SE1651260A1

SE1651260A1 - A material for a protective suit and a motorcycle protectivesuit with such a material

Info

Publication number: SE1651260A1
Application number: SE1651260A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Johansson Peter
Original assignee: Active Life Invent Evolution No1 Moto Ab
Priority date: 2016-09-23
Filing date: 2016-09-23
Publication date: 2018-03-24
Also published as: WO2018055106A1

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a material (100) for a protective suit, such as a motorcycle protective suit, the material comprising: two or more layers (102a,102b,102c), said layers being non-laminated, wherein each layer comprises stretch portions (104) and non-stretch portions (106), the stretch portions (104) of the two or more layers being arranged to overlap each other, and wherein the two or more layers (102a, 102b, 102c) are locally attached to each other at a plurality or all of the stretch portions (104). The disclosure also relates to a motorcycle protective suit with such a material.

Description

A MATERIAL FOR A PROTECTIVE SUIT AND A MOTORCYCLE PROTECTIVE SUIT WITH SUCH AMATERIAL Field of the inventionThe present disclosure relates to a material for a protective suit, such as amotorcycle protective suit. The disclosure also relates to a motorcycle protective suit comprising such a material.

Background art Motorcycle protective suits are known in the art. The most widely used protectionsuits are made from leather. lt provides a considerably better protection than normal streetclothing during a road surface impact. Designing leather suits to provide sufficientprotection means using thick layers of specialist leather which makes the suits quite heavy.For this reason suits made from man-made materials have been developed. Typically, thesesuits comprise a protective material comprising a plurality of layers combined to achieve thedesired properties.

One example of such a material is disclosed in UK patent GB 2306390 B. Thedocument discloses a protective material for protective clothing comprising a plurality oflayers. The layers are made from different man-made materials such as for examplepolyaramid-based materials (such as e.g. Kevlar®) and polyurethane-based materials. Otherman-made materials known in the art comprises polyamide-based materials (such asCordura®) and polytetrafluoroethylene-based materials (such as Rastex®).

One problem with the protective materials in the art is that they do not provideenough comfort for the user. The relatively thick material needed for providing sufficientprotection in a surface road accident make the suits unwilling to follow the movement ofthe user. This problem has led to motorcyclists generally choosing a suit of larger size thanoptimal, in order to increase movability and comfort. This solution introduces additionalproblems. One of these problems is that the hard protective parts which are usually insertedbetween the user's body and the protective material of the protective suit are more likely to become misaligned during an accident, thus increasing the risk of serious injury.

Summary of the invention lt is an object to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified 2 deficiencies associated with the prior art designs.

The above object has been addressed by a material for a protective suit, such as amotorcycle protective suit, the material comprising: two or more layers, said layers beingnon-laminated, wherein each layer comprises stretch portions and non-stretch portions, thestretch portions of the two or more layers being arranged to overlap each other, andwherein the two or more layers are locally attached to each other at a plurality or all of thestretch portions.

The two or more layers are not laminated. The non-stretch portions are notlaminated. The stretch portions are also not laminated. lt may be noted that at the localattachment, the stretch portions may be locally attached to each other using a technologyused for lamination, but they are as mentioned not laminated over the whole extent of thestretch portions. The fact that the layers are not laminated but rather locally attached toeach other at the stretch portions implies that the two or more layers are mova ble withrespect to each other between the points of local attachment. As the layers may be free tomove with respect to each other, they may - if the material is used in a motorcycleprotective suit - more easily follow the shape of the body of the user. This may be used toincrease the flexibility of the suit and provide an easier movement of the user, which willimprove the comfort for the user compared to the prior art designs.

Furthermore, using non-laminated layers is advantageous as it may allow using thicker layers to increase the level of protection without introducing discomfort for the user.

Using non-laminated layers may further allow using more layers without introducingdiscomfort for the user.

