WO2004065117A2

WO2004065117A2 - Penetration-resistant material

Info

Publication number: WO2004065117A2
Application number: PCT/EP2004/000325
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jozef G. A. Van Lindert
Original assignee: Bond Laminates Gmbh
Priority date: 2003-01-17
Filing date: 2004-01-16
Publication date: 2004-08-05
Also published as: DE10301679A1; WO2004065117A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a penetration-resistant material, in particular for protective clothing, comprising a composite material with at least one material layer (20) made from fibres, embedded in a plastic matrix (22), whereby the fibres contain at least one material from the group of PA, PET, PAN, PUR, PPS and PES.

Description

Penetration resistant material

The present invention relates to a penetration-resistant material, in particular for protective clothing, comprising a composite material with at least one fabric layer made of fibers which are embedded in a plastic matrix.

Such a material is known from WO 99/21450 for the special case of use as a penetration-resistant sole in a safety shoe. Compared to the otherwise common metal plates used in safety shoes, such a penetration-resistant material, in which fabric layers with textile fibers are embedded in a plastic matrix, has various advantages: on the one hand, these new materials are much lighter, on the other hand they are also less rigid than Metal plates, which increases the comfort of the safety shoe. This advantage is particularly noticeable when the penetration-resistant material is to be used in other types of protective clothing, for example in bulletproof vests, in neck protectors and the like.

Furthermore, such "textile" penetration-resistant materials offer better thermal insulation than the metal plates conventionally used, and they avoid all complications due to the electrical and magnetic conductivity of metals.

In the composite material disclosed in WO 99/21450, fabric layers made from aramid fibers are used. Aramid is known as an extremely strong organic chemical fiber, but is relatively expensive to manufacture.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a penetration-resistant material, in particular for use in protective clothing, which can be manufactured more cheaply. This object is achieved with a penetration-resistant material of the generic type in that the fibers contain at least one material from the group formed by PA, PET, PAN, PUR, PPS and PES.

These organic man-made fibers are inexpensive alternatives to the aramid fibers used in the prior art. In addition, tests have shown that composite materials which contain fabric layers made from one of these fibers, and possibly also from several of these fibers, can in principle offer the same penetration resistance as the materials known in the prior art.

Materials in which the fibers contain PA6 and / or PA66 have proven to be particularly strong. Both PA6, ie the polyamide composed of ε-aminocaproic acid or ε-caprolactam, and PA66 (polyhexamethylene adipinamide) are known organic fibers and can be produced inexpensively.

It is expediently provided that the fibers in the at least one fabric layer are linked by a weave, in particular a plain, atlas or twill weave. Such fabrics made from the materials mentioned in one of the three named "basic weaves" are offered by various manufacturers as large layers and can therefore be used in the appropriate manner for producing the penetration-resistant material according to the invention, depending on the intended use, for example as a shoe sole or as an insert in a bulletproof vest Shape to be cut.

The thread density of the fibers in the at least one fabric layer will usually be between 5 / cm and 45 / cm, and the basis weight of the fibers in the at least one fabric layer can be between 50 g / m ² and 400 g / m ² . These values indicate approximately the parameter range of commercially available weight layers made from the corresponding fibers. The required strength of the material according to the invention can then are essentially determined by the choice of the number of fabric layers, in part also by the choice of the plastic matrix. It goes without saying that, in principle, fabrics with higher or lower thread densities can also be used, or with higher or lower basis weights, so that the number of fabric layers has to be adjusted according to the desired strength.

In a likewise inexpensive embodiment of the invention, the plastic matrix can contain at least one plastic material from the group formed by PA, PP, PE, TPU, TPE, PMMA, PBT, PET and PPE.

An embodiment in which the PA plastic material contains PA12 and / or PA11 and / or PA610 and / or PA612 and / or PA6 and / or PA66 has proven to be particularly useful in tests, the plastic material basically being formed as a film or as a powder can be.

As already mentioned, the desired penetration resistance of the material can be varied in particular by the number of fabric layers in the composite material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention it is provided that the number. the fabric layers embedded in a plastic matrix is selected such that the composite material, when installed in a work shoe, gives the work shoe a penetration security of at least 1100 N. This limit value stems from the European standards EN 344-1 and EN 12568 regarding requirements and test methods for puncture-proof inserts for foot and leg protection devices and must therefore be taken into account in particular when using the material according to the invention in puncture-proof shoe soles or toe caps. In practice, a small part of the overall penetration safety of the shoe, a maximum of about 150 N, can come from other soles of the shoe, for example from an outsole.

