Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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FABRIC AND YARN FOR PROTECTIVE GARMENTS
Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a fabric and a yarn used to make
protective garments.
Background of the Invention
Protective clothing refers to primary and secondary protective
clothing (per ASTM Standard F1002-86). Primary protective clothing
is designed for activities where significant exposure to molten
substance splash, radiant heat, or flame is likely to occur.
Secondary protective clothing, on the other hand, is designed for
continuous wear in areas where intermittent exposure to molten
substance splash, radiant heat, and/or flame is possible.
Protective clothing in the work place is important because it
is the employer's responsibility to identify risks and hazards in
the workplace and seek out appropriate protective garments and
equipment for the protection of workers. Common workplace hazards
include, for example: flammable liquids, flammable soils, molten
metals, sparks, slag from flame cutting, welding, open flames, high
voltage electrical discharges, electric arc events, vapors from
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volatile liquids, and combustible dusts. These hazards may be
encountered in foundries, at electrical utilities, in the chemical,
oil, gas and petrochemical industries, in auto racing, to mention a
few.
Fabrics have been developed for use in protective clothing.
Those fabrics may be made with treated fibers, inherently flame
resistant fibers, or combinations thereof. A treated fiber is,
typically, a conventional textile fiber that has been treated with
a flame retardant, a chemical substance used to impart flame
resistance. For example, two treated fibers are FR cotton or FR
rayon, both FR cellulosics. Inherently flame resistant fibers are
those fibers that have flame resistance as an essential
characteristic of the fiber. For example, inherently flame
resistant fibers include: aramids, polyamide imides, melamines,
polybenzimidazole (PBI), polyimides, polyphenylene benzodisoxazole
(PBO), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetherether ketone (PEEK),
and the like. Most often, these fibers are blended together to
obtain a yarn for a fabric with a particular blend of properties.
Those properties include thermal protection, static resistance,
comfort, durability, stability, appearance, ease of laundry
maintenance, color, and relative cost.
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Popular fabrics include: PBI GOLD , NOMEXO, NOMEX IIIA,
COMFORT BLEND , NOMEX Freestyle, and-INDURA ULTRASOFT. PBI GOLD
is a 40% PBI/60% aramid blend (all % are by weight of the fabric).
NOMEX is a blend of 95% meta-aramid (NOMEX) fiber/5% para-aramid
TM
(KEVLAR) fiber. NOMEX IIIA is a blend of 93% meta-aramid (NOMEX)
fiber/5% para-aramid (KEVLAR) fiber/2% static dissipative fiber.
COMFORT BLEND is 65% NOMEX IIIA/35% FR rayon blend. NOMEX
Freestyle is 93% NOMEX IIIA/5% para-aramid (KEVLAR) fiber/2%
antistatic fiber. INDURA ULTRASOFT is 88% FR cotton/12% nylon
blend. Each of these fabrics has its own unique blend of
properties. Flame Resistant Protective Apparel, An Industry Update
2001/2002, Bulwark Protective Apparel, a Division of VF Workwear,
Inc., Nashville, TN.
There exists, however, a need for new fabrics that will meet
new and emerging needs of the industry.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention is a yarn or fabric useful in protective
garments. The yarn or fabric is made of flame resistant fibers and
microdenier flame resistant fibers. The flame resistant fibers are
selected from the group consisting of inherently flame resistant
fibers, treated fibers, and combinations thereof. The microdenier
flame resistant fibers are selected from the group consisting of
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microdenier inherently flame resistant fibers, microdenier
treated fibers, and combinations thereof. The weight ratio
of said flame resistant fibers to said microdenier flame
resistant fibers is in the range of 4-9:2-6.
In one aspect, the invention provides a yarn or
fabric for use in protective garments comprising:
non-microdenier flame resistant fibers selected from the
group consisting of inherently flame resistant fibers,
fibers treated with a flame retardant, and combinations
thereof, microdenier flame resistant fibers selected from
the group consisting of microdenier inherently flame
resistant fibers, microdenier fibers treated with a flame
retardant, and combinations thereof, and a weight ratio of
said non-microdenier flame resistant fibers to said
microdenier flame resistant fibers being in the range
of 4-9:2-6.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a yarn
for use in industrial protective garments and having good
thermal barrier properties, durability and comfort ratings
comprising: 10-30% by weight of the yarn a non-microdenier
inherently flame resistant fiber; 20-60% by weight of the
yarn a microdenier aramid fiber; and 30-60% by weight of the
yarn a non-microdenier fiber treated with a flame retardant.
In a still further aspect, the invention provides
a fabric for use in industrial protective garments and
having good thermal barrier properties, durability and
comfort ratings comprising: 10-30% by weight of the fabric a
non-microdenier inherently flame resistant fiber, 20-60% by
weight of the fabric a microdenier aramid fiber; and 30-60%
by weight of the fabric a non-microdenier fiber treated with
a flame retardant.