Hard protective gear, such as armors and pads for protecting exposed or more vitalparts of the body are important parts of the overall protection for a motorcyclist. The hardprotective gears are typically worn inside the suit close to the body. During an accidentthere may be a risk of such hard protective gear to become misaligned from their intendedposition as a result from impact. This misalignment may be prevented, or at least alleviatedby the use of a protective suit with a tight fit to the body of the user. Typically, motorcycleprotective suits of the art are not tailored to be tightly fit to the user to the extent required.One reason for this is that a tight fit of prior art protective suits typically increase thediscomfort of the user. However, the use of non-laminated layers may allow tailoring aprotective suit to more tightly fit the body of the user that still is comfortable to use, which in turn will provide a more correct and secure positioning of the hard protective gear. 3 The local attachment may be positioned in the central part of the stretch portionssuch as to allow the two or more layers to move freely with respect to each other at theperipheral parts of the stretch portions. This provides an increased degree of freedom forthe two or more layers to move independently of each other, and may thus be utilized toincrease the comfort of the user.

Each of the two or more layers, at their non-stretch portions, may comprise a fa brichaving an in-plane Young's modulus between 5 and 200 GPa along at least one direction inthe plane.

Each of the two or more layers, at their non-stretch portions, may comprise, andmay more preferably as a major constituent comprise SuperFabric, Cordura, or KevlarFabric, or a combination thereof.

The outermost layer may comprise, and may more preferably as a major constituentcomprise, SuperFabric and the innermost layer may comprise, and may more preferably as amajor constituent comprise, Kevlar Fabric.

SuperFabric may be advantageous, preferably as an outer layer, as it may provide ahigh resistance to abrasion, tears and cuts while, at the same time, being sufficientlybreathable.

Cordura may be advantageous as may provide water resistance, high durability andsufficient breathability.

Kevlar Fabric may be advantageous, preferably as an inner layer, as it may providehigh durability and sufficient breathability. Moreover, Kevlar Fabric may decrease heatconduction. This is an advantage as it allows for protecting a user exposed to high degree ofheat, for example during an accident. The heat could for example be frictional heat whensliding on a road surface, heat due to fire, or direct contact with hot engine parts such as forexample the exhaust pipe of a motorcycle.

The two or more layers may, at its stretch portions, comprise a fabric having an in-plane Young's modulus between 0.5 and 100 MPa along at least one direction in the plane.

The two or more layers may, at its stretch portions, comprise, and may morepreferably as a major constituent comprise, Kevlar Stretch. Alternatively, or additionally, thetwo or more layers may, at its stretch portions, comprise, and may more preferably as amajor constituent comprise, Su perFabric Stretch.

The stretch portions and the non-stretch portions of each of the two or more layers may be attached to each other by adhesion, riveting or sewing, preferably by sewing. 4 The two or more layers may be locally attached to each other by adhesion, rivetingor sewing, preferably by sewing.

The use of two or more layers is advantageous as it allows for increasing thestrength of the material. For example, the total strength of the attachments betweenstretch portions and non-stretch portions will increase. This may provide a higher protectionfor a user.

The two or more layers may be locally attached to each other by sewing a pluralityof seams, preferably three or more seams alongside each other, as counted from a non-stretch portion to an adjacent non-stretch portion. lt may be noted that many alternative materials may be used. These include, forexample, materials such as Dynatec, leather, Lorica, Armacor, Nomex, Cambrelle, Taffeta,Taslan, Luftex, Thinsulate or Taffeta, to name a few. lt is to be understood that some ofthese listed names are brand names and/or trademarks and that there may be more thanone material associated with a name. For example, some SuperFabric materials are availablethat has high stretchability and some SuperFabric materials are available that has lowstretchability. lt may be noted that the material may include other layers apart from theinventive layers with stretch portions and non-stretch portions. As one example the materialmay include two, or two or more, layers each having stretch and non-stretch portions andthe material may further include e.g. an internal soft layer having an uniform stretchability.

A motorcycle protective suit is also provided, said motorcycle protective suitcomprising a material of the kind disclosed in this application. A protective suit comprising amaterial of the kind disclosed in this application may also be provided for another use, suchas for example motocross racing, BMX or another extreme sport.

