Classifications

• • A41D31/0022—
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
  • A41D31/08—Heat resistant; Fire retardant
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D02—YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING
  • D02G—CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS
  • D02G3/00—Yarns or threads, e.g. fancy yarns; Processes or apparatus for the production thereof, not otherwise provided for
  • D02G3/22—Yarns or threads characterised by constructional features, e.g. blending, filament/fibre
  • D02G3/36—Cored or coated yarns or threads
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D02—YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING
  • D02G—CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS
  • D02G3/00—Yarns or threads, e.g. fancy yarns; Processes or apparatus for the production thereof, not otherwise provided for
  • D02G3/44—Yarns or threads characterised by the purpose for which they are designed
  • D02G3/443—Heat-resistant, fireproof or flame-retardant yarns or threads
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B2201/00—Cellulose-based fibres, e.g. vegetable fibres
  • D10B2201/20—Cellulose-derived artificial fibres
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B2331/00—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products
  • D10B2331/02—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyamides
  • D10B2331/021—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyamides aromatic polyamides, e.g. aramides
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/30—Woven fabric [i.e., woven strand or strip material]
  • Y10T442/3976—Including strand which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous composition, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/60—Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
  • Y10T442/696—Including strand or fiber material which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous compositions, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]

Definitions

• This application relates to yarns, textile materials, and garments exhibiting flame resistant properties.
• Flame resistant fabrics are useful in many applications, including the production of garments worn by personnel in a variety of industries or occupations, such as the military, electrical (for arc protection), petroleum chemical manufacturing, and emergency response fields.
• Cellulosic or cellulosic-blend fabrics have typically been preferred for these garments, due to the relative ease with which these fabrics may be made flame resistant and the relative comfort of such fabrics to the wearer.
• the invention provides a yarn comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides a textile material comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides a garment comprising one or more fabric panels, at least one of the fabric panels comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides a shirt comprising a plurality of fabric panels, at least one of the fabric panels defining a body covering portion of the shirt and at least two of the fabric panels defining sleeves attached to the body covering portion of the shirt, at least one of the fabric panels comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides a pant comprising a plurality of fabric panels, at least two of the fabric panels defining leg covering portions of the pant, at least one of the fabric panels comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides a method for protecting an individual from infrared radiation that can be generated during an arc flash, the method comprising the step of positioning a textile material between an individual and an apparatus capable of producing an arc flash, the textile material comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.
• the invention provides flame resistant textile materials.
• flame resistant refers to a material that burns slowly or is self-extinguishing after removal of an external source of ignition.
• the flame resistance of textile materials can be measured by any suitable test method, such as those described in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 701 entitled “Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Flame Propagation of Textiles and Films,” ASTM D6413 entitled “Standard Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles (vertical test)”, NFPA 2112 entitled “Standard on Flame Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel against Flash Fire”, ASTM F1506 entitled “The Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards”, and ASTM F1930 entitled “Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Flame Resistant Clothing for Protection against Flash Fire Simulations Using an Instrumented Manikin.”
• NFPA National Fire Protection Association
• the invention provides a yarn comprising regenerated cellulose fibers and para-aramid fibers.
• the yarns can be any suitable type of yarn.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers and para-aramid fibers are staple fibers, and the yarns are spun yarns.
• Such spun yarns can be formed by any suitable spinning process, such as ring spinning, air-jet spinning, or open-end spinning.
• the yarns are spun using a ring spinning process (i.e., the yarns are ring spun yarns).
• the yarn of the invention comprises regenerated cellulose fibers.
• regenerated cellulose fibers is utilized herein to refer to fibers made by dissolving cellulose in a suitable solvent and then spinning or extruding the solution in an appropriate medium so that the cellulose precipitates or coagulates in the form of filaments or fibers.
• Suitable regenerated cellulose fibers include, but are not limited to, rayon fibers (e.g., viscose rayon fibers, high wet modulus rayon fibers, modal fibers, and polynosic fibers), lyocell fibers, and mixtures thereof.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers are selected from the group consisting of rayon fibers, lyocell fibers, and mixtures thereof.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers are lyocell fibers.
