U.S. patent application number 10/332874 was filed with the patent office on 2004-05-13 for thermal protection fabric.
Invention is credited to Dejardin, Jean-Olivier, Favier, Frederique, Kahn, Jean-Pol.
Application Number | 20040092187 10/332874 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8852517 |
Filed Date | 2004-05-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040092187 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Favier, Frederique ; et
al. |
May 13, 2004 |
Thermal protection fabric
Abstract
The invention concerns a fabric comprising a weave of warp yarns
in one direction and of weft yarns in the perpendicular direction.
Said fabric comprises, in one direction, yarns consisting of
alternating continuous filaments and spun yarns, and in the other
direction, yarns produced from spun yarns, the various continuous
filaments being produced in flame retardant and non-fusible
materials.
Inventors: |
Favier, Frederique; (Grezieu
La Varenne, FR) ; Kahn, Jean-Pol; (Vienne, FR)
; Dejardin, Jean-Olivier; (Marcy Sur Anse, FR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CANTOR COLBURN, LLP
55 GRIFFIN ROAD SOUTH
BLOOMFIELD
CT
06002
|
Family ID: |
8852517 |
Appl. No.: |
10/332874 |
Filed: |
June 23, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
July 6, 2001 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR01/02192 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
442/203 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D10B 2331/021 20130101;
Y10T 442/3179 20150401; A41D 31/08 20190201 |
Class at
Publication: |
442/203 |
International
Class: |
D03D 013/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 13, 2000 |
FR |
0009258 |
Claims
1. A woven thermal protection fabric comprising a weave of warp
yarns in one direction and of weft yarns in the perpendicular
direction, characterized in that it comprises, in one direction,
yarns consisting of an alternation of continuous filaments and of
staple fiber yarns and, in the other direction, yarns made from
staple fiber yarns, the various continuous filaments and staple
fiber yarns being made of non-inflammable and non-melting
materials.
2. The woven fabric as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the continuous filaments are made of a meta-aramid, such as that
known under the trademark Nomex.
3. The woven fabric as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2,
characterized in that the staple fiber yarns combined alternately
with the continuous filaments are made of a meta-aramid, such as
that known under the trademark Nomex.
4. The woven fabric as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3,
characterized in that the yarns consisting of staple fiber yarns in
the other direction comprise fibers of a meta-aramid, such as that
known under the trademark Nomex, and fibers of a para-aramid, such
as that known under the trademark Kevlar.
5. The woven fabric as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the para-aramid fibers are arranged as core and the meta-aramid
fibers are arranged as cover.
6. The woven fabric as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5,
characterized in that the various yarns in the two directions are
combined so as to form a double-sided complex satin-type weave,
such that the external face of the fabric is essentially composed
of continuous filaments and the internal face is essentially
composed of staple fiber yarns.
7. The woven fabric as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that
the staple fiber yarns, dispersed among the continuous filaments in
one direction, are linked with the yarns of the other direction on
the rear face of the fabric and in that they have a higher linear
density than the continuous filaments.
8. The woven fabric as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7,
characterized in that the yarns, in one direction, consist of an
alternation of continuous filaments and of staple fiber yarns in
proportions of 5 to 1.
9. The woven fabric as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the yarns, in one direction, are produced from staple fiber yarns
comprising approximately 1/3 of para-aramid fibers and 2/3 of
meta-aramid fibers.
10. The woven fabric as claimed in all of claims 1 to 9,
characterized in that it comprises warp yarns consisting of
continuous filaments of a meta-aramid, of Nomex type, of 220 dtex
linear density and of staple fiber yarns of a meta-aramid, of Nomex
type, of 60/2 Nm linear density in the proportion of 5 to 1, and
weft yarns consisting of staple fiber yarns of 55/2 Nm linear
density that are produced using the core yarn technique, composed
of about 33% of Kevlar-type para-aramid fibers as core and 67% of
Nomex-type meta-aramid fibers as cover, the weave being of the
satin type with filaments on the front face, while the staple fiber
yarns appear predominantly on the back face where they are linked
with the warp yarns to form a reinforcing mesh, the fabric
optionally undergoing a waterproofing-type finishing treatment
making it possible to provide water-repellency characteristics.
