration) in the handrail, by reducing the rigidity. <P>SOLUTION: This handrail 1 is composed of a tension member 2 continuously arranged in the longitudinal direction of the handrail 1, a core material layer 3 formed around the tension member 2 and composed of thermoplastic elastomer for the core material layer, a decorative layer 4 covering the outer periphery of the core material layer 3 and composed of thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer having hardness lower than the thermoplastic elastomer for the core material layer formed in a cross-sectional C-shape, and a canvas layer 5 lined on a cross-sectional C-shaped inner surface of the decorative layer 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a structure of a moving handrail for escalators, moving walkways, and similar transport devices, and a method of manufacturing the same.

  As a conventional handrail, a rubber handrail has been mainly used.

  As another conventional handrail, there is a handrail made of a thermoplastic material (for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a handrail made of a conventional thermoplastic material. In FIG. 10, the handrail 10 includes a first thermoplastic elastomer layer 11, a second thermoplastic elastomer layer 12, a tensile body 13 embedded in the first thermoplastic elastomer layer 11, and a first thermoplastic elastomer layer. 11 is composed of a canvas layer 14 lined to 11. The first thermoplastic elastomer layer 11 is characterized by being harder than the second thermoplastic elastomer layer 12.

  Since handrails made of thermoplastic material can be manufactured by extrusion, the manufacturing process is shorter than that of rubber handrails and can be supplied at a low cost. In addition, it is characterized by being more glossy than rubber handrails.

  Further, as a handrail made of another thermoplastic material, there is one using a metal belt-like tensile body (for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 3604687 JP 2000-211182 A

  A conventional handrail made of a thermoplastic material has a higher rigidity than a rubber handrail, which causes a problem. Due to the high rigidity, the guide wears out properly, the wear of the drive roller is great, the wear of the drive roller is large, the running resistance is great, the running noise is loud, the noise is generated at the joint of the guide, and the handrail chatters (vibration) Problems occur. Moreover, in the handrail of patent document 2, the metal belt | band | zone is employ | adopted for the tension body, and it is estimated that the problem of rigidity gets worse.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a handrail made of a thermoplastic material, which is excellent in quality and performance and solves the above problems.

  In order to achieve the above object, the handrail of the present invention comprises a core material layer in which a tensile body extending in the longitudinal direction is covered with a thermoplastic elastomer for a core material layer, and the thermoplastic elastomer for a core material layer. It is made of a thermoplastic elastomer for a decorative layer having a low hardness, and has a decorative layer formed in a C-shaped cross section around the core material layer.

  It is possible to realize a handrail made of a thermoplastic material, which can reduce the rigidity and eliminate the problems caused by the large rigidity.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a handrail according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a handrail 1 includes a tensile body 2 continuously provided in the longitudinal direction of the handrail 1, and a core layer 3 made of a thermoplastic elastomer for a core layer formed around the tensile body 2. A decorative layer 4 made of a thermoplastic elastomer for a decorative layer that covers the outer periphery of the core material layer 3 and has a C-shaped cross section, and a canvas layer 5 that is lined on the inner surface of the decorative layer 4 in the C-shaped cross section. Become. The thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer has a lower hardness than the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer. The C-shaped handrail 1 as a whole has a substantially flat central portion 6 and a side end portion 7 that forms a bent portion from the central portion 6.

  (Core material layer) The core material layer 3 is formed thinner than the decorative layer 4, and the thickness thereof is preferably 2 mm or more and 5 mm or less. The core material layer 3 is intended to protect the tensile body 2 from external stress, and its thickness needs to be at least 2 mm. On the other hand, if the core material layer 3 is thick, the rigidity increases and problems due to the rigidity occur. Therefore, the core layer 3 is formed to be 5 mm or less and thinner than the decorative layer 4. The material of the thermoplastic elastomer for the core material layer is urethane, and the hardness is preferably 90 to 100 on the Shore A scale. As the thermoplastic elastomer for the core material layer, polyester elastomer, nylon elastomer, olefin elastomer and the like can be applied.

