ANGUS FIRE
INTRODUCTION TO FIRE HOSE
TRAINING MANUAL
1. PRINCIPLES OF FIRE HOSE DESIGN
The Angus range of fire hose is extensive and its
application wider than simply carriage of water for fire
fighting purposes. The common feature of the hose is
that it iscollapsibleand sufficientlyflexibleto becoiled.
i.e., we are in the layftat hose business.
Ideally layflat hose should incorporate the following
features and perhaps a number of others.
1 .l Mildew resistance.
1.2 Ozone resistance.
1.3 Resistance to oil. gasoline, grease seawater,
acid and alkali.
1.4 Resistance to extremes of climatic temperature.
1.5 Resistance to chemicals and chemical.fumes.
1.6 Burning resistance.
1.7 Resistance to abrasion, punctures and gouging.
1.6 Minimum maintenance-i.e., no drying.
1.9 Waterproof.
1 .l 0 Easily cleaned.
1.11 Flexible with good drape properties.
1.12 Ease of handling (wet and dry).
1.13 Light Weight.
1.14 Small coil diameter.
1 .15 Ease of repair.
1.16 Long Life-low cost/days SeWiCe.
1.17 High Adhesion of lining to jacket.
1.16 Minimum snaking.
1.19 Rugged construction.
1.20 Compliance with specification, e.g., burst, swell,
elongation.
Manyoftheserequirementsalmostcertainlyconflict.
e.g., rugged v. lightweight but more importantly users
requirements differ and they themselves seek a com-
promise which is defined by the price they are pre-
pared to pay for the product or more preferably the
package they are purchasing (i.e., a combination of
product and service). The key task is to identify the
individual users requirement and to enable him to
select the most appropriate Angus product.
2. FIRE HOSE REINFORCEMENT
The lining stops leaks, but in general cannot hold
much pressure and certainly does not resist impact,
abrasion etc. Hence the need for the hose jacket. i.e.
the textile tube around the lining giving pressure
resistance and other properties e.g. abrasion
resistance, burn resistance. The materials involved
and the way they are used are important. They are the
chief variation in hose design - the principle source of
performance properties.
HOSE MATERIALS (YARNS)
COMMONLY FOUND
FLAX (LINEN)
1. Natural fiber.
2. Swells when wet and therefore reduces percolation.
3. Very strong when wet. Weak when dry (i.e. when
natural moisture removed).
4. Coil size drastically increased when hose is wet.
Hose is also stiff and hard when wet.
5. Two qualities of yarn:
1. Line (Long staple) 2. Tow (Short staple)
1
Line yarn is therefore stronger than tow for same
yarn count
6. Requires anti-mildew treatment.
7. Rarely used today.
COTTON
1. Natural fiber.
2. Does not swell when wet.
3. Strength is increased by wetting but not as much as
flax.
4. Requires anti-mildew treatment.
5. Usage decreasing in favor of synthetics.
NYLON AND POLYESTER
1. Man-made fiber.
2. Can be continuous filament or staple yarn.
Continuous filament yarn (C.F.)
A. Very strong for weight of yarn, therefore lighter,
stronger hoses can be made.
B. Polyester usually less extensive than nylon.
C. Not affected by mildew.
D. Adhesion of ‘rubber’ lining to Polyester more
difficult than nylon
Staple Yarn.
A. Weaker and more extensible than C.F. yarns.
B. Strength can vary depending on type of
machinery used for making the yarn (i.e. length
of staple).
USAGE OF MATERIALS (YARNS)
Flax (Linen)
Flax yarns were used mainly in unlined hoses
because of the property of flax swelling when wet and
therefore helping to reduce the percolation from the
hose.
Line yarns are more expensive than tow yarns and
therefore the cheaper and lower quality hoses were
made from tow yarns.
Nowadays flax is very expensive and difficult to
obtain and therefore its use has declined. At present it
is not used at all by Angus Fire Armour.
cotton
As hose linings were introduced it became pos-
sible to use yarns other than flax and because cotton
was cheaper than flax and was a good abrasion
resistant varn it became the standard varn for lined
hose jack&s.
When nvlon was first introduced it was only used as
a weft y&n, cotton being retained as the warp yarn
because it gave good cover to the weft and good
abrasion resistance.
Cotton is still used to a limited extent in some
specialist hoses.
Nylon and Polyester Continuous Filament
In view of its lower extensibility Polyester is used for
most of our conventional hose wefts.
In Angus Covered hoses the majority of the jackets