• Regenerated cellulose fibers typically exhibit a degree of softness and moisture regain that makes them particularly useful in producing textile materials that are comfortable when worn. However, some regenerated cellulose fibers suffer from relatively low tenacity (especially wet tenacity). The weakness of such regenerated cellulose fibers means that they cannot be used in textile materials in large amounts without sacrificing the durability of the textile material. Therefore, the regenerated cellulose fibers utilized in the embodiments of the invention preferably exhibit a relatively high tenacity, both when dry and when wet. More specifically, the regenerated cellulose fibers preferably exhibit a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, more preferably about 30 cN/tex or more, and most preferably about 35 cN/tex or more. The regenerated cellulose fibers also preferably exhibit a wet tenacity of about 20 cN/tex or more or about 25 cN/tex or more.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers can be present in the yarn in any suitable amount.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers possess the relatively high tenacities described above, the regenerated cellulose fibers can be incorporated into the yarn (and the yarns into textile materials) without sacrificing the durability of the yarn and any textile material into which the yarns are incorporated.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers are present in the yarn in an amount of about 40% or more, about 45% or more, about 50% or more, about 55% or more, about 60% or more, or about 65% or more (e.g. about 70%) by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the yarn of the invention can comprise other fibers (e.g., para-aramid fibers) that produce and/or enhance the other desirable properties of the yarn.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers preferably are present in the yarn in an amount of about 85% or less (e.g., about 80% or less or about 75% or less) by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers preferably are present in the yarn in an amount of about 45% to about 85%, about 50% to about 85%, about 55% to about 85%, about 60% to about 85%, or about 65% to about 85% (e.g., about 65% to about 80% or about 65% to about 75%) by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers preferably comprise a flame retardant compound within the fiber.
• This flame retardant compound preferably is incorporated into the regenerated cellulose fiber in such a way that it does not significantly decrease the tenacity of the virgin regenerated cellulose fiber (i.e., the regenerated cellulose fiber without the flame retardant).
• the regenerated cellulose fibers preferably exhibit tenacities within the ranges recited above even after the flame retardant compound is incorporated into the fibers. This distinguishes the regenerated cellulose fibers used in the invention from other flame retardant regenerated cellulose fibers, such as FR rayon, which can exhibit dramatic decreases in tenacity owing to the incorporation of the flame retardant compound.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers can comprise any suitable flame retardant compound.
• the regenerated cellulose fibers comprise a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound.
• the phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound can be any suitable phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound.
• the phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound is a compound produced by first reacting (i) a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, a condensate of a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, or a mixture thereof and (ii) a cross-linking agent.
• the resulting condensation product is then oxidized, which is believed to convert at least a portion of the phosphorous atoms in the condensation product from a trivalent form to a more stable pentavalent form.
• the condensation product can be oxidized using any suitable oxidant, such as hydrogen peroxide, sodium perborate, or sodium hypochlorite.
• tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt refers to salts containing the tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium (THP) cation, which has the structure
• THP condensate refers to the product obtained by reacting a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, such as those described above, with a limited amount of a cross-linking agent, such as urea, guanazole, or biguanide, to produce a compound in which at least some of the individual tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium cations have been linked through their hydroxymethyl groups.
• a cross-linking agent such as urea, guanazole, or biguanide
• the cross-linking agent is any suitable compound that enables the cross-linking and/or curing of THP.
• Suitable cross-linking agents include, for example, urea, a guanidine (i.e., guanidine, a salt thereof, or a guanidine derivative), guanyl urea, glycoluril, ammonia, an ammonia-formaldehyde adduct, an ammonia-acetaldehyde adduct, an ammonia-butyraldehyde adduct, an ammonia-chloral adduct, glucosamine, a polyamine (e.g., polyethyleneimine, polyvinylamine, polyetherimine, polyethyleneamine, polyacrylamide, chitosan, aminopolysaccharides), glycidyl ethers, isocyanates, blocked isocyanates and combinations thereof.
• the cross-linking agent is urea or ammonia, with urea
• the flame retardant compound can be incorporated into the regenerated cellulose fibers in any suitable way.
• the flame retardant compound can be incorporated into the solvent in which the cellulose is dissolved or into the cellulose stock. When this is done, the flame retardant compound is incorporated into the fiber as it is extruded.
• the fiber or yarn (or a textile materials made from the yarn) can be post-treated with the flame retardant compound using techniques that are known in the art.