The composite material can expediently be provided with a plastic coating on at least one outer side. This improves the Manageability of the composite material, which is particularly advantageous with regard to later installation, for example in protective clothing.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention it is provided that, instead of using a plastic matrix, at least two fabric layers are connected to one another by sewing or gluing. In this case, the penetration-resistant material does not include any plastic matrix at all. The cohesion of the at least two, in practice mostly more layers of tissue is rather ensured by sewing or gluing them together. For example, commercially available PU, epoxy, cyanoacrylate or hot-melt adhesive can be used as a suitable adhesive.

In principle, it would be conceivable for this sewing or gluing to be carried out, for example, only at the edge of the layers of fabric placed on top of one another. However, in this alternative embodiment of the invention, it should preferably be ensured that the at least two fabric layers are sewn or glued to one another over the surface.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It shows:

Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a work shoe in which an embodiment of the material according to the invention is used as a penetration-resistant sole.

2 shows a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the material according to the invention, in which the outer layers of the composite material are formed by fabric layers;

3 shows a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of the material according to the invention, in which the outer layers of the composite material are formed by plastic layers; Figure 4 is a graph showing the results of a penetration safety test of a material according to the invention;

Fig. 5 is a comparative graph showing the results of a similar penetration safety test on a prior art material.

1 shows a work shoe 10 as a purely explanatory illustrative example that does not in any way limit the possible uses of the penetration-resistant material according to the invention. In this work shoe 10 there is between an outsole 12, which in the example shown is formed integrally with the heel of the work shoe 10 and, for example, is made of rubber can, as well as a conventional insole 14, a safety sole 16 made of the penetration-resistant material according to the invention. This safety sole 16 protects the foot of the user of the work shoe 10, for example from nails or other sharp-edged metal pieces, broken glass, etc., on which he steps and which can penetrate the outsole 12. In addition or as an alternative to the use shown in the safety sole 16, the penetration-resistant material according to the invention can also be used, for example, in the cap 18 or another area of the shoe. When using the material in the cap 18, for example, the toes of the user of the work shoe 10 would be protected against falling sharp-edged objects.

FIG. 2 shows a first possible example of the structure of the penetration-resistant material according to the invention: A schematic view of FIG. 2 shows a composite material in which fabric layers 20 and plastic layers 22 are layered alternately. In FIG. 2, five fabric layers 20 and 4 plastic layers 22 are alternately stacked one on top of the other, so that the “sandwich” formed has a fabric layer 20 on the outside, ie below and above in FIG. 2. In contrast, FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment in which four plastic layers 22 and three fabric layers 20 are alternately stacked on one another, so that the composite material formed has a plastic layer 22 on the outside, ie in FIG. 3 above and below.

In both embodiments it can be seen how the respective fabric layer 20 is formed by individual fibers woven together. In the penetration-resistant material according to the invention, these fibers contain at least one material from the group formed by PA, PET, PAN, PUR, PPS and PES. In the examples shown in the figures, in particular in Fig. 2, these fibers are linked to one another by a plain weave, however, depending on the requirements, any other known type of woven weave can be used, in particular an atlas or twill weave.

The plastic layers 22 in FIGS. 2 and 3 are preferably formed from a plastic material from the group PA, PP, PE, TPU, TPE, PMMA, PBT, PET and PPE. In practice, a particularly preferred embodiment has proven to be a composite material in which the fibers of the fabric layer 20 are formed from PA66 and the plastic layers 22 consist of PA12 and / or TPU.

It is understood that FIGS. 2 and 3 show the composite material at the beginning of the manufacture of the penetration-resistant material according to the invention. As is well known in the art, laminates as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are heated in a hot plate press and pressed together so that the plastic layers 22 melt and the fibers of the fabric layers 20 are soaked in the molten plastic. After the composite material has cooled, the fabric layers are then embedded overall in a more or less homogeneous plastic matrix. This method is generally known in the prior art and will therefore not be explained in more detail. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the two outer plastic layers 22 can in principle be formed from the same material as the inner plastic layers 22. In this case, the "layering" of the composite material is particularly simple.