  The core material layer 3 in which the tensile body 2 is embedded is disposed at a neutral position so that the influence is minimized when the handrail 1 is bent in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. The neutral position depends on the structure and constituent materials of the handrail 1, but in general, the ratio of the position from the surface of the canvas layer 5 to the position from the outer surface of the decorative layer 4 in the center portion 6 of the handrail 1 may be 4: 6. Many.

  (Decorative layer) The decorative layer 4 is formed so that the core layer 3 is embedded and the cross-sectional shape of the entire handrail 1 is C-shaped. A canvas layer 5 is lined on the inner surface of the decorative layer 4 having a C-shaped cross section. The thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer has a lower hardness than the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer. The material of the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer is urethane, and the hardness is preferably 80 to 90 on the Shore A scale. By interposing the decorative layer 4 between the core material layer 3 and the canvas layer 5, the rigidity of the handrail 1 can be reduced. As the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer, polyester elastomer, nylon elastomer, olefin elastomer, and the like can be applied.

  (Second Embodiment) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a handrail according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 2, the same members as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The difference from the first embodiment is that the length of the core material layer 3 surrounding the tensile body 2 is long in the width direction and reaches the region of the side end portion 7 of the handrail 1. In FIG. 2, the thickness of the core material layer 2 is substantially constant, but a portion of the side end portion 7 may be formed thick.

  FIG. 3 is a graph showing the rigidity of the handrail. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the load and the deflection of the prior art urethane handrail, the handrail of the first embodiment of the present invention, the handrail of the second embodiment of the present invention, and the rubber handrail. . The urethane handrail of the prior art is the handrail shown in FIG. 10, and the first thermoplastic elastomer layer 11 occupies 60% of the thickness of the handrail 10 and is made of urethane having a Shore D scale hardness of 40 to 50. The thermoplastic elastomer layer 12 is made of urethane having a hardness of 70 to 85 on the Shore A scale. A steel cord is used for the tensile body 13 and a fabric of natural fiber or synthetic fiber is used for the canvas layer 14. The handrails of the first and second embodiments of the present invention include Shore A scale 95 urethane as the thermoplastic elastomer for the core material layer of the core material layer, and Shore A as the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer of the decorative layer. The scale 85 urethane is used.

  As can be seen from FIG. 3, the rigidity of the handrail of the present embodiment is smaller than that of the urethane handrail of the prior art and approaches the rigidity of the rubber handrail. This is because the core layer having high hardness is covered with the decorative layer having low hardness. As described above, the configuration of the handrail according to the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the rigidity, the wear of the guide due to the large rigidity, the wear of the driving roller, the large running resistance, the large running noise, the noise from the joint of the guide, Problems such as handrail chatter (vibration) are eliminated, and a handrail suitable for traveling can be obtained.

  FIG. 4 is a table showing the opening force of the handrail. In FIG. 4, a jig with a length direction of 48 mm was applied to the handrail, and it was necessary to increase the width between the side end portions (openings) of the C-shaped cross section by 7 mm under the condition that the ambient temperature was 15 ° C. Indicates force (opening force). Generally, the opening force of a handrail made of a thermoplastic material is smaller than that of a rubber handrail. This is because the canvas layer of the handrail made of thermoplastic material is one layer, and the number of layers is small compared to the conventional three to five layers of rubber handrails. This is because the force (opening force) when spreading is reduced. The opening force of the first embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as that of the prior art urethane handrail, but the opening force is increased in the second embodiment of the present invention. This is because, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the length in the width direction of the core material layer 3 is increased so as to be applied to the side end portion 7. Thus, the opening force can be increased by increasing the length of the core material layer 3 in the width direction. Further, the opening force can be increased by increasing the thickness of the core material layer 3 applied to the side end portion 7.