are nylon both warp and weft in order to have as high
adhesion to the liner as possible, but in a few cases in
order to meet special specifications requirements we
use Polyester in the warp or weft as required.
Yarn Preparation Definitions
Our synthetic yarns are purchased as singles yarn. 1. Wrap -The yarn running length-
These are the “building blocks” for all the variations of wise down a hose.
ply and twist used in hose design. 2. Weft (Filler) - The yarn running circum-
Our yarn twisting machine is able to work at speed of ferentially around a hose.
5000 RPM and employs electronic detection for yarn 3. Picks Per Inch - The number of weft yarns
breaks. The finished yarn leaves on packages which are measured over a distance
suitable for use on the looms. of one inch.
4. Number Per Mail -The number of yarns
Circular Looms running togetherthrough
Circular looms for fire hose were invented by the mail in a loom with
Reddaways of Manchester, England in the late 19th healds or the number of
century. Reddaways is now part of Angus. Since that yarns running together to
time there have been a number of developments such the weaving point in a
as photo-electric cells to stop the looms when a weft Star wheel loom.
package is about to run out, and new methods of 5. Total Number of Ends -The total number of warp
moving the warps up and down for the weaving yarns in the hose.
process. 6. Ends Per Inch This expression is very rarely
In Angier, there are two types of loom in use. We refer used today as it does not
to them as UN. and Mandal. Each has special features have any clearly defined
of interest. meaning
The U.N. Loom uses two weft packages but these Jacket Inspection
feed a single shuttle placing one weft circle per
There is no substitute for the human eye for detecting
revolution. The warps are moved up and down by a
faults in hose jackets. The hose is arranged to pass
“starwheel” which is driven by the warp itself. The
over an inspectors board so that both surfaces are
tension of the yarn is controlled by springs. The loom
presented in succession. Minor faults are repaired as
speed is approximately 200 RPM.
they are found. Major faults are cut out completely.
The Mandal Loom uses some features of the U.N.
Loom, but performs somewhat differently. It has two
weft packages feeding two shuttles and a "starwheel" HOSE MATERIALS/COATINGS/COVER/LINING
which is driven on the rack and pinion principle and The outside of the hose will be subject to much
not by the warp yarn. It is the most versatile loom that abuse and wear. impact, burning, contamination etc.
we have with a speed of 70-100 RPM. There are three approaches in design terms each
having significant effect on performance and cost.
WEAVING 1) A surface of textile reinforcement i.e. the jacket.
Some of our hoses are “TWILL” woven and some are Known as Uncoated Hose.
manufactured in “PLAIN” weave. 2) The jacket coated, skimmed or dipped with a
In the plain weave each warp yarn goes over one protective material. Known as Coated Hose.
weft yarn and then under one weft yarn alternately. In 3) A radically different approach known as covered
twill weave each warp yarn goes over two weft yarns hose in which lining and cover are integral e.g.
and then under one weft yarn alternately. In addition Redskin. Blueskin, Redchief, Hi-Vol.
each warp yarn lies one weft further on than its left
hand neighbor and so the diagonal effect oft will weave HOSE COATINGS
is obtained. In plain weave half the warp is on the (ND.: Not Coven)
outside of the hose and half on the inside. In twill weave Ideal requirements of a coating:
two thirds of the warp yarn is on the outside of the hose
and only one third on the inside. This means that a twill (i) Good adhesion generally to synthetic fibers.
woven hose will stand more abrasion to the warp yarn (ii) Good weathering characteristics.
before the weft yarns are affected. (See Diagram 1) (iii) Good abrasion resistance.
(iv) Good appearance-which should remain during
Diagram 1. service.
(v) Resistance to chemicals and solvents.
(vi) Resistance to mildew attack.
(vii) Flame resistance.
Thefollowing materialsare normally used in the Fire
Hose Industry.
Trade or Generic Name Chemical Name
p.v.c.P.V.C. Polyvinylchloride
Neoprene (CR.)‘” Polychloroprene
Hypalon Chloro sulphonated
polyethylene
Polyurethane (P.U.) As Trade Name
Plain Weave Twill Weave Acrylic As Trade Name