• the THP or THP condensate can be applied in any suitable amount.
• the THP salt or THP condensate is applied in an amount that provides at least 0.5% (e.g., at least 1%, at least 1.5%, at least 2%, at least 2.5%, at least 3%, at least 3.5%, at least 4%, or at least 4.5%) of elemental phosphorus based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn).
• the THP salt or THP condensate is also typically applied in an amount that provides less than 5% (e.g., less than 4.5%, less than 4%, less than 3.5%, less than 3%, less than 2.5%, less than 2%, less than 1.5%, or less than 1%) of elemental phosphorus based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn).
• the THP salt or THP condensate is applied in an amount that provides about 1% to about 4% (e.g., about 1% to about 3% or about 2% to about 3%) of elemental phosphorous based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn).
• the cross-linking agent can be applied to the fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn) in any suitable amount.
• the cross-linking agent is applied in an amount of at least 0.1% (e.g., at least 1%, at least 2%, at least 3%, at least 5%, at least 7%, at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 18%, or at least 20%) based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn).
• the cross-linking agent is also typically applied in an amount of less than 25% (e.g., less than 20%, less than 18%, less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 7%, less than 5%, less than 3%, or less than 1%) based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn). In a potentially preferred embodiment, the cross-linking agent is applied in an amount of about 2% to about 7% based on the weight of the untreated fiber or yarn (or a textile material made from the yarn).
• the yarn of the invention also comprises para-aramid fibers. These fibers are included in the yarn for various reasons, such as increasing the strength and durability of the yarn and any textile material made from the yarn.
• the para-aramid fibers can be present in the yarn in any suitable amount. Preferably, the para-aramid fibers are present in the yarn in an amount of about 5% or more, about 10% or more, or about 15% or more by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn. While the para-aramid fibers are useful in increasing the strength and durability of the yarn, yarns with too high an amount of para-aramid fibers can produce textile materials that are not comfortable when worn.
• the para-aramid fibers preferably are present in the yarn in an amount of about 30% or less, about 25% or less, or about 20% or less by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the para-aramid fibers are present in the yarn in an amount of about 5% to about 25%, about 10% to about 25%, or about 15% to about 25% by weight of the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the yarn of the invention can further comprise other fibers, such as other synthetic fibers.
• These additional synthetic fibers can be any suitable synthetic fiber and can be included for various reasons.
• the additional synthetic fibers can be thermoplastic synthetic fibers.
• These thermoplastic synthetic fibers typically can be included in the yarn in order to increase its durability to, for example, industrial washing conditions.
• thermoplastic synthetic fibers tend to be rather durable to abrasion and harsh washing conditions employed in industrial laundry facilities and their inclusion in, for example, a cellulosic fiber-containing spun yarn can increase that yarn's durability to such conditions. This increased durability of the yarn, in turn, leads to an increased durability for textile materials made from the yarn.
• Suitable thermoplastic synthetic fibers include, but are not necessarily limited to, polyester fibers (e.g., poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers, poly(propylene terephthalate) fibers, poly(trimethylene terephthalate) fibers), poly(butylene terephthalate) fibers, and blends thereof), polyamide fibers (e.g., nylon 6 fibers, nylon 6,6 fibers, nylon 4,6 fibers, and nylon 12 fibers), polyvinyl alcohol fibers, and combinations, mixtures, or blends thereof.
• the yarn further comprises polyamide fibers (e.g., nylon 6 fibers, nylon 6,6 fibers, nylon 4,6 fibers, and nylon 12 fibers), with nylon 6,6 fibers being preferred.
• the additional synthetic fibers can also be inherent flame resistant fibers.
• inherent flame resistant fibers refers to synthetic fibers which, due to the chemical composition of the material from which they are made, exhibit flame resistance without the need for an additional flame retardant treatment.
• the inherent flame resistant fibers can be any suitable inherent flame resistant fibers, such as polyoxadiazole fibers, polysulfonamide fibers, poly(benzimidazole) fibers, poly(phenylenesulfide) fibers, meta-aramid fibers, polypyridobisimidazole fibers, polybenzylthiazole fibers, polybenzyloxazole fibers, melamine-formaldehyde polymer fibers, phenol-formaldehyde polymer fibers, oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibers, polyamide-imide fibers and combinations, mixtures, or blends thereof.