  (Tensile body) Conventionally used ones such as a steel cord can be used as the tensile body 2, but in this embodiment, a nylon core is preferably used for the core of aramid fiber or steel cord having high strength. Nylon cored steel cord should be used. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, 18 steel cords with nylon core are used as the tensile body 2, and in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, aramid fibers are used. In the conventional rubber handrail, one to three canvas layers are provided on the handrail surface side of the tensile body, and this prevents the tensile body from jumping out to the handrail surface. Since the handrail made of thermoplastic material is not provided with a canvas layer on the surface of the handrail of the tensile body, when the steel cord is used as a tensile body, the steel cord can penetrate and jump out of the surface due to damage, etc. There is sex. If an aramid fiber is used as the tensile body, the tensile body can be prevented from jumping out to the surface of the handrail. Since aramid fibers are excellent in high-strength flexibility, it is possible to provide a handrail that can cope with both forward bending and reverse bending without using a driving method such as pinching driving or pulley driving. Further, when a metal steel cord is employed as the tensile body, it is possible to prevent the steel rail core from popping out from the surface of the handrail by employing a resin core such as nylon instead of the metal core strand.

  (Canvas layer) The canvas layer 5 is made of a natural fiber such as cotton, a chemical fiber such as nylon or polyester, or a blended material thereof.

Cotton handrails are mainly used for rubber handrails, but chemical fibers such as polyester canvas with low water absorption are often used for handrails made of thermoplastic materials. Since the chemical fiber canvas has a problem that static electricity tends to accumulate, when using the chemical fiber canvas, it is preferable to woven conductive fibers such as carbon fibers. As the weaving method, a plain weave or a twill weave is selected depending on the use state of the handrail. FIG. 5 is a table showing the electrical characteristics of the handrail. FIG. 5 shows the resistance value of the surface of the handrail of the first embodiment of the present invention in which a rubber handrail using cotton canvas, a conventional urethane handrail using polyester canvas, and conductive fibers are woven. It was. The resistance value of the handrail surface was measured using a 1000 V insulation resistance meter under the conditions of an ambient temperature of 23 ° C. and a relative humidity of 44%. Two electrodes having an outer diameter of 35 mm are used, the distance between the electrodes is set to 100 mm, and this electrode is pressed against the canvas layer to measure the resistance value. Since the canvas has irregularities, a conductive paste was applied between the canvas and the electrode. Whereas the surface resistance of the conventional urethane handrail is 1 × 10 ¹⁰ Ω, the surface resistance of the handrail according to the first embodiment of the present invention in which conductive fibers such as carbon fibers are woven into the canvas is 3 × 10 ^6. Ω, which is smaller than the surface resistance of the rubber handrail of 5 × 10 ⁸ Ω, and can eliminate static electricity during handrail operation.

  When the handrail is used for a long period of time, the crease may occur at the maximum width portion (ear portion). In this case, the thermoplastic material has a higher strength than the rubber, but the elongation is small. Therefore, the handrail made of the thermoplastic material proceeds faster when the crack is generated than the rubber handrail. Moreover, since the handrail made of a thermoplastic material has a small number of canvas layers, once the cracks enter, the progress cannot be suppressed by the canvas. Therefore, it is preferable to bury the end portion 8 in the width direction of the canvas layer 5 in the decorative layer 4 having a predetermined length in order to prevent the occurrence of crisp ears. Preferably, the end portion 8 of the canvas layer 5 is embedded in the decorative layer 4 by 8 mm or more. FIG. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of embedding of the end portion 8 of the canvas layer 5 and the period until the ear rails are creased. It can be seen that when the burying amount is increased, the practical life is extended, and when the burying amount is 8 mm or more, a stable long life can be obtained. This is because if the amount of embedding is above a certain level, problems such as fraying of the canvas due to resistance during running can be prevented. FIG. 7 is a table showing a period of time until the occurrence of an ear bruise of the handrail. The period until the occurrence of the ear crack is 8 years in the first embodiment of the present invention and 9 years in the second embodiment, compared with 5 years of the urethane handrail of the prior art. As described above, in the handrail of the present embodiment, the end of the canvas layer is embedded in the decorative layer having a predetermined length, so that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the life of the handrail due to ear cracks.

  (Manufacturing method) The handrail according to the embodiment of the present invention integrates both the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer and the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer simultaneously with two extruders while supplying the tensile body and the canvas layer. And manufactured by extrusion molding.