Description
[0001] The subject of the present invention is a woven thermal
protection fabric, especially a woven fabric that can be used for
producing garments worn by firefighters.
[0002] Textile protective jackets for firefighters are obtained by
assembling several layers of material with the aim of providing a
high level of protection in accordance with standards, especially
the EN469 standard in force in Europe.
[0003] A textile protective jacket generally comprises an external
layer consisting of a woven fabric made of an aramid or the
equivalent, an impermeable barrier laminated to a non-inflammable
felt, an insulation system, consisting of a knit or a felt made of
an aramid or the equivalent, and an internal lining.
[0004] When such a type of jacket is used, there are a number of
drawbacks.
[0005] Such a jacket is very heavy and poses ergonomic and
ease-of-movement problems to the wearer because of the stacking of
several layers.
[0006] Finally, such a jacket is difficult to clean and there may
be problems with its appearance after washing.
[0007] Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,602 discloses an external woven
fabric for a firefighter's jacket, the warp of which comprises
continuous filaments of meta-aramid (known by the trademark Nomex)
alternating with multifilaments of para-aramid, such as that known
under the trademark Kevlar, and a weft comprising Nomex-type
meta-aramid staple fiber yarns alternating with Kevlar-type
para-aramid multifilaments, the whole assembly being linked
together by a crossed-type weave.
[0008] The use of Kevlar-type para-aramid multifilaments as warp,
as one yarn in two, has drawbacks for the following reasons:
[0009] it is known and has been demonstrated that para-aramid
multifilaments are very sensitive to hydrolysis. They have a poor
resistance to washing conditions in an aqueous medium--they
therefore rapidly lose their mechanical performance and become more
sensitive to abrasion, therefore resulting in fibrillation, which
is a deterioration of the yarn resulting in the appearance of a
whitish contamination on the fabric;
[0010] para-aramid multifilaments are sensitive to ultraviolet
radiation and to part of the visible spectrum, for wavelengths of
between 300 and 450 nm, in the presence of which they lose their
original mechanical properties quite quickly; and
[0011] from the economic standpoint, the use of para-aramid
multifilaments incurs a substantial cost burden when producing this
fabric compared with the use of another type of material.
[0012] It is an object of the invention to provide a woven thermal
protection fabric which possesses good thermal protection and
mechanical protection properties, has a good resistance to washing
and has a good surface appearance after washing, has a good
resistance to radiation, such as ultraviolet radiation, and offers
a satin or shiny surface appearance making it possible for the
wearer of a garment made up from such a fabric to be identified in
poor visibility conditions, especially when working in a
smoke-filled area.
[0013] For this purpose, the woven thermal protection fabric to
which the invention relates, comprising a weave of warp yarns in
one direction and of weft yarns in the perpendicular direction, is
characterized in that it comprises, in one direction, yarns
consisting of an alternation of continuous filaments and of staple
fiber yarns and, in the other direction, yarns made from staple
fiber yarns, the various continuous filaments and staple fiber
yarns being made of non-inflammable and non-melting materials.
[0014] According to an option:
[0015] the continuous filaments are made of a meta-aramid, such as
that known under the trademark Nomex;
[0016] the staple fiber yarns combined alternately with the
continuous filaments are made of a meta-aramid, such as that known
under the trademark Nomex; and
[0017] the yarns consisting of staple fiber yarns in the other
direction comprise fibers of a meta-aramid, such as that known
under the trademark Nomex, and fibers of a para-aramid, such as
that known under the trademark Kevlar.
[0018] The combination of continuous filaments and staple fiber
yarns in one direction of the woven fabric with staple fiber yarns
in the other direction procures very good thermal protection, while
still ensuring that the woven fabric has excellent mechanical
properties.
[0019] The very good mechanical performance of the constituent
yarns of this woven fabric makes it possible to produce a fabric
possessing balanced mechanical properties.
[0020] According to one embodiment of this woven fabric, the
para-aramid fibers are arranged as core and the meta-aramid fibers
are arranged as cover. Advantageously, the yarns are produced from
staple fiber yarns comprising approximately 1/3 of para-aramid
fibers and 2/3 of meta-aramid fibers.
[0021] This arrangement is advantageous insofar as the para-aramid
fibers give the fabric high mechanical properties, without any risk
of the fibrillation problem, nor any loss of strength, since the
para-aramid fibers are protected by the meta-aramid fibers placed
as cover.