• the yarn further comprises polyoxadiazole fibers.
• the synthetic fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyamide fibers, polyester fibers, meta-aramid fibers, modacrylic fibers, polyoxadiazole fibers, acrylic fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers, and mixtures thereof.
• these additional synthetic fibers can be present in the yarn in any suitable amount.
• these additional synthetic fibers preferably are present in an amount of about 0.1% or more, about 0.5% or more, about 1% or more, about 2% or more, about 3% or more, about 4% or more, about 5% or more, about 6% or more, about 7% or more, about 8% or more, about 9% or more, or about 10% or more by weight based on the total weight of the fibers in the yarn.
• these additional synthetic fibers preferably are present in an amount of about 40% or less, about 35% or less, about 30% or less, about 25% or less, or about 20% or less by weight based on the total weight of the fibers present in the yarn.
• these additional synthetic fibers are present in the yarn in an amount of about 0.1% to about 30% (e.g., about 0.5% to about 30%, about 1% to about 30%, or about 5% to about 30%) or about 5% to about 25% (e.g., about 5% to about 20%) by weight based on the total weight of fibers present in the yarn.
• the optimal weight of the additional synthetic fibers will depend, at least in part, on the particular type(s) of additional synthetic fibers included in the yarn.
• the polyamide fibers when the additional synthetic fibers are polyamide fibers, the polyamide fibers preferably are present in the yarn in an amount of about 5% to about 20% or about 5% to about 15% (e.g., about 10%) by weight based on the total weight of the fibers in the yarn.
• the polyoxadiazole fibers preferably are present in the yarn in an amount of about 5% to about 25% or about 10% to about 20% (e.g., about 15%) by weight based on the total weight of fibers in the yarn.
• the invention provides textile materials comprising a plurality of the above-described yarns.
• the textile materials of the invention can be of any suitable construction.
• the yarns forming the textile material can be provided in any suitable patternwise arrangement producing a fabric.
• the textile materials are provided in a woven construction, such as a plain weave, basket weave, twill weave, satin weave, or sateen weave.
• Suitable plain weaves include, but are not limited to, ripstop weaves produced by incorporating, at regular intervals, extra yarns or reinforcement yarns in the warp, fill, or both the warp and fill of the textile material during formation.
• Suitable twill weaves include both warp-faced and fill-faced twill weaves, such as 2/1, 3/1, 3/2, 4/1, 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 twill weaves.
• the textile material of the invention can be provided in any suitable weight (i.e., weight per unit of area).
• the suitable weight for the textile material will depend upon several factors, such as the desired degree of protection that the textile material will afford a wearer.
• the weight ranges provided below preferably indicate the weight of the textile material after any treatments (e.g., chemical treatments and/or mechanical treatments) have been performed on the textile material.
• the textile material exhibits a weight of about 135 g/m 2 or more, about 140 g/m 2 or more, about 145 g/m 2 or more, about 150 g/m 2 or more, about 155 g/m 2 or more, about 160 g/m 2 or more, about 165 g/m 2 or more, about 170 g/m 2 or more, about 175 g/m 2 or more, about 180 g/m 2 or more, or about 185 g/m 2 or more.
• the textile material exhibits a weight of about 305 g/m 2 or less, about 300 g/m 2 or less, about 295 g/m 2 or less, about 290 g/m 2 or less, about 285 g/m 2 or less, about 280 g/m 2 or less, about 275 g/m 2 or less, about 270 g/m 2 or less, about 265 g/m 2 or less, about 260 g/m 2 or less, or about 255 g/m 2 or less.
• the textile material exhibits a weight of about 135 g/m 2 to about 305 g/m 2 or about 170 g/m 2 to about 255 g/m 2 .
• the textile material can optionally be treated using one or more mechanical surface treatments.
• a mechanical surface treatment typically relaxes stress imparted to the fabric during curing and fabric handling, breaks up yarn bundles stiffened during curing, and increases the tear strength of the treated fabric.
• suitable mechanical surface treatments include treatment with high-pressure streams of air or water (such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,795, U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,143, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,605), treatment with steam jets, needling, particle bombardment, ice-blasting, tumbling, stone-washing, constricting through a jet orifice, and treatment with mechanical vibration, sharp bending, shear, or compression.