  As another manufacturing method, a core material layer having a tensile body inside is extruded in advance, and the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer is integrated with one extruder while supplying the core material layer and the canvas layer. And can be extruded.

  (Handrail connection portion) When the handrail is installed on an escalator, for example, it is cut into a predetermined length after manufacture, and both ends thereof are connected and used as an endless shape. It is desirable for the handrail that the difference in shape and gloss between the connecting portion and the general portion other than the connecting portion is not noticeable. A handrail made of a thermoplastic material has a rigidity higher than that of the general portion at the connecting portion, and irregularities and deformations occur in the appearance, and the connecting portion is thicker than the general portion. As a result, the connection part does not follow the guide and floats up, causing an emergency stop of the escalator device.In addition, the thick part of the connection part is particularly rubbed by the roller, so it loses its gloss quickly and the pressing stress also increases, so the service life is increased. Causes shortening.

  In addition, a handrail made of a thermoplastic material has a characteristic that it is more glossy than a rubber handrail. The gloss of the rubber handrail is about 70 to 80 for both the general part and the connecting part as measured by the gloss meter, whereas the handrail made of thermoplastic material is about 92 to 98 for the general part and 80 to 88 for the connecting part. Degree. Because the handrail made of thermoplastic material has excellent gloss, the difference in gloss between the general part and the connection part is large from the beginning, lacks uniformity, and is noticeable when scratched even slightly. There is a problem that the part where the mark is dropped has a large difference in appearance from other parts.

  In the handrail according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the thickness of the connecting portion is made thinner than the thickness of the general portion. Preferably, the thickness of the connecting portion is 0.05 mm to 0.30 mm thinner than the thickness of the general portion. FIG. 8 is a graph showing a result of testing the retention rate of the life of the handrail by changing the thickness difference between the general part and the connection part (main body part) in the handrail according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The practical life when the thickness difference between the general part and the connection part is 0 is expressed as 100%. As shown in FIG. 8, when the thickness of the connection portion is thicker than that of the general portion, the life is shortened. Although it is common to make the same thickness so that there is no difference in thickness, in this embodiment, it is intentionally made thinner by 0.05 mm or more. If it is too thin, it will appear as a step in appearance, so the thickness difference is preferably 0.3 mm or less.

  Further, in the handrail according to the embodiment of the present invention, the gloss difference of the surface can be reduced by making the gloss of the connection portion and the general portion substantially the same. Preferably, the gloss of the general part is 80 to 90, and the gloss of the connection part is also 80 to 90. The gloss of the general part of the handrail is controlled to be the same as the gloss of the connection part by combining the selection of materials, the extrusion temperature at the time of manufacture, the cooling temperature, etc. with optimum conditions. FIG. 9 is a table showing changes in the gloss of the handrail, and shows the results of measuring the gloss before operation and the gloss after 6 months of operation. The gloss was measured with a gloss meter (gross checker), and the incident angle was set to 60 ° in the measurement. As shown in FIG. 9, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the change in gloss of the connecting portion is smaller than that of the prior art urethane handrail, and the difference in gloss between the general portion and the connecting portion before and after operation. Has not changed. In the handrail of this embodiment, the thickness of the connecting portion is made thinner than that of the general portion, and the pressing force of a roller or the like applied to the connecting portion is smaller than in the conventional technique, and the decrease in gloss of the connecting portion is reduced.

(Operation) The handrail according to the embodiment of the present invention described above has the following effects.
(1) A core, a core layer made of a thermoplastic elastomer for a core material layer formed around the tensile body, and a thermoplastic for the core material layer formed in a C-shaped cross section around the core material layer Adopting a decorative layer made of thermoplastic elastomer for decorative layer, which has a lower hardness than elastomer, and a canvas layer placed on the inner surface of the decorative layer in the C-shaped cross section, the rigidity of the handrail can be reduced. It is possible to provide a handrail made of a thermoplastic material excellent in quality and performance, which eliminates the problems caused by.
(2) The opening force of the handrail can be increased by increasing the length of the core material layer in the width direction so as to be applied to the side end portion of the handrail.
(3) By using an aramid fiber or a steel cord with a nylon core as the tensile body, the tensile body can be prevented from jumping out to the surface of the handrail.
(4) By using a cloth in which conductive fibers are woven into the canvas layer, it is possible to prevent the handrail from generating static electricity.
(5) By embedding the width direction end portion of the canvas layer in the decorative layer having a predetermined length, it is possible to suppress a reduction in the life due to the occurrence of the earrings of the handrail.
(6) Since the thickness of the connection portion of the handrail is made thinner than that of the general portion, the life of the handrail can be extended.
(7) By making the thickness of the connecting part of the handrail thinner than the general part and making the gloss of the connecting part and the general part almost the same, the appearance of the entire handrail should be uniform and stable for a long time. Can do.

