GB2307845A

GB2307845A - Anti-static glove

Info

Publication number: GB2307845A
Application number: GB9525237A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Barry Rothwell
Original assignee: North & Sons Ltd James
Current assignee: North & Sons Ltd James
Priority date: 1995-12-09
Filing date: 1995-12-09
Publication date: 1997-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2015-12-09
Also published as: GB2307845B; GB9525237D0

Abstract

An antistatic glove comprises a textile liner having a plastics coating thereon. The textile liner incorporates antistatic fibres and the plastics coating optionally incorporates an antistatic agent.

Description

Antistatic Glove The present invention relates to an antistatic glove and, in particular, to a glove having improved antistatic properties and a method of making such a glove.

Antistatic gloves designed to inhibit electrostatic discharge in general comprise a plastics, typically PVC, coating on a cotton liner. The PVC coating is made conductive by incorporating an antistatic agent into the plastic. This improves the surface conductivity of the glove so that charges can be leaked off over the surface.

Characterization of the antistatic effects or conductivity in such a glove is obtained by measuring the surface resistance. The determination of the bulk or volume resistance cannot be used to measure the antistatic effect since the antistatic agents act only on the surface. Incorporation of antistatic agents into the plastic coating reduces the surface resistance of the coating whereas the volume resistance of the glove including the liner remains unchanged.

The present invention has been made in order to overcome this problem by providing an antistatic glove wherein the antistatic properties of the glove can be determined by measuring the volume resistivity of the glove. In general, for antistatic gloves, a resistivity in the range 106 to 109 ohm is preferred. Dry cotton however has a much higher resistivity than this, being in the range 1012 to 1013 ohm.

The present invention seeks to provide an antistatic glove which will have a resistance in the range 106 to 109 ohm and wherein the glove liner is made conductive.

Known antistatic agents which could be used to treat the glove generally have a resistivity of the order of 5 x 109 ohm. However, this resistivity is not sufficient to reduce the liner's resistivity to the required range.

According to the invention there is provided an antistatic glove comprising a textile liner having a plastics coating thereon characterised in that the textile liner comprises antistatic fibres woven or knitted thereinto.

Typically the textile liner will comprise antistatic fibres and nonantistatic fibres woven or knitted together. Preferably the antistatic fibres are woven into the liner at periodic intervals, typically for example at 2.5cm intervals. The textile liner may comprise spun yarn and the antistatic fibres may comprise fibres, such as polyamide fibres, treated or coated with a conductive component, such as carbon black, metal or copper sulphide.

Alternatively the antistatic fibres may comprise metal, brass, carbon, stainless steel or copper sulphide fibres or fibres containing these elements.

Clearly any suitable antistatic fibres or combination of such fibres may be used although copper sulphide strands are generally cheaper and more comfortable to wear.

Preferably the liner comprises interwoven cotton and antistatic fibres.

Preferably the plastics coating has an antistatic agent incorporated therein.

According to the invention there is also provided a method of making an antistatic glove comprising the steps of weaving antistatic fibres and nonantistatic fibres together to form a liner, coating said liner with a plastics material and forming said glove from the liner.

With the antistatic glove of the present invention, the volume resistivity of the glove can be measured to determine the antistatic effects since the liner is made conductive. This is in contrast to known antistatic gloves which have high resistivity cotton liners so that only the surface resistivity of the coated liner can be measured.

Some specific examples of suitable antistatic fibres for use in the present invention include Bekitex (RTM) electrostatic control yarns sold by Bekaert Fibre Technologies, Belgium which comprise textile yarns containing a certain percentage of stainless steel fibres. A typical example is Bekitex (RTM) H54 comprising 13% Bekinox (RTM) and 87% PA6,6 with 185 dtex, 54 Nm strength; average tensile strength 530 cN, average elongation 18% and electrical conductivity based on 5 cm distance between electrodes of 336 ohm/cm. Other suitable antistatic fibres include Rhodiastat antistatic fibres sold by Rhone-Poulenc Fibres, France for example having the following characteristics; 80% Polyester 1.7 dtex, 40 mm section and 20% Rhodiastat 3.3. dtex, 40 mm section, 50 Nm strength and 850 t/m torsion.

It will be appreciated that the present invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above examples which are described by way of illustration only.

Claims

1. An antistatic glove comprising a textile liner having a plastics coating thereon, characterised in that the textile liner comprises antistatic fibres woven or knitted thereinto.

2. An antistatic glove as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the plastics coating has an antistatic agent incorporated therein.

3. An antistatic glove as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the textile liner comprises antistatic and non-antistatic fibres woven or knittted together.

4. An antistatic glove as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the antistatic fibres are woven into the textile liner at regular intervals.

5. An antistatic glove as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the antistatic fibres comprise fibres treated or coated with a conductive component.

6. An antistatic glove as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the antistatic fibres contain a conductive material or combination of conductive materials.

7. An antistatic glove as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 or 6, characterised in that the textile liner comprises interwoven cotton and copper sulphide strands.

8. A method for making an antistatic glove comprising the steps of weaving antistatic fibres and non antistatic fibres together to form a liner, coating said liner with a plastics material and forming said glove from the liner.

9. A method for making an antistatic glove as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the plastics material has an antistatic agent incoroporated therein.

10. An antistatic glove substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying examples.

11. A method of making an antistatic glove substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying example.