Method for covering a length of pipe

Claim 1

A process for using a laminated foil which is free from elastic memory, comprising the steps of: (1) cutting from a foil web a predetermined length of foil at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said foil web, said foil consisting essentially of; (a) a carrier layer having a thickness between 300 μm and 400 μm and comprising a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of rigid PVC, polyethylene and polypropylene, (b) directly adjacent to said carrier layer, a single layer of adhesive having a negligibly small thickness such that it does not contribute to the rigidity of the laminate, and (c) a layer of aluminum bonded directly to one side only of said carrier layer, said aluminum layer being directly adjacent to said adhesive layer and having a thickness between about 25 and about 100 μm, the relative thickness of said carrier layer and said aluminum layer being selected so that the laminated foil is free from elastic memory, such that a rectangular piece of the laminated foil is capable at room temperature of both independently lying flat and of independently exhibiting a stable shape when a shape is imparted to it by bending and the laminated foil can be reversibly converted from any desired spatial shape to another and will not tend to independently alter the shape imparted to it; (2) bending said foil, at room temperature, around a length of pipe to fit said foil in a formfitting manner to said length of pipe with said carrier layer against said pipe, said foil having an independently stable shape after said bending.