JPH101094A - Suit for scuba diving - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent fluctuation ion a buoyancy and a heat insulating property during diving by forming a collar part into a specific shape out of a molding member consisting of non-forming thermoplastic low hardness high expandability resin. SOLUTION: A collar part 10 is formed by molding a molding material, which consists of a non-foaming thermoplastic low hardness high elongation resin, into a cylinder (ring) whose diameter is increased toward one side. The low hardness high elongation resin is a polyethylene gel material whose main material is copolymer consisting of polyethylene and styrene, and between gaps in molecular networks of the main material, oil belonging to paraffin and naptyhene is captured. As this resin is provided with high elongation percentage, the collar edge part 10 is flexible with a neck size of a user and can fit anyone. If a diving shit is put on over the collar part 10 after the collar part 10 is fitted around the neck, the collar part 10 serves as a sealing member, and complete artightness and waterproof can be accomplished. The molding member is molded by injection molding or compression molding, so that production efficiency is improved. As this resin is provided with a high restitution property, needle holes due to sewing up can be closed aitrightly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a suit for scuba diving.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In scuba diving, wet suits and dry suits are mostly worn to keep the body temperature warm. These suits are made of foam rubber (for example, chloroprene foam) formed into a plate shape with a thickness of 3 to 5 mm as a cloth material (in some cases, a cloth is stuck to improve the appearance) and cut out. It is sewn or glued and processed into a suit shape. Some dry suits use a material made of a synthetic fiber fabric waterproof-coated as a material, and are similarly cut, glued, and sewn into a suit.

[0003]

However, the suit using the foamed rubber contains a large number of air bubbles in the fabric, thereby obtaining the heat retaining performance. For this reason, in a use environment in which the surrounding pressure in diving is constantly fluctuating, bubbles are reduced under high pressure, and the heat retaining effect is reduced. Also, since the buoyancy fluctuates, the diver has to frequently adjust the buoyancy depending on the depth. In other words, the deeper you dive, the less heat and buoyancy of the suit itself. Also, even in dry suits that do not use foam rubber materials as described above, the divers must wear warm clothing in the suit because the heat insulation of the fabric itself is poor, and naturally there are many air layers I will. Therefore, as described above, it is necessary to adjust the buoyancy more frequently, and it is necessary to frequently adjust the supply / exhaust valve and the compressed air supply valve.

Further, in a wet suit, if it is not in close contact with the body, water flows inside and outside the suit, which significantly impairs the heat retention. Therefore, the wet suit should be carefully measured according to the body shape of each user. We needed to make a suit for each person. For this reason, when the body shape of the user changes, it is usually impossible to use it.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a scuba diving suit which can prevent fluctuations in buoyancy and heat retention during diving and eliminate the problem of increased manufacturing costs due to the exclusive use of wetsuits for each person. Is to provide.

[0006]

The present invention has the following arrangement to achieve the above object. That is, the present invention
A suit for scuba diving is characterized in that a molded member obtained by molding a non-foamed thermoplastic low hardness and high elongation resin into a predetermined shape is a constituent element.

[0007] In addition, since the molded member is molded by injection molding or compression molding, production efficiency can be improved.

Further, the non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin is
A polyethylene gel material comprising a copolymer of polyethylene and styrene as a main component and a paraffinic and naphthenic oil captured in gaps in the stitch molecular structure of the main component, thereby providing optimal functionality. .

[0009] In addition, the suit for scuba diving can be suitably formed by joining the molded member and other components by sewing or the like.

Further, since the whole is integrally molded with the non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin, productivity can be improved and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a collar portion of a suit for scuba diving according to the present invention. Reference numeral 10 denotes a collar portion, which is a molded member formed by molding a non-foamed thermoplastic low hardness and high elongation resin into a cylindrical shape (ring shape) whose diameter is increased on one side. Since the low hardness and high elongation resin has a large elongation (for example, 10 times or more), it can be set to a free size around the neck of the user, and can be suitably fitted to anyone. The collar opening 10 can be suitably and easily formed by injection molding or compression molding. The collar opening 10 can be used as a sealing material (packing material) by being fitted to the neck. That is, after the collar opening 10 is fitted to the neck, if a conventional diving suit is worn from above, the collar opening 10 is interposed between the neck and the neck of the diving suit. Acts as a sealing material,
Can be more complete airtight and waterproof.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the collar opening 10 can be used by being joined to a body, which is another component, by sewing or the like. The part where the collar opening 10 is sewn to the body 12 is a state where the collar opening 10 is made of a low hardness and high elongation resin and has extremely high elasticity and resilience. And airtightness can be maintained. The body 12 may also be a molded member molded of a non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin.

The non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin includes
There is a polyethylene gel material (hereinafter, referred to as a “PE gel material”) in which a copolymer of polyethylene and styrene is used as a main component, and paraffinic and naphthenic oils are captured in gaps in the stitch molecular structure of the main component. This PE
Cosmo Keiki Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells the gel material as Cosmogel (trade name).