• a sanforizing process may be used instead of, or in addition to, one or more of the above processes to improve the fabric's hand and to control the fabric's shrinkage.
• Additional mechanical treatments that may be used to impart softness to the treated fabric, and which may also be followed by a sanforizing process, include napping, napping with diamond-coated napping wire, gritless sanding, patterned sanding against an embossed surface, shot-peening, sand-blasting, brushing, impregnated brush rolls, ultrasonic agitation, sueding, engraved or patterned roll abrasion, and impacting against or with another material, such as the same or a different fabric, abrasive substrates, steel wool, diamond grit rolls, tungsten carbide rolls, etched or scarred rolls, or sandpaper rolls.
• the textile materials of the invention are believed to exhibit good protection against flash fire and arc flash hazards. Accordingly, the textile materials are believed to be particularly well-suited for use in the production of protective garments, such as those worn by industrial workers at risk for exposure to flash fires and arc flashes.
• the textile materials of the invention When tested in accordance with ASTM D6413 entitled “Standard Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles (vertical test)”, the textile materials of the invention typically exhibit very short char length with zero afterflame. Typical char lengths exhibited by the textile materials are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) to about 2.5 inches (6.4 cm), which indicates that the textile materials exhibit relatively high mechanical strength even after exposure to the flame.
• the textile materials can withstand many repeated home and/or industrial launderings. This stands in contrast to textile materials made with conventional rayon or FR rayon, which fibers have lower tenacities and produce textile materials exhibiting relatively low durability to repeated launderings.
• the flame resistant properties of the textile materials are also durable to repeated launderings.
• the textile materials of the invention typically (and preferably) exhibit the flame resistant properties described above after many (e.g., 50 or more, or 100) home and/or industrial launderings.
• the invention provides a garment comprising one or more fabric panels.
• the one or more fabric panels can be joined (e.g., sewn) together in such a way as to enclose an interior volume, which interior volume is intended to be occupied by a wearer or at least a portion of the anatomy of a wearer.
• Suitable examples of such garments include, but are not limited to, shirts, jackets, vests, pants, overalls, coveralls, hoods, and gloves.
• the garment need not be constructed so that it encloses an interior volume. Rather, the garment can be constructed so that a wearer can securely fasten it to his or her body so that it covers and protects at least a portion of his or her anatomy.
• Suitable examples of such garments include, but are not limited to aprons, bibs, chaps, and spats.
• At least one of the fabric panels of the garment comprises the textile material described above (i.e., a textile material comprising a plurality of the yarns described above).
• the garment comprises multiple fabric panels, all of the fabric panels comprise the textile material described above.
• the garment is a shirt comprising a plurality of fabric panels. At least one of the fabric panels defines a body covering portion of the shirt, and at least two of the fabric panels define sleeves attached to the body covering portion of the shirt.
• at least one of the fabric panels of the shirt comprises the textile material described above.
• the garment is a pant comprising a plurality of fabric panels. At least two of the fabric panels define leg covering portions of the pant.
• at least one of the fabric panels comprises the textile material described above.
• the invention provides a method for protecting an individual from infrared radiation that can be generated during an electrical arc flash.
• the method comprises the step of positioning a textile material between an individual and an apparatus capable of producing an electrical arc flash.
• the textile material preferably is a textile material according to the invention (i.e., a textile material comprising a plurality of the yarns described above).
• the textile material can be positioned at any suitable point between the individual and the apparatus.
• the textile material preferably forms part of a garment worn by the individual.
• Suitable garments include, but are not limited to, shirts, pants, coats, hoods, aprons, and gloves.
• the outward-facing textile portions of a garment worn by the individual i.e., those portions of the garment facing towards the apparatus when the garment is being worn by the individual
• the apparatus is a piece of electrical equipment.
• the apparatus is capable of producing an arc flash having an incident energy of about 1.2 calories/cm 2 or more (about 5 J/cm 2 or more) at a position at which the individual is located. More preferably, the apparatus is capable of producing an arc flash having an incident energy of about 4 calories/cm 2 or more (about 17 J/cm 2 or more) at a position at which the individual is located.