  Application Example The handrail of the present invention can be applied as a moving handrail for escalators, moving walkways, and similar transport devices. Moreover, the practical performance is remarkably improved as compared with the conventional handrail, and it can be widely applied instead of the rubber handrail.

It is sectional drawing of 1st Embodiment of the handrail of this invention. It is sectional drawing of 2nd Embodiment of the handrail of this invention. It is a graph which shows the rigidity of a handrail. It is a table | surface which shows the opening force of a handrail. It is a table | surface which shows the electrical property of a handrail. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the amount of embedding to the side edge part of the canvas of a handrail, and the period until an ear crisp. It is a table | surface which shows the period until the ear crack generation | occurrence | production of a handrail. It is a graph which shows the thickness difference of the connection part of a handrail, and the relationship of a lifetime. It is a table | surface which shows the change of the glossiness of a handrail. It is sectional drawing of the handrail of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hand rail 2 Tensile body 3 Core material layer 4 Cosmetic layer 5 Canvas layer 6 Center part 7 Side edge part 8 End part of canvas layer 10 Hand rail 11 1st thermoplastic elastomer layer 12 2nd thermoplastic elastomer layer 13 Tensile body 14 Canvas layer

Claims (17)

A core layer coated with a thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer around a tensile body extending in the longitudinal direction;
A hand rail comprising a decorative layer made of a thermoplastic elastomer for a decorative layer having a lower hardness than the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer, and having a decorative layer formed in a C-shaped cross section around the core layer. .   The hardness of the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer is 90 to 100 on the Shore A scale, and the hardness of the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer is 80 to 90 on the Shore A scale. Handrail.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the core material layer is formed to be thinner than the decorative layer.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the core material layer is 2 mm or more and 5 mm or less.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer for the core layer is made of urethane.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the material of the thermoplastic elastomer for the decorative layer is urethane.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the width of the core material layer is formed to be a length of a bent portion of the handrail having a C-shaped cross section.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the tensile body is an aramid fiber having high strength.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the tensile body is a metal steel cord using a resinous core as a core of the steel cord.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein a canvas layer is provided on a C-shaped inner surface of the decorative layer, and a cloth in which conductive fibers are woven into the canvas layer is used.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein a canvas layer is provided on a C-shaped inner surface of the decorative layer, and an end portion in the width direction of the canvas layer is embedded in the decorative layer with a predetermined length.   The handrail according to claim 11, wherein an end portion of the canvas layer is embedded in the decorative layer by 8 mm or more.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the surface of the connecting portion of the handrail is made thinner than the surface of the general portion other than the connecting portion.   14. The handrail according to claim 13, wherein the thickness of the surface of the connection portion is 0.05 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less thinner than the surface of the general portion.   The handrail according to claim 1, wherein the gloss of the surface of the general part is 80 to 90 with a gloss meter (incident angle is 60 °), and the gloss of the surface of the connection part is 80 to 90. It is a manufacturing method of the handrail of Claim 1,
A method for producing a handrail, comprising: extruding a thermoplastic elastomer for a decorative layer at the same time as extruding a thermoplastic elastomer for a core layer around a tensile body, and integrally molding the two. It is a manufacturing method of the handrail of Claim 1,
A method for producing a handrail, comprising: extruding a core material layer having a tensile body therein in advance, and extruding a thermoplastic elastomer for a decorative layer around the core material layer and integrally forming the same.

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