[0022] According to one advantageous embodiment of this woven
fabric, the various yarns in the two directions are combined so as
to form a double-sided complex satin-type weave, such that the
external face of the fabric is essentially composed of continuous
filaments and the internal face is essentially composed of staple
fiber yarns.
[0023] The presence of continuous filaments on the external face of
the woven fabric makes it possible to obtain a closed, smooth and
uniform surface since the constituent filaments of each of the
yarns have a tendency to spread out and occupy the maximum amount
of surface available, thereby resulting in the formation of a
barrier to the radiant heat flux.
[0024] The surface thus formed has a very shiny appearance compared
with that obtained with staple fiber yarns, this effect resulting
in excellent reflection at the radiant heat. Furthermore, this
shiny surface allows the person wearing the garment to be easily
identifiable in a smoke or fire situation or in the dark, since the
continuous filaments reflect the light, unlike the conventional
outer layers that remain mat.
[0025] In addition, this smooth outer layer gives the wearer
greater ease of movement by reducing the friction of the various
parts of the Jacket when one part moves relative to another.
[0026] Finally, by virtue of the presence of continuous filaments
on the outside of the woven fabric, the garment is easier to clean
since, during use, the outer layer does not form a catching
surface, any dust and debris not sticking to this surface.
[0027] Insofar as a substantial proportion of the staple fiber
yarns appear predominantly on the rear face of the fabric, they
contribute to the resistance to flame propagation.
[0028] Advantageously, the staple fiber yarns, dispersed among the
continuous filaments in one direction, are linked with the yarns of
the other direction on the rear face of the fabric and they have a
higher linear density than the continuous filaments. Insofar as the
staple fiber yarns present on the rear face of the fabric possess a
higher linear density than the continuous filaments, they provide a
relief effect with the formation of additional thicknesses which,
once in contact with the second layer of the textile complex,
define an air space which contributes to the thermal insulation of
the garment.
[0029] In order to give the fabric the most closed possible
appearance on its outer face, the yarns, in one direction, consist
of an alternation of continuous filaments and of staple fiber yarns
in proportions of 5 to 1.
[0030] Electrostatic properties may be obtained in this type of
woven fabric by combining dissipating or electrostatic yarns or
fibers in one or other of the directions.
[0031] Given below, as a non-limiting example, is one embodiment of
a woven fabric according to the invention.
[0032] This woven fabric comprises warp yarns consisting of
continuous filaments of a meta-aramid, of Nomex type, of 220 dtex
linear density and of staple fiber yarns of a meta-aramid, of Nomex
type, of 60/2 Nm linear density in the proportion of 5 to 1, and
weft yarns consisting of staple fiber yarns of 55/2 Nm linear
density that are produced using the core yarn technique, composed
of about 33% of Kevlar-type para-aramid fibers as core and 67% of
Nomex-type meta-aramid fibers as cover, the weave being of the
satin type with filaments on the front face, while the staple fiber
yarns appear predominantly on the back face where they are linked
with the warp yarns to form a reinforcing mesh, the fabric
optionally undergoing a waterproofing-type finishing treatment
making it possible to provide water-repellency characteristics. To
form a three-layer complex that can be used for producing a
protective garment, for example for firefighters, this woven fabric
may be combined with an intermediate layer consisting of a membrane
laminated to a felt and an inner layer consisting of a lining.
[0033] An assembly, as defined above, was tested and shows
excellent thermal performance characteristics compared with the
known complexes comprising four layers with an external layer made
100% of aramid or equivalent. It is therefore possible to save on
one layer in the assembly, while ensuring excellent protection of
the wearer, and increasing his comfort. Furthermore, the satin
effect makes it easier to clean the garment and contributes to
being able to identify and locate the wearer in poor external
environmental conditions, such as in smoke or in the dark.
[0034] As goes without saying, the invention is not limited to the
single embodiment of this woven fabric described above by Stay of
example, rather it encompasses any variant that remains within the
scope of the claims. Thus, in particular, other materials having a
non-inflammable and non-melting character can be used, such as
those belonging to the families of aramids, polyimides,
polybenzimidazoles and polybenzazoles.
* * * * *