• the apparatus preferably is capable of producing an arc flash having an incident energy of about 8 calories/cm 2 or more (about 33 J/cm 2 or more) at a position at which the individual is located.
• An arc flash having an incident energy such as those described above (especially an arc flash having an incident energy of about 4 calories/cm 2 or more or about 8 calories/cm 2 or more) is capable of inflicting significant injury (e.g., second degree burns) to the unprotected or under-protected skin of an individual exposed to the arc flash.
• significant injury e.g., second degree burns
• the textile material described above can be used as an outer layer with other arc flash resistant fabrics and/or insulation materials underlying the textile material (i.e., between the textile material and the wearer).
• the high break-open resistance of the textile materials of the invention will provide a multilayer structure that affords desirable levels of arc flash protection and maintains its mechanical integrity following exposure to an arc flash or flame.
• This method demonstrates the production of a yarn and textile material according to the invention.
• An intimate fiber blend containing approximately 70% by weight lyocell fibers, approximately 20% by weight para-aramid fibers, and approximately 10% by weight nylon 6,6 fibers was spun using a ring-spinning process to produce a yarn.
• the resulting yarn was then used to produce a sateen weave fabric (the yarn was used as both the warp and fill yarns of the woven fabric).
• the fabric was dyed and finished to incorporate a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound inside the lyocell fibers.
• the resulting fabric had a weight of approximately 5.6 oz/yd 2 (190 g/m 2 ).
• the resulting fabric was then tested to determine its flame resistant properties.
• the fabric exhibited a char length of approximately 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) in both the warp and fill directions.
• the fabric was tested in accordance with ASTM F 1959—“Standard Test Method for Determining the Arc Thermal Performance Value of Materials for Clothing”.
• the fabric exhibited a breakopen threshold energy (Ebt) of approximately 14.3 cal/cm 2 (59.8 J/cm 2 ).
• This method demonstrates the production of a yarn and textile material according to the invention.
• An intimate fiber blend containing approximately 75% by weight lyocell fibers, approximately 15% by weight para-aramid fibers, and approximately 10% by weight polyoxadiazole fibers was spun using a ring-spinning process to produce a yarn.
• the resulting yarn was then used to produce a twill weave fabric (the yarn was used as both the warp and fill yarns of the woven fabric).
• the fabric was dyed and finished to incorporate a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound inside the lyocell fibers.
• the resulting fabric had a weight of approximately 7.2 oz/yd 2 (240 g/m 2 ).
• the resulting fabric was then tested to determine its flame resistant properties.
• the fabric exhibited a char length of about 1.2 inches (3 cm) in both the warp and fill directions. After exposure to a 2 cal/cm 2 ⁇ sec (8.4 J/cm 2 ⁇ sec) flame for approximately 10 seconds, the fabric maintained good flexibility and mechanical integrity.
• the fabric is believed to be suitable for use in arc flash and flash fire protective apparel where resistance to breakopen after exposure to high thermal energy from flame and electric arc is required.
• a high strength lyocell fiber containing a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound is used in the following intimate fiber blend: approximately 70% by weight lyocell fibers; approximately 20% by weight para-aramid fibers; and approximately 10% by weight polyoxadiazole fibers.
• the intimately blended fibers are made into a ring-spun yarn, and the yarn is woven into a twill weave fabric (the yarn is used as both the warp and fill yarns of the woven fabric). The fabric is then scoured, dyed and finished.
• the fabric can be made into a weight of approximately 5.6 oz/yd 2 (190 g/m 2 ) and approximately 7.5 oz/yd 2 (250 g/m 2 ). These fabrics are expected to exhibit good flexibility and mechanical integrity after exposure to a high energy electric arc and/or flame.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Woven Fabrics (AREA)
• Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
• Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)

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• 2013
  • 2013-07-15 CN CN201310296070.1A patent/CN103668619B/zh active Active
  • 2013-09-10 CA CA2882854A patent/CA2882854A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-09-10 BR BR112015005463A patent/BR112015005463A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2013-09-10 US US14/022,883 patent/US20140075659A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-09-10 WO PCT/US2013/058973 patent/WO2014043097A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2013-09-10 MX MX2015003025A patent/MX356878B/es active IP Right Grant
• 2019
  • 2019-11-21 US US16/691,084 patent/US20200085122A1/en not_active Abandoned

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