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Description of the Invention
Fabrics are planar structures made of fibers
and/or yarns assembled by various means such as weaving,
knitting, tufting, felting, braiding, or bonding of webs to
give the structure sufficient strength and other properties
required for its intended use. A yarn is a generic term for
a continuous strand of textile fibers, filaments, or
materials in a form suitable for knitting, weaving, or
otherwise intertwining to form a fabric. Yarn occurs, for
example, in the following forms: (1) a number of fibers
(e.g., staple) twisted together (spun yarn); (2) a number of
filaments laid together without twist (a zero-twist yarn);
(3) a number of filaments laid together with a degree of
twist; (4) a single filament with or without twist (a
monofilament); or (5) a narrow strip of materials, such as
paper, plastic film, or metal foil, with or without twist,
intended for use in a textile construction.
The yarns and fabrics discussed hereinafter are
preferably used as secondary protective clothing, but may be
used otherwise, for example, as primary protective clothing.
The garments formed from these yarns and fabrics include,
but are not limited to,
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shirts, pants, coveralls, overalls, jackets, liners, coats, parkas,
headwear, and footwear. The fabrics may be laminated or combined
with other fabrics or materials to enhance functionality.
The fabrics are preferably woven or knitted. Woven fabrics
include plain, twill, and satin weaves. Knitted fabrics include
warp and weft knitted fabrics. The fabrics are preferably made of
the yarn hereinafter described, but are not so limited. Instead,
fabrics within the scope of present invention have a weight ratio
of flame resistant fibers (i.e., inherently flame resistant fibers
and treated fibers) to microdenier flame resistant fibers (i.e.,
inherently flame resistant fibers and treated fibers having
microdeniers) is in the range of 4-9:2-6. Preferably, the ratio is
1:1. Alternatively, the ratio of inherently flame resistant
fibers:microdenier flame resistant fibers:treated fibers is in the
range of 1-3:2-6:3-6. Preferably, the ratio is 2:5:3. Other
fibers may be added so long as the foregoing ratios are maintained.
For example, a conventional textile fiber could be added to a blend
having the foregoing ratio.
The invention will be further described with reference to a
yarn, it being understood that the foregoing fabric discussion is
applicable to the following yarn as well as the following is
applicable to foregoing fabric discussion.
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The yarn comprises: 10-30% by weight of the yarn of an
inherently flame resistant fiber (filament or staple); 20-60% by
weight of a microdenier flame resistant fiber (filament or staple);
and 20-60% by weight of a treated fiber (filament or staple).
Preferably, the yarn comprises 20% of the inherently flame
resistant fiber; 50% of the microdenier flame resistant fiber; and
30% of the treated fiber.
The inherently flame resistant fibers may be selected from the
group consisting of: aramids, polyamide imides; melamines,
polybenzimidazoles (PBI), polyimides, polyphenylene
benzodisoxazoles (PBO), polyphenylene sulfides (PPS), polyether
ketones (PEK), and polyetherether ketones (PEEK), and the like.
These fibers are known and commercially available. For example,
aramids (meta-aramids and para-aramids) are available as TWARON ,
CONEX , and TECHNORA from Teijin Co. of Osaka, Japan; NOMEX and
KEVLAR from DuPont of Wilmington, Delaware; P84 from Imitech of
Austria; and KERMEL from Kermel Company of Colmar, France.
Melamines (melamine formaldehydes) are available as BASOFIL from
Basofil Fibers LLC of Charlotte, North Carolina. PBI is available
from Celanese Advanced Mateirals, Inc, of Charlotte, North
Carolina. PBO is available as ZYLON from Toyobo Co. Ltd. of
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Osaka, Japan. The preferred inherently flame resistant fibers
include aramids, melamines, PBI, and PBO. Most preferred is PBI.
The treated fiber may be any conventional fiber that has been
treated with a conventional flame retardant. For example, treated
fibers may include FR cellulosics. Cellulosics include .cotton,
rayon, acetate, and triacetate. Preferred treated fibers FR cotton
and FR rayon. Most preferred is FR rayon.
The microdenier flame resistant fiber may be any inherently
flame resistant fiber or treated fiber having a denier less than 1
(or 0.1 tex per filament, or a diameter less than 10 microns).
Preferably, this fiber is a microdenier inherently flame resistant
fiber. Most preferably, this fiber is a microdenier aramid, for
example, microdenier TWARON from Teijin Co. of Osaka, Japan.
The yarns are made in a conventional fashion. Moreover, the
yarns may include-other conventional textile fibers (natural or
man-made) provided that the addition of such fibers does not have a
detrimental impact on the overall performance of the yarns, fabric,
or garment.
The foregoing invention may be better understood with
reference to the following non-limiting examples.
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In the Table, the invention is compared to other fabrics used
in protective garments. The test methods are set forth in the
Table. INV refers to the inventive fabric which was made from
yarns consisting of 20% PBI staple, 50% microdenier aramid (0.8
denier per filament, 2 inch (5cm) staple), and 30% FR rayon. The
comparative materials were conventional fabrics as noted above.
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WO 2004/106606 PCT/US2004/013830
The present invention may be embodied in other forms without
departing from the spirit and the essential attributes thereof,
and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims,
rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicated the scope
of the invention.
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