Reversible camouflage material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10330442-B2
Application number	US-201615203830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2016
Priority date	Feb 28, 2013
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

A reversible camouflage material including a textile layer having a woodland camouflage print thereon, an infrared suppressing layer, and a textile layer having a desert camouflage print thereon is provided. The infrared suppressing layer may include a polyurethane layer sandwiched between a carbon-containing ePTFE layer and an ePTFE layer. The carbon may be provided in an oleophobic layer on the ePTFE or within the ePTFE film. In one embodiment, the desert camouflage textile is absent and a coating composition that includes a colorant and infrared suppressive additives is applied to the outer surface of the ePTFE layer. The inventive camouflage material demonstrates camouflage concealment in the near IR (nIR) and short wave infrared (SWIR) wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, the camouflage material is highly breathable and lightweight. The material is particularly suitable for making reversible camouflage garments such as jackets and pants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reversible article having a first surface and a second surface, said reversible article comprising:
(a) a center structure comprising a polyurethane layer sandwiched between a first microporous film and a second microporous film having thereon an oleophobic layer containing at least one infrared suppressive additive;
(b) a first textile layer positioned on said first microporous film; and
(c) a second textile layer positioned on said second microporous film such that said oleophobic layer is positioned adjacent said second textile layer,
wherein infrared suppressive performance in said first surface and said second surface is different.

2. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said first and second microporous films comprise expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.

3. The reversible article of claim 1 , further comprising a first adhesive layer bonding said first textile layer to said first microporous film and a second adhesive layer bonding said second textile layer to said second microporous film.

4. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said oleophobic layer is a fluoroacrylate oleophobic coating and said at least one infrared suppressive additive is carbon.

5. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said at least one infrared suppressive additive is selected from carbon, aluminum, aluminum oxide, antimony, antimony oxide, titanium, titanium oxide, cadmium selinide, gallium arsenide and mixtures thereof.

6. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said at least one infrared suppressive additive is present in said oleophobic layer in an amount from about 1% to about 15% by weight.

7. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second surface of said reversible article demonstrates an average reflection of about 75% or less in the wavelength range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm and an average reflection from about 10% to about 85% in the wavelength range from about 900 nm to about 1700 nm.

8. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second surface of said reversible article demonstrates an average reflection less than about 65% or less in the wavelength range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm and an average reflection less than about 75% in the wavelength range from about 900 nm to about 1700 nm.

9. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said oleophobic layer contains differing levels of said at least one infrared suppressive additive to create a disruptive pattern in both the 700 nm to 900 nm and 900 nm to 1700 nm regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

10. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second surface of said reversible article has a moisture vapor transmission rate of at least about 8000 g/m 2/ 24 hours, and
wherein said moisture vapor transmission rates of said first and said second surface are substantially the same.

11. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said reversible article has a mass/area less than about 300 g/m 2 .

12. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said first textile has thereon a woodland camouflage printed surface and said second textile has thereon a desert camouflage printed surface.

13. The reversible article of claim 1 , wherein said article is a garment.

14. A reversible article having a first surface and a second surface, said reversible article comprising:
(a) a center structure comprising a polyurethane layer sandwiched between a first microporous film and a second microporous film having thereon an oleophobic layer, said second microporous film containing at least one infrared suppressive additive within said second microporous film;
(b) a first textile layer positioned on said first microporous film; and
(c) a second textile layer positioned on said second microporous film such that said oleophobic layer is positioned adjacent said second textile layer.

15. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein said first and second microporous films comprise expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.

16. The reversible article of claim 14 , further comprising a first adhesive layer bonding said first textile layer to said first microporous film and a second adhesive layer bonding said second textile layer to said second microporous film.

17. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein each of said first and second surface of said reversible article demonstrates an average reflection of about 75% or less in the wavelength range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm and an average reflection from about 10% to about 85% in the wavelength range from about 900 nm to about 1700 nm.

18. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein said oleophobic layer contains differing levels of said at least one infrared suppressive additive to create a disruptive pattern in both the 700 nm to 900 nm and 900 nm to 1700 nm regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

19. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein said oleophobic layer is a fluoroacrylate oleophobic coating and said at least one infrared suppressive additive is carbon.

20. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein each of said first and second surface of said reversible article has a moisture vapor transmission rate of at least about 8000 g/m 2/ 24 hours, and
wherein said moisture vapor transmission rate of said first and said second surface is substantially the same.

21. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein said reversible article has a mass/area less than about 300 g/m 2 .

22. The reversible article of claim 14 , wherein said article is a garment.

23. A reversible article having a first surface and a second surface, said reversible article comprising:
(a) a center structure comprising:
a first microporous film; and
a second microporous film having thereon an oleophobic coating containing at least one infrared suppressive additive, said second microporous film being bonded to said first microporous film;

(b) a first textile layer positioned on said first microporous film; and
(c) a second textile layer positioned on said second microporous film such that said oleophobic coating is positioned adjacent said second textile layer,
wherein infrared suppressive performance in said first surface and said second surface is different.

24. The reversible garment of claim 23 , wherein said first microporous film and said second microporous film are bonded via an adhesive layer.

25. The reversible article of claim 24 , wherein said adhesive layer is discontinuous.

26. The reversible article of claim 24 , wherein said adhesive layer is continuous.

27. The reversible article of claim 23 , wherein said first microporous film and said second microporous film form said center structure in the absence of an adhesive.

28. The reversible article of claim 23 , wherein said first microporous film has thereon a coating containing at least one infrared suppressive additive.

29. The reversible article of claim 28 , wherein a first amount of said infrared additive present on said first microporous film is different from a second amount of said infrared additive on said second microporous film.

30. The reversible article of claim 23 , wherein said first and second microporous films comprise expanded polytetrafluoroethylene.

31. The reversible article of claim 23 , further comprising a first adhesive

Assignees

• Gore & Ass

Inventors

• Castille Matthew J

Classifications

• B32B2307/30

  having particular thermal properties · CPC title

• B32B2571/00

  Protective equipment · CPC title

• Y10T428/24998

  Composite has more than two layers · CPC title

• B32B2307/7265

  Non-permeable · CPC title

• B32B27/322

  comprising halogenated polyolefins, e.g. PTFE · CPC title