Flexible pipe

Claim 1

A flexible pipe comprising: an inner flexible solid pipe (1) made of flexible material; and at least one outer belt (2), roughly S-shaped in transverse cross section, made of rigid material, helically wound and firmly fixed onto a wall surface of said flexible pipe (1), each belt having two intermediate portions offset from each other in a radial direction and a central portion disposed between said intermediate portions for connecting said intermediate portions, one of said two inntermediate portions being proximate to an outer surface of said inner flexible pipe, and having parallel hook-like ends (2a, 2a) pointed opposite to each other and bent radially toward each other at acute angles relative to said intermediate portions of said belt to form a rigid flexible layer, and wherein said inner flexible solid pipe consists of a soft pipe , said at least one outer belt (2) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of hard synthetic resin, fiber reinforced plastic, and fiber reinforced rubber, the one of said intermediate portions of said outer belt which is proximate to the outer surface of said inner flexible solid pipe is fused to and conforms to said outer surface of said flexible solid pipe, and wherein bent ends of said at least one outer belt, at adjacent turns, are adjoining and the adjoining bent ends of said at least one outer belt are engaged such that said hook-like bent ends form spaces therebetween allowing the belt to be displaed in the axial direction of the inner flexible solid pipe.