WO2002080713A2

WO2002080713A2 - Barrier glove

Info

Publication number: WO2002080713A2
Application number: PCT/US2002/010456
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Sanford Burnham; Bruce Connard Bell
Original assignee: Ilc Dover, Inc.
Priority date: 2001-04-04
Filing date: 2002-04-04
Publication date: 2002-10-17
Also published as: AU2002256059A1; WO2002080713A3

Abstract

A protective garment, preferably in the form of a glove (10), includes at least one layer of cagulated polyvinyl alcohol (20), a plasticizer and a pre-coagulant/stabilizer, and a second layer (21) or layers (22) of a disprate chemical composition, as well as one or more interlayers. The glove (10) functions to protect the user from dangerous environments and is a seamless, elastic product which is resistant to common solvents, and acidic and basic solutions, as well as other skin irritants. The glove (10) may be formed by sequentially dipping a form (12) into baths of liquids containing the appropriate compositions.

Description

BARRIER GLONE

Background of the Invention

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to protective clothing, especially protective gloves, to

protect the wearer from harmful chemicals and other toxic substances from contacting the sldn

of the wearer.

2. Description of the Related Art

Clothing to protect a wearer from the environment is a generally well established art.

There have been known, since earliest times, the use of clothing to protect the wearer

from the effects of cold, of insects, from the sun and, more recently, especially in the workplace, from contaminating the environment, such as in clean rooms and other areas where contact of the

human skin with the environment is undesirable.

There is also known the protection of the skin of the wearer against toxic agents, such as

chemicals, e.g., acids, bases, common solvents, etc.,which could cause injury to the skin and other

deleterious effects to the health of the workers in such fields. It is to this latter field where the

invention is primarily directed, though it is to be understood that it is with the scope of the

invention to apply this invention to any form of protective clothing which a wearer may don.

Summary of the Invention

Protective clothing, especially elastic, chemical resistant, snug fit, protective gloves are

formed of a multilayer construction so as to provide not only protection of the skin of the wearer

from the environment, but also to maintain flexibility in the protective garment such that tactile

senses are not obliterated.

A process for making such protective clothing, especially by a dipping or coating process

of various liquid layers on a form or mandrel is also disclosed. Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of protective clothing according to the invention in

the form of a protective glove.

Fig. 2 is a cross section along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating, in schematic representation,

the layered construction of the protective clothing.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

The protective clothing according to the invention can be represented by the protective

glove 10 of Fig. 1. However, it should be expressly understood that although the following

description is made with regard to the protective glove, it also applies to other protective clothing

such as a jacket, pants, jumpsuit, hoods, shoes, leggings, gaiters and waders and other such

clothing.

As shown in Fig. 1, the protective glovelO is formed on a form or mandrel 12 and, thus,

is a thin, stretch fit glove. Forming can take place by sequentially dipping form 12 into one or

more baths (not shown) of liquid to form all, or a portion, of each layer 20, 21 and, optionally,

22 which will be described in more detail in connection with Fig. 2.

The purpose of the sequential dipping is primarily to form at least two layers of disparate

chemical composition. For example, according to the invention, layer 20 is formed of polyvinyl

alcohol (PNOH) by dipping form 12 into a bath of PNOH, removing the form 12 with a layer of

PNOH thereon and dipping it into a coagulating or gelling agent, such as boric acid or borate

(zinc, calcium or barium) borate solutions. It should be understood that the forming of layer 20

can be achieved by a single dipping and coagulation or by repeating the dipping and coagulation

a number of times until the desired thickness is attained. Multi-dipping is preferred insofar as it

assures that there will be no pin holes or other channels through layer 20 as might occur by a

single dipping. Because PNOH can only form a solution in low concentration with water, multiple dippings are preferred. Additionally, multiple dips permit the build-up of any desired

thickness, a a single dipping does not permit formation of a thick layer. However, in some

circumstances, it is acceptable to form layer 20 from a single dip process.

A plasticizer is preferably added to the PNOH bath. Suitable plasticizers include glycerine,

glycols, sugars and starches. The concentration of plasticizer is an amount sufficient to reduce

the PNOH layer with greater than 300% tensile elongation (ASTM). In some circumstances, it

is desirable to add a pre-coagulant/stabilizer to the PNOH bath, such as boric acid.

Subsequent to the forming of layer 20, a coagulant is applied before an outmost layer 21

can be formed which layer 21 has highly resistant properties to the environment in which glove

10 is to be used.

We have found that latex rubbers, especially nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl or

bromobutyl rubbers are best for outmost layer 21. Carboxylated nitrile is preferred. A caustic

solution is suitable for use as a coagulant for the latex rubber. Sodum hydroxide (ΝaOH) is

suitable for use with the carboxylated nitrile layer. This outmost layer 21 can also be formed by

dipping mandrel or form 12 into a liquid bath of the latex rubber followed by coagulation of the

same. As with layer 20, the layer 21 can be formed by a single dipping, though multiple dips are

preferred.