The motorcycle protective suit may generally be said to have the same features andadvantages as the one discussed in relation to the material as such. lt is further noted thatthe inventive concepts relate to all possible combinations of the separately disclosed and discussed features unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Brief descriptions of the drawings The invention will by way of example be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, which shows presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1a shows a cross-sectional view of the material according to an embodimentof the present disclosure. lt is understood that the gaps between the layers of the materialare present for the sake of clarity. The layers are in practice allowed to touch each other.

Figure 1b shows a cross-section view of the material according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure wherein the material is curved. lt is understood that the gapsbetween the layers of the material are present for the sake of clarity. The layers are inpractice allowed to touch each other.

Figure 2 shows a schematic top view of the material according to an embodiment.

Figure 3 shows a motorcycle protective suit according to an embodiment.

Detailed description The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferred embodiments of the inventionare shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided for thoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scopeof the invention to the skilled person.

Figs 1a show a material 100 for a protective suit according to an embodiment. Thematerial is intended to be used in protective suits such as motorcycle protective suits. Thematerial comprises two or more layers 102a,102b,102c and the layers are all non-laminated.This implies that the one or more layers 102a,102b,102c are free to move with respect toeach other. Each layer comprises stretch portions 104 and non-stretch portions 106. Thestretch portions 104 and non-stretch portions 106 are separate portions along the plane of alayer. A stretch portion 104 may be stretched along the plane of the layer. A non-stretchportion 106 has a strong resistance against being stretched compared to the stretch portion104 along the plane of the layer. This implies that the stretch portions 104 and the non-stretch portions 106 differ in their stretcha bility. lt further implies that the in-plane Young'smodulus (tensile modulus) of the material in the non-stretch portions 106 is relatively highcompared to the in-plane Young's modulus of the material in the stretch portions 104. Thestretch portions 104 of the two or more layers 102a,102b,102c are arranged to overlap eachother. lt is to be understood that the in-plane Young's modulus of the material must not correspond to the Young's modulus of the fiber material making up the material. For example, fibers with a high Young's modulus may be used in the stretch portion as long asthose fibers are woven into the fa bric in a structure that allows the fa bric to be stretched byrearranging the structure of the fibers. One such structure could be a zig-zag structure.Addition of such rigid fibers may e.g. be performed to increase tear and wear resistance.

The two or more layers 102a,102b,102c are locally attached to each other at aplurality or all of the stretch portions 104. The local attachment is preferably positioned inthe central part 110 of the stretch portions 104 such as to allow the two or more layers102a,102b,102c to move freely with respect to each other at the peripheral parts 112 of thestretch portions 104. Local attachment must not be completely surrounding a non-stretchportion. For example, the one or more layers 102a,102b,102c may be attached to eachother only at some positions. Some non-stretch portions may be surrounded by stretchportions not attached to each other at all. This may be advantageous as it allows an evenbetter flexibility of the material.

The different stretcha bility of the stretch portions 104 and the non-stretch portions106 may be realized by using different material for the stretch portions 104 and non-stretchportions 106. The same material may, however, be part of both stretch portions 104 andnon-stretch portions 106. For example, a material with high stretchability may be laminatedtogether with another material with low stretchability to form a material to be used in thenon-stretch portions 106.

For each of the layers, the different materials may be attached together in joints 114to form the layer. The attachment between the layers meeting each other at the joints 114may be realized by adhesion, riveting or sewing, prefera bly by sewing.

The non-stretch portions 106 of the preferred embodiments are formed from high-modulus fiber materials such as for example Cordura and Kevlar having an in-plane Young'smodulus between 5 and 200 GPa, and more preferably between 60 and 130 GPa, along atleast one direction in the plane. ln an embodiment, each of the two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may, at theirnon-stretch portions 106, comprise, and more preferably as a major constituent comprisesSuperFabric, Cordura, or Kevlar Fabric, or a combination thereof.

The outermost layer 102a may comprise, more preferably as a major constituentcomprises, SuperFabric and the innermost layer 102c may comprise, more preferably as a major constituent comprise, Kevlar Fabric. ln an embodiment, three layers are used, the outermost layer 102a comprising,preferably as a major constituent, SuperFabric, the middle layer 102b comprising, preferablyas a major constituent, Cordura and the innermost layer 102c comprising, preferably as amajor constituent, Kevlar Fabric.

