Insulating and protective covering devices

Claim 1

A PREFORMED, UNITARY, ELONGATED, INSULATING AND PROTECTIVE COVERING MEMBER PRESHAPED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF FUEL USED AND CLOSED LATERALLY SO THAT AN ELONGATED ARTICLE FINAL USED AND CLOSED LATERALLY SO THATN AN ELONGATED ARTICLE TO BE PROTECTED CAN ONLY BE INTRODUCED TO SAID COVERING MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY, SAID MEMBER COMPRISING: (1) A CORE OF SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID, CELLULAR MATERIAL OF RELATIVELY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE HAVING AT LEAST ONE OPENING EXTENDING THERETHROUGH LONGITUDINALLY OF A SIZE SUITABLE FOR ACCEPTING SAID ELONGATED ARTICLE TO BE PROTECTED; AND (2) COMPLETELY SURROUNDING SAID CORE LATERALLY, A CONTINUOUS CLADDING LAYER OF TOUGH, NON-CELLULAR, INTERNALLY REINFORCED, THERMOSET, SYNTHETIC RESINOUS MATERIAL, SAID CLADDING LAYER BEING THINNER THAN SAID CORE BUT HAVING BY ITSELF SUBSTANTIAL LAOD CARRYING STRENGTH AND BEING COMPRESSIVELY FITTED AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF SAID CORE, THEREBY INSURING UNIFORM PHYSICAL SUPPORT BETWEEN SAID CORE AND SAID CLADDING LAYER AND MAXIMIZING THE LOAD CARRYING STRENGTH AND PHYSICAL INTEGRITY OF THE COMPLETE UNITARY COVERING MEMBER.