The characteristic of the PE gel material is that it is a solid which is as close as possible to a liquid, and is different from a liquid in that it has no fluidity at room temperature. This is because the relative positions between the molecules are temporarily determined, but the structure is such that internal stress is less likely to occur than in a solid, and the stress tends to be uniform as in a liquid. In other words, it has softness that generates less internal stress and deforms more and more in response to an external force. In particular, the elongation characteristics are good because the main agent has a long straight chain. As specific experimental values, the hardness of Cosmogel (trade name) is 12 ° or less in JIS K6301 A hardness for general rubber, and its elongation is 1300% or more, and there is no permanent deformation even if it elongates. Was. The tensile strength is 7.9.
kgf / cm ² , and excellent in strength. As described above, the PE-based gel material is soft and well stretched, can be fitted to a complicated shape, has sufficient strength, and can be suitably used as a packing material (airtight member) for preventing leakage.

Further, other characteristics are very excellent. For example, thermal conductivity (0.0023 J / cm · se
c / ° C.) and the specific gravity (0.85) is small. Also,
With paraffin oil, excellent low temperature properties,
Even when cooled to about -40 ° C, its shock absorbing properties are hardly degraded. Furthermore, it is resistant to repeated compression and pulling for a long period of time, does not cause permanent deformation, and has good withstand voltage, chemical resistance, weather resistance and the like. And, as is apparent from the above-described configuration, the PE-based gel material is composed of almost pure hydrocarbons only and is harmless to humans and animals.

Further, since long molecules are not cross-linked and are entangled, they are basically thermoplastic materials,
Various processing methods such as injection (injection), extrusion, compression (compression), calendering, and blow molding can be selected. It has a complete melting temperature of about 160 ° C. and can be easily molded by a mold.

In the above embodiment, the case where the molded member formed of the PE-based gel material is applied to the neck portion 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be suitably applied to other portions. Of course you can. If applied to a cuff that fits in a wrist or a part that fits in an ankle, airtightness can be suitably obtained, which is suitable for a dry suit. In addition, a scuba diving suit can be suitably formed by joining molded members formed of a PE-based gel material by sewing or the like. PE
The part where the system gel material was sewn has extremely high elasticity and resilience, so the hole through which the needle passed is closed,
Airtightness can be suitably obtained. Further, since the PE-based gel resin has high breaking strength, it is difficult to be easily torn even when a needle passes, and sewing can be suitably performed.

The material made of the PE-based gel material does not have air bubbles therein, so that the buoyancy does not change due to a change in the ambient pressure. This is safe and preferred, especially for beginner divers. The material made of the PE-based gel material has a low thermal conductivity of the material itself, so that the heat retention is sufficient. At the same time, since there are no bubbles inside, the heat retention does not change due to the ambient pressure.

Further, the entire scuba diving suit may be integrally formed of a PE gel material.
Since the elasticity is very large, one size can support a wide range of body shapes (physiques). In other words, it is possible to cover all physiques with a small pre-defined size, and it is functional with good adhesion to the body. In addition, there is an advantage that the cost can be reduced on the producer side and the user does not have to worry about the change in the body shape. In addition, mass production (integral molding) using a mold such as injection molding is possible, and significant cost reduction can be achieved.

As shown in FIG. 3, a sheet made of a PE gel material may be used as the airtight member 16.
A state in which the airtight member 16 is sandwiched between the fabrics 18 and 18 and sewn with a thread 20 is shown. Hermetic member 1 made of PE gel material
No. 6 has good adhesion to other members and has extremely high elasticity and resilience, so that the hole through which the needle passes is closed. Therefore, the airtightness of the sewing portion between the fabrics 18 can be suitably obtained. The dough 18
Is a material for diving suits such as conventional foamed rubber.

In the above, the case where the cloth materials are sewn has been described, but it goes without saying that a zipper (fastener) or the like can also be suitably joined by sewing or the like. Further, the connection of the cloth material (molded member) made of the PE-based gel material is not limited to sewing, but may be performed by riveting, bonding, or welding. Adhesion is possible using the property of the PE-based gel material being soluble in a solvent, and thermal welding or high-frequency welding is also possible using its thermoplasticity. As described above, the present invention has been described variously with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and it is needless to say that many modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. That is.

[0022]

According to the suit for scuba diving of the present invention, a molded member formed by molding a non-foamed thermoplastic low hardness and high elongation resin into a predetermined shape is a constituent element. For this reason, it is possible to prevent buoyancy fluctuations and heat retention fluctuations from occurring during diving, and to eliminate the problem of increased manufacturing costs due to the exclusive use of wetsuits by individuals.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a collar portion of a suit for scuba diving according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a collar portion of FIG. 1 is joined to a body portion by sewing.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin is sewn as an airtight member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Collar mouth part 12 Body part 14 Seam 16 Airtight member 18 Fabric 20 Thread

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A suit for scuba diving, wherein a molded member obtained by molding a non-foamed thermoplastic low hardness and high elongation resin into a predetermined shape is a constituent element. 2. The suit for scuba diving according to claim 1, wherein said molded member is molded by injection molding or compression molding. 3. A polyethylene gel material in which the low hardness and high elongation resin is mainly composed of a copolymer of polyethylene and styrene, and paraffinic and naphthenic oils are trapped in gaps in the stitch molecular structure of the main material. The suit for scuba diving according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the molding member and another component are joined by sewing or the like.
The described scuba diving suit. 5. The suit for scuba diving according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the whole is integrally formed of the non-foamed low hardness and high elongation resin.