However, the two outer plastic layers 22 can also be made of a different plastic material than the inner plastic layers 22, for example for the purpose of better adhesion of the safety sole 16 to the outsole 12 adjoining the bottom in FIG. 1 and / or the one in FIG. 1 to ensure the adjacent insole 14. In view of the fact that the outsole 12 and the insole 14 are regularly made of different materials, it goes without saying that in a further modification of the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 3, the lower plastic layer 22 is formed from a different material than the upper plastic layer 22 can be, and both in turn possibly made of a different material than the respective inner plastic layers 22.

FIG. 4 shows a graph with the results of a stress test, namely a so-called penetration safety test, on a penetration-resistant material according to the invention, formed by PA66 fabric layers in a PA12 plastic matrix.

5 shows comparative results of the same penetration safety test in a penetration-resistant material known from the prior art, formed by aramid fibers in a PA6 matrix, the lowest curve, which does not reach the strength value of 1100 N, being measured on a sample of the penetration-resistant material alone was, whereas the two upper curves, each exceeding the normal value of 1100 N, were measured on a shoe containing the penetration-resistant material. In this penetration safety test, which is defined in the European standard 12568, a plate made of the material to be tested is clamped in a special test device and a pointed metal pin is pressed against the plate with increasing force. The force (in Newtons) opposed to the pin by the plate is measured as a function of the depth of penetration (in mm).

4 and 4, 4 test runs were carried out with the respective material. It can be seen that both with the material according to the invention in FIG. 4 and with the comparative material built into the shoe in FIG. 5, the "breakthrough" of the pin through the plate only takes place on average above a force of 1100 N, and thus the material according to the invention meets the requirements the quoted European standard for puncture-proof deposits.

The invention is of course not limited to the embodiments shown by way of example in the figures. It has already been pointed out that the penetration-resistant material according to the invention can be used not only in shoes, but also in helmets, bulletproof vests and other protective devices, not just protective clothing. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the "layer examples" of FIGS. 2 and 3 are used only for the purpose of explanation and, for example, fabric layers 20 made of different materials can also be layered alternately with plastic layers 22 made of different materials. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the number of layers can deviate from the examples in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example as a function of the required strength, the standard to be met etc.

In addition, as explained at the beginning, a penetration-resistant material according to the invention can also be obtained without any plastic matrix, namely by placing two or more fabric layers 20 on top of one another to form a “stack” and then sewing or gluing them together. This sewing or gluing should then preferably not only take place at the edge of the stack, but should also be carried out over a large area. Of course In principle, other measures could also be considered to connect the individual fabric layers 20 of such a stack. As an alternative to the plastic matrix described in detail or to the sewing or gluing also described, the individual fabric layers 20 of such a stack could also be connected to one another simply by means of clamps on the edge or flat.

Claims

Expectations

1. penetration-resistant material, in particular for protective clothing, comprising a composite material with at least one fabric layer (20) made of fibers which are embedded in a plastic matrix (22),

characterized in that the fibers contain at least one material from the group formed by PA, PET, PAN, PUR, PPS and PES.

2. Penetration-resistant material according to claim 1, characterized in that the fibers contain PA6 and / or PA66.

3. Penetration-resistant material according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fibers in the at least one fabric layer (20) are linked by a weave, in particular canvas, atlas or twill weave.

4. Penetration-resistant material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thread density of the fibers in the at least one fabric layer (20) is between 5 / cm and 45 / cm.

5. Penetration-resistant material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the basis weight of the fibers in the at least one fabric layer (20) is between 50 g / m ² and 400 g / m ² .

6. Penetration-resistant material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic matrix (22) contains at least one plastic material (22) from the group formed by PA, PP, PE, TPU, TPE, PMMA, PBT, PET and PPE.

7. Penetration-resistant material according to claim 6, characterized in that the PA plastic material contains PA12 and / or PA11 and / or PA610 and / or PA612 and / or PA6 and / or PA66.

8. penetration-resistant material according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the at least one plastic material (22) is formed as a film.

9. Penetration-resistant material according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the at least one plastic material (22) is formed as a powder.

10. Penetration-resistant material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the number of fabric layers (20) embedded in a plastic matrix (22) is selected such that the composite material, when installed in a work shoe, gives it a penetration security of at least 1100 N.

11. Penetration-resistant material according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the composite material is provided on at least one outside with a plastic coating.

12. Penetration-resistant material according to one of claims 1 to 5 or 10 or 11, characterized in that instead of using a plastic matrix, at least two fabric layers (20) are connected to one another by sewing or gluing.

13. Penetration-resistant material according to claim 12, characterized in that the at least two fabric layers (20) are sewn or glued flat to one another.