T.M. of DuPont Corporation

2
 General Comparison of Properties Hose Coatings
Key: P = Poor F = Fair G = Good VG = Very Good E = Excellent
Property P.V.C. C.R. Hypalon P.U. Acrylic
Weathering G G G F to G G
Color Stability G P G G G
Ozone Resistance VG VG VG E VG
Flame Resistance VG VG VG F VG
Heat Resistance VG G P P G
General Chemical &
Solvent Resistance G G VG E G
Tear and Abrasion Resistance F G G E F
Mildew Resistance G G G P G
Hydrolysis Resistance E VG VG P G

HOSE COVERS
Rubber - Cover/Lining custom mixed exclusively for
AFAC - (Tubes or Covers)
Great care is taken to ensure that rubber is mixed
exactly in accordance with the formulation mixing
cycle and specification. Banbury type mixers are used
which can produce from 100 1500 lbs. of material
every 5 minutes. The rubber drops onto a two roll mill
where it is formed into a sheet.
COVERED HOSES - REDSKIN, REDCHIEF, HI-VOL
1. Construction
All Angus Covered Hoses are made from an all
synthetic jacket (generally all nylon aid adhesion)
totally encapsulated in a Nitrile rubber blend which is
extruded over and through the textile to form a high
quality unified lining and cover (not just a thin superfi-
cial coating). The process gives extremely high
adhesion between lining. jacket and cover, not just by
chemical means but also by pillar adhesion i.e. contact
between the lining and cover through the jacket.
Following extrusion the outer cover is cooled and
subsequently pinpricked to a predetermined depth
(down to the textile) in order to release volatile gases
evolved during curing. However an additional benefit
of this feature is that if accidental damage to the hose
lining takes place and water is forced into the textile it
can escape through these pinholes thereby confining
damage to a small easily repaired area and avoiding
large scale cover delamination.
The curing process (vulcanization) takes place after
pinholing in order to achieve the full performance
potential of the rubber and in effect using low pressure
steam over a carefully controlled time cycle.
(See Fig. 2)

YELLOW, BLUE, BLACK or RED

FIG. 2 ANGUS COVERED HOSES NITRILE BLEND RUBBER CHIPS

WARP
FILAMENT NYLON

k@

JACKET
I @PLAIN -
CIRCULAR
fib WOVEN

WEFT
FILAMENT
NYLON

FINISHING OPS
CUT
COUPLE AS REQUIRED
3
2.3 Non Maintenance
Many conventional coated hoses claim to be non
maintenance, i.e. need no drying, etc. In practice, they
pick up moisture and contamination (generally when
the thin coating is abraded off in places) anddo require
maintenance. Conventional single and double jacket
hoses have no protection whatsoever and therefore
require a high level of maintenance (washing, drying,
etc). With Angus Covered Hose No drying is required
-drying towers can be dispensed with. The cover
enables a simple wipe down and store facility. Because
of this, the hose is always available for use and lower
stocks of hose may be held.
2.4 Impact Damage
Many hoses are easily damaged by the accidental
dropping of a heavy object on to the hose. While this
damage may not be easily seen because it is usually in
the form of a lining split, in use the hose may burst. The
presence of cover protection on Angus Covered Hose
generally avoids this significant but unseen damage.
2.5 Angus Covered Hose Chemical Resistance
The use of the Nitrile blend for cover and lining and
the impermeable nature of the cover gives Angus
Covered Hose high and continued oil and chemical
resistance.
2.6 Temperature Resistance
Flexibility at a wide range of temperatures is impor-
tant in fire hose and the ability to withstand storage in
high ambienttemperatures is important in the life of the
hose. Angus Covered Hose meets a wide range of
international specifications in this respect, i.e.
JCDDl /l Nov. 1976
DIN1 4.811 Section 3.2.3
SMS 2202 Section 6.4
UL
FM
2.7 Compound Stability
Angus Covered Hose is made from a vulcanized
compound as opposed to a non vulcanized thermo-
plastic. This greatly increases the performance in
many areas.
Increased temperature range
Lack of tackiness
Lack of solubility
Extensive elasticity
High tensile strength
High recovery
These are generally obvious or measurable physical
properties. In layflat fire hose, with its distinct edge, the
rubber or thermoplastic is under severe stress at this
point. A condition known as cold flow or creep
frequently occurs, weakening that area and the hose
becomes more prone to damage or suffers a reduced
performance. Thermoplastics (non vulcanised com-
pounds e.g. PVC, polyurethane, nylon) are particularly
prone to this. Vulcanization reduces flow character-
istics but in practice the key is a balanced compound
and closely controlled application as in Angus Covered
Hose, where the benefits of the Nitrile blend rubber are
maximized.
2.6 Ozone Resistance
Minute traces of ozone are present in many climates.
Ozone attacks the surface of many types of rubber,
particularly if they are subjected to mechanical stress,
This gives cracking and deterioration of the compound
and ultimately deterioration of the protective properties
of that cover. We have tested a number of competitors
covered hoses in high ozone concentrations and find
that the majority show cracking beginning from
approximately eight hours exposure and becoming
serious after approximately 24 hours exposure. Angus
Covered Hose subjected to these conditions will
normally exceed 100 hours without any cracking
showing.
Conclusion
There are many other tests to highlight Angus
Covered Hose performance against particular hoses,
These are the general benefits which we claim against
the majority of hoses. To the user the construction and
performance means economy through long life, high
performance and the ability to reduce stocks of other
types of hose. Angus Covered Hose can be used in
most fire fighting situations without any doubts as to its
performance. After use its non maintenance, wipe
down facility ensures low labor cost and a reduction in
capital cost if drying facilities have previously been
required.