Each of the two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may, at their non-stretch portions106, comprise a fabric having an in-plane Young's modulus between 5 and 200 GPa along atleast one direction in the plane.

The stretch portions 104 of the preferred embodiments are formed from low-modulus fiber materials such as for example Lycra and Kevlar stretch having an in-planeYoung's modulus between 0.5 and 100 MPa, and more preferably between 10 and 60 MPaalong at least one direction in the plane.

The two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may, at its stretch portions 104, comprise,more prefera bly as a major constituent, Kevlar Stretch.

The two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may, at its stretch portions 104, comprise afabric having an in-plane Young's modulus between 0.5 and 100 MPa along at least onedirection in the plane.

The two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may be locally attached to each other byadhesion, riveting or sewing, prefera bly by sewing.

The two or more layers 102a,102b,102c may be locally attached to each other bysewing a plurality of seams 108.

Prefera bly the local attachment comprises three or more seams alongside eachother, as counted from a non-stretch portion 106 to an adjacent non-stretch portion 106.

Figure 2 shows a schematic illustration of the material 200 according to anembodiment. The material comprises two or more layers comprising a plurality of stretchportions 204 a-i surrounded by non-stretch portions 206. The two or more layers areattached to each other by a plurality of seams 208a-d. The stretchability of the material 200is visualized in the corner 220 where the stretch portion has been subjected to a pullingforce. The non-stretch portion 206i moves but essentially keeps its dimensions due to itsless stretcha ble material.

Figure 3 shows a motorcycle protective suit 300 comprising the material 100 of thedisclosure. The motorcycle protective suit comprises two or more layers, each of the layerscomprising a plurality of non-stretch portions 106 held together by stretch portions to form the suit.

The embodiments herein are not limited to the above described examples. Variousalternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, this disclosure shouldnot be limited to the specific form set forth herein. This disclosure is limited only by theappended claims and other embodiments than the mentioned above are equally possible within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A material (100) for a protective suit, such as a motorcycle protective suit, thematerial comprising: two or more layers (102a,102b,102c), said layers being non-laminated, wherein each layer comprises stretch portions (104) and non-stretchportions (106), the stretch portions (104) of the two or more layers being arranged tooverlap each other, and wherein the two or more layers (102a,102b,102c) are locally attached to each other at a plurality or all of the stretch portions (104).

2. The material (100) according to claim 1, wherein the local attachment is beingpositioned in the central part (110) of the stretch portions (104) such as to allow the two ormore layers (102a,102b,102c) to move freely with respect to each other at the peripheralparts (112) of the stretch portions (104).

3. The material (100) according to claim 1-2, wherein each of the two or more layers(102a,102b,102c), at their non-stretch portions (106), comprises a fabric having an in-plane Young's modulus between 5 and 200 GPa along at least one direction in the plane.

4. The material (100) according to claim 1-3, wherein each of the two or more layers(102a,102b,102c), at their non-stretch portions (106), comprises, and more preferably as amajor constituent comprises SuperFabric, Cordura, or Kevlar Fabric, or a combination thereof.

5. The material (100) according to claim 4, wherein the outermost layer (102a)comprises, more preferably as a major constituent comprises, SuperFabric and theinnermost layer (102c) comprises, more preferably as a major constituent comprises, Kevlar Fabric.

6. The material (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the two or more layers (102a,102b,102c), at its stretch portions (104), comprises a fabric having an in-plane Young's modulus between 0.5 and 100 MPa along at least one direction in the plane.

7. The material (100) according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the two or morelayers (102a,102b,102c), at its stretch portions (104), comprises, more preferably as a major constituent comprises, Kevlar Stretch.

8. The material (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the twoor more layers (102a,102b,102c) are locally attached to each other by adhesion, riveting or sewing, prefera bly by sewing.

9. The material (100) according to claim 8, wherein the two or more layers(102a,102b,102c) are locally attached to each other by sewing a plurality of seams (108),preferably three or more seams alongside each other, as counted from a non-stretch portion (106) to an adjacent non-stretch portion (106).

10. A motorcycle protective suit (200) comprising the material (100) according to any one of the preceding claims.