On occasion, it is desirable to also provide an interior layer 22 which can be formed or

molded mandrel or form 12 by dipping it into a liquid bath, followed by coagulation, before the

formation of layer 20. As with layers 20, 21 the dipping to form layer 22 may be a single or

multiple dips into the liquid bath.

Layer 22 can be formed of any suitable material which is not irritative to the skin of the

wearer, and we have found many suitable materials including the same materials which form layer 21. As an alterative embodiment to the dipping described in the formation of glove 10, the

protective clothing can also be formed by spraying a mandrel or form 12 with the liquids which

form and/or cause coagulation of the various layers. It is also within the scope of the invention

to combine the dipping and spraying steps, e.g., dipping the PNOH and spraying the coagulant,

or vice versa.

The composite layers can be cured on the form by applying heat to dry and cure the

coating, prior to stripping the glove 10 from form 12.

According to the invention, we are able to provide seamless, elastic, snug fit gloves which

are also chemical resistant to common solvents, acidic and basic solutions or other aqueous

irritants.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method of creating a protective garment comprising:

applying on to a former, a first liquid comprising polyvinyl alcohol (PNOH) to coat said

former with a layer of said first liquid; and

further applying onto said coated former, a second liquid comprising a latex rubber to coat

said coated former, to form a twice coated former;

wherein said first liquid and said second liquid are of disparate chemical compositions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

said applying comprises dipping said former into a bath comprising said first liquid; and

said further applying comprises dipping said coated former into a bath comprising said

second liquid.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising additional applying a coagulating agent

to said coated former.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said coagulating agent comprises an agent selected

from the group consisting of boric acid and solutions comprising zinc borate, calcium borate and

barium borate.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising repeating at least one of said applying and said additional applying, sequentially, until a desired thickness is achieved.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first liquid further comprises a plastcizer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said plasticizer comprises at least one member

selected from the group consisting of glycerin, glycol, sugar and starch.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said plasticizer is present in an amount sufficient

to reduce said layer of said first liquid to greater than 300 % tensile elongation (ASTM).

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said first liquid further comprises a pre-coagulant

or stabilizer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said latex rubber is selected from the group

consisting of nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl and bromobutyl rubbers.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said latex rubber comprises carboxylated nitrile

rubber.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising additionally applying a coagulant after

said first liquid comprising polyvinyl (PNOH) is applied to said former.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising repeating said further applying, and

said additionally applying sequentially, at least once.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing an interlayer on a form prior

to said first applying step.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said providing comprises:

adding a third liquid to said form and

coagulating said third liquid.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said third liquid comprises at least one selected

from the group consisting of nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl and bromobutyl rubbers.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising stripping said first layer and said second

layer, simultaneously, from said former.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising heating and curing said first and

second layers, prior to said stripping.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said first applying and said second applying are

each, independently, selected from the group consisting of dipping and spraying.

20. A protective garment comprising:

a layer comprising polyvinyl alcohol (PNOH) and

a layer comprising a latex rubber,

wherein said first layer and said second layer are of disparate chemical composition.

21. The protective garment of claim 20, wherein said garment is in a form selected

from the group consisting of a jacket, pants, jumpsuit, hood, shoe, legging, gaiters and waders.

22. The protective garment of claim 20 ', wherein said first layer comprises coagulated

PNOH.

23. The protective garment of claim 20, comprising a plurality of layers of coagulated

PNOH.

24. The protective garment of claim 21 , wherein said first liquid further comprises a

plasticizer.

25. The protective garment of claim 24, wherein said plasticizer comprises at least one

selected from the group consisting of glycerin, glycol, sugar and starch.

26. The protective garment of claim 25, wherein said plasticizer is present in an

amount sufficient to reduce said layer of said first liquid to greater than 300 % tensile elongation

(ASTM).

27. The protective garment of claim 25, wherein said first liquid further comprises a

pre-coagulant/stabilizer.

28. The protective garment of claim 20, wherein said latex rubber is selected from the

group consisting of nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl and bromobutyl rubbers.

29. The protective garment of claim 20, wherein said latex rubber comprises carboxylated nitrile rubber.

30. The protective garment of claim 2d, further comprising a first interlayer adjacent

to said first layer.

31. The protective garment of claim 30, further comprising at least one additional

interlayer, in series, adjacent to said first interlayer.

32. Theprotective garment of claim 31, wherein said interlayer comprises a third liquid

selected from the group consisting of nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl and bromobutyl

rubbers.

33. A protective garment formed by the method of claim 1.