A hose is a flexible hollow tube designed to carry fluids from one location to another. Hoses are also sometimes called pipes, or more generally tubing. The shape of a hose is usually cylindrical. Hose design is based on a combination of application and performance. Common factors are size, pressure rating, weight, length, straight hose or coilhose, and chemical compatibility. Applications mostly use nylon, polyurethane, polyethylene, PVC, or synthetic or natural rubbers, based on the environment and pressure rating needed. In recent years, hoses can also be manufactured from special grades of polyethylene. Other hose materials include PTFE, stainless steel, and other metals.
To achieve a better pressure resistance, hoses can be reinforced with fibers or a steel cord. Commonly used reinforcement methods are braiding, spiraling, knitting and wrapping of fabric plies. The reinforcement increases the pressure resistance but also the stiffness. To obtain flexibility, corrugations or bellows are used. Usually, circumferential or helical reinforcement rings are applied to maintain these corrugated or bellowed structures under internal pressure.
Applications
Hoses can be used in water or other liquid environments, or to convey air or other gases. Hoses are used to carry fluids through air or fluid environments, and they are typically used with clamps, spigots, flanges, and nozzles to control fluid flow. Specific applications include the following:
A fire hose is used by firefighters to convey water to the site of a fire.
Air hoses are used in underwater diving to carry air from a surface compressor or from air tanks. Industrial uses for operating flexible machinery and worktable tooling such as pneumatic screw drivers, grinders, staplers, etc.
Automotive hoses are used in automobiles to move fluids around for use in cooling, lubrication, and/or hydraulics. Hoses are also used to convey pressure or vacuum signals to control circuits or gauges, as well as conveying vacuum to heating, cooling, brake, and/or locking systems.
In chemistry and medicine, hoses are used to move liquid chemicals or gases around.
In the oil industryhigh pressure hoses are used to move liquids under high pressures. Typical uses are for kill and choke lines, cement lines and Kelly hose.
These are often connected to either the choke manifold, cement manifold or standpipe manifold. In some cases, a rubber hose has been used as a weapon with which to beat somebody. This is the origin of the term rubber-hose cryptanalysis.
