Functional protective material, in particular for use in protective clothing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10350854-B2
Application number	US-201214124887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 8, 2012
Priority date	Jun 8, 2011
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a functional protective material, in particular having a protective function with respect to chemical poisons and/or biological toxins and/or chemical and/or biological hazardous materials, such as warfare agents, wherein the functional protective material has a multi-layer structure that comprises a planar, in particular textile, substrate material and a membrane that is associated with the substrate material, in particular connected to the substrate material, wherein the membrane in itself is permeable to air and water vapor and therefore is provided with a plurality of micropores preferably distributed substantially evenly over the membrane surface. According to the invention, an operating parameter of the membrane can be changed in such a way that the membrane assumes two different operating states, wherein in the first operating state the micropores of the membrane are open and in the second operating state, the micropores of the membrane are at least predominantly closed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A functional protective material having protective function with regard to at least one of chemical and biological poisons or noxiants,
wherein the functional protective material comprises a multilayered construction,
said multilayered construction including:
a sheetlike textile supporting material and
a membrane assigned to the supporting material,

wherein the membrane is inherently air-pervious and water-vapor pervious by virtue of having a multiplicity of micropores distributed uniformly over the membrane area,
wherein an operating parameter of the membrane is altered by a control such that the membrane assumes two different operating states, wherein the micropores of the membrane are open in the first operating state and at least predominantly closed in the second operating state,
wherein the micropores are closed in the second operating state of the membrane by liquid water present in the micropores, wherein closing the micropores in the membrane utilizes water which, in the second operating state, condenses on the membrane and closes the micropores in the membrane and wherein the ingress of water into the micropores is due to the action of the capillary forces which occur in the micropores, and
wherein the operating parameter is the operating temperature of the membrane and the first operating state is achieved by heating the membrane from a low operating temperature to a high operating temperature and the second operating state is achieved by cooling the membrane from a high operating temperature to a low operating temperature.

2. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the high operating temperature of the membrane lies at about 25 ° C. to about 40 ° C. and the low operating temperature of the membrane lies by about 5 ° C. to about 25 ° C. below the high operating temperature of the membrane.

3. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the micropores of the membrane have a uniform shape and size.

4. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the micropores of the membrane have an average diameter sufficiently small to hold water in the micropores by capillary force.

5. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a thickness between 1 μm and 500 μm.

6. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the area fraction of micropores on the membrane is between 1% and 50%.

7. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane is embodied as a foil of plastic, ceramic or metal or as a multi-ply foil having plies of plastic and/or ceramic and/or metal.

8. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane comprises or consists of a plastic and/or a polymer.

9. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane is thermally coupled to a means for cooling and/or for heating the membrane and/or a ply or coating of the membrane, wherein the means is an electrothermally operating means embodied as Peltier means.

10. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the membrane is bonded to the supporting material uniformly, sectionally or punctiformly.

11. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the supporting material is a woven fabric and has a basis weight of 20 to 250 g/m 2 and comprises an abrasion-resistant textile material.

12. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protective material comprises an adsorptive layer based on an adsorptive material adsorbing chemical or biological poisons and/or noxiants.

13. The protective material as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the adsorptive layer is discontinuous and is configured as an adsorptive sheetlike filter.

14. The protective material as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the adsorptive material of the adsorptive layer is a material based on activated carbon.

15. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protective material comprises an inner layer, wherein the inner layer is disposed on that side of the membrane which faces away from the supporting material.

16. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protective material has an overall basis weight of 150 to 1,000 g/m 2 and an overall cross-sectional thickness of 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

17. The protective material as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protective material at 25° C. and at a 50 μm thickness of membrane has in the event of an opened membrane a water-vapor transmission rate of at least 10 I/m 2 per 24 h and/or a water-vapor transmission resistance R et under steady-state conditions, as measured to DIN EN 31 092:1993 (February 1994) and ISO 11 092, at 35° C., of at most 30 (m 2 ·pascal)/watt.

18. A membrane for use in a functional protective material having protective function with regard to at least one of chemical and biological poisons or noxiants,
wherein the membrane is inherently air-pervious and water-vapor pervious by virtue of having a multiplicity of micropores distributed uniformly over the membrane area,
wherein an operating parameter of the membrane is altered by a control such that the membrane assumes two different operating states, wherein the micropores of the membrane are open in the first operating state and at least predominantly closed in the second operating state,
wherein the micropores are closed in the second operating state of the membrane by liquid water present in the micropores, wherein closing the micropores in the membrane utilizes water which, in the second operating state, condenses on the membrane and closes the micropores in the membrane and wherein the ingress of water into the micropores is due to the action of the capillary forces which occur in the micropores, and
wherein the operating parameter is the operating temperature of the membrane and the first operating state is achieved by heating the membrane from a low operating temperature to a high operating temperature and the second operating state is achieved by cooling the membrane from a high operating temperature to a low operating temperature.

19. Protective articles for the civil or military sector, wherein the articles are selected from the group consisting of protective apparel, protective suits, protective gloves, protective footwear, protective socks, protective headgear, protective covers, protective tents, protective sleeping bags, wherein the protective articles comprise a protective material as claimed in claim 1 or a membrane as claimed in claim 18 .

20. A functional protective material having protective function with regard to at least one of chemical and biological poisons or noxiants,
wherein the functional protective material comprises a multilayered construction,
said multilayered construction including:
a sheetlike textile supporting material and
a membrane assigned to the supporting material,

wherein the membrane is inherently air-pervious and water-vapor pervious by virtue of having a multiplicity of micropores having a uniform shape and size and being distributed uniformly over the membrane area,
wherein an operating parameter of the membrane is altered by a control such that the membrane assumes two different operating states, wherein the micropores of the membrane are open in the first operating state and at least predominantly closed in the second operating state,
wherein the micropores are closed in the second operating state of the membrane by liquid water present in the micropores, wherein closing the micropores in the membrane utilizes water which,

Assignees

• Ameil Frederic
• Gerl Juergen
• Surowiec Alicja
• Bluecher Hasso Von
• Bluecher Gmbh

Inventors

• Ameil Frederic
• Gerl Jürgen
• Surowiec Alicja
• VON BLüCHER HASSO

Classifications

• Y10T442/3325

  Including a foamed layer or component · CPC title

• A62B17/006

  against contamination from chemicals, toxic or hostile environments; ABC suits · CPC title

• A62D5/00 Primary

  Composition of materials for coverings or clothing affording protection against harmful chemical agents · CPC title

• B32B5/245 Primary

  another layer next to it being a foam layer · CPC title