Moisture-insensitive thermally protective materials and garments made therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10286234-B2
Application number	US-201414210247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

Protective garments and methods for low wet pick-up from hose water, weather, etc. and from perspiration generated by the wearer, to minimize water impact on the insulative properties, minimize weight gain, and effectuate quick drying. For firefighting in particular, the disclosure provides that wet, hot air is driven out of the garment, away from the wearer (rather than in), and water entry is blocked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A protective garment comprising:
an outer layer;
an air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane;
an insulation;
an air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane,
wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane is positioned closer to the outer layer than the air impermeable, liquid proof, moisture vapor permeable membrane, and the insulation is located between the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane and the air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

2. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane is contained within a separable component comprising fire resistant textiles.

3. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein the air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane is contained within a separable component comprising fire resistant textiles.

4. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein the insulation is in a separable layer positioned between the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane and the air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

5. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the insulation is attached to said air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane.

6. The protective garment of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the insulation is attached to said air impermeable, liquidproof moisture vapor permeable membrane.

7. The protective garment of claim 1 wherein the insulation comprises a first portion of insulation attached to said air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane, a second portion of insulation attached to said air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane, and a third portion of insulation incorporated as a separable component between the first portion and the second portion.

8. The protective garment of claim 1 wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane has a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) at least 2 times greater than the MVTR of the air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

9. The protective garment of claim 1 wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane comprises an oleophobic film.

10. The protective garment of claim 1 wherein the air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane comprises an oleophobic film.

11. The protective garment as defined in claim 1 wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane has at least a 30% higher moisture vapor transmission rate than said air impermeable, liquid proof moisture vapor permeable membrane.

12. The protective garment of claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane is incorporated within a laminate of flame-resistant materials and comprises an oleophobic expanded PTFE membrane, and said air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane is incorporated within a laminate of flame-resistant materials and comprises a bi-component expanded PTFE membrane.

13. A protective garment comprising:
an outer layer;
an air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane;
an insulation;
an air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane,
wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane is positioned closer to the outer layer than the air impermeable, liquid proof, moisture vapor permeable membrane, and the insulation is located between the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane and the air

impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane, and wherein the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane, the insulation, and the air impermeable, liquidproof moisture vapor permeable membrane are separable across their surfaces.

14. A method of simultaneously protecting insulative materials from bulk liquid absorption while directing heated moisture vapor away from the skin of a protective garment wearer comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane;
(b) providing insulation;
(c) providing an air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane; and
(d) arranging the materials of (a), (b) and (c) in a protective garment to be worn by a wearer such that said air impermeable, liquid proof, moisture vapor permeable membrane is closer to the wearer and the air permeable, liquid water resistant layer is closer to the exterior of the garment, and said insulation is arranged therebetween.

15. The method as defined in claim 14 wherein said air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane has a moisture vapor permeability which is higher than the moisture vapor permeability of said air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

16. A method as defined in claim 14 , further comprising an outer shell arranged to the exterior relative to the air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane.

17. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein the subflashover protection time with 13 gsm moisture exposure to a 5.4 osy cotton jersey knit fabric tested with said cotton jersey knit fabric in contact with the sensor and a ¼″ gap between the sensor and the garment layers is at least 75% of the subflashover protection time with the same layers with no moisture exposure.

18. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment is compliant to NFPA 1971 Standard, 2007 edition, with an Ret of less than 25 m2 Pa/W.

19. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment is compliant to the EN 469 Standard, 2005 edition, Level 2, with an Ret of less than 20 m2 Pa/W.

20. The protective garment of claim 1 , further comprising at least one additional air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane oriented between said air permeable, liquid water resistant membrane and said air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

21. The protective garment of claim 20 , wherein said at least one additional air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane is oriented adjacent and contacts said air impermeable, liquidproof, moisture vapor permeable membrane.

22. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment is in the form of separable layers assembled as a garment system.

23. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment has a total percent body burn performance of 45% or less.

24. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment has a total percent body burn performance of 40% or less.

25. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein said garment has a total percent body burn performance of 37% or less.

26. The protective garment of claim 1 , wherein the insulative material comprises a continuous or discontinuous silicone foam, a non-woven material, a woven material, a knitted material, or a three-dimensionally shaped material.

27. The protective garment of claim 13 , wherein the insulative material comprises a continuous or discontinuous silicone foam, a non-woven material, a woven material, a knitted material, or a three-dimensionally shaped material.

28. The method of claim 14 , wherein the insulative material comprises a continuous or discontinuous silicone foam, a non-woven material, a woven material, a knitted material, or a three-dimensionally shaped material.

Assignees

• Gore & Ass

Inventors

• Maples Allen
• Decker Matthew
• Jain Mukesh
• Gorak William

Classifications

• A62B17/003 Primary

  Fire-resistant or fire-fighters' clothes · CPC title

• A41D31/085

  using layered materials · CPC title

• A41D31/0027

  Human Necessities · mapped topic