Flame-resistant garments and fabrics with yarns comprising a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12577397-B2
Application number	US-202318100332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 23, 2023
Priority date	Jan 27, 2022
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

A flame-resistant garment comprising a flame-resistant fabric, and the flame resistant fabric, each comprising a yarn comprising a) 85 to 97 weight percent of a meta-aramid fiber component, and b) 3 to 15 weight percent of a fiber made from para-aramid polymer, based on the total amount of a) and b) in the yarn; wherein the meta-aramid fiber component is:
i) 50 to 100 weight percent fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid polymer and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer, the polymer blend comprising 88 to 95 weight percent meta-aramid polymer and 5 to 12 weight percent PVP polymer, and ii) 0 to 50 weight percent fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer, based on the total amount of i) and ii) in the meta-aramid fiber component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A flame-resistant garment comprising a flame-resistant fabric comprising a yarn, the yarn comprising:
a) 85 to 97 weight percent of a meta-aramid fiber component, and b) 3 to 15 weight percent of a fiber made from para-aramid polymer, based on the total amount of a) and b) in the yarn; wherein the meta-aramid fiber component is:
i) 50 to 100 weight percent fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid polymer and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer, the polymer blend comprising 88 to 95 weight percent meta-aramid polymer and 5 to 12 weight percent PVP polymer, and
ii) 0 to 50 weight percent fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer,
based on the total amount of i) and ii) in the meta-aramid fiber component.

2 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the yarn comprises
a) 93 to 97 weight percent of a meta-aramid fiber component, and
b) 3 to 7 weight percent of a fiber made from para-aramid polymer.

3 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the meta-aramid fiber component ii) further comprises modacrylic fiber, flame-retardant rayon fiber, lyocell fiber, or mixtures thereof.

4 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 , wherein the yarn further comprises:
c) 1 to 3 weight percent of an antistat fiber, based on the total amount of a), b), and c) in the yarn.

5 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 , wherein the polymer blend of meta-aramid polymer and PVP polymer comprises 90 to 93 weight percent meta-aramid polymer and 7 to 10 weight percent PVP polymer.

6 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the meta-aramid polymer is poly (metaphenylene isophthalamide).

7 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the para-aramid polymer is poly (paraphenylene terephthalamide).

8 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the fabric in the garment is a colored, dyed, or mock-dyed fabric.

9 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 1 wherein the fabric has a basis weight of 135 to 270 grams per square meter (4 to 8 ounces per square yard).

10 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 9 wherein the garment has a predicted total body burn performance, for a three-second exposure as measured by ASTM F1930 (2018), that is at least 20 percent less than a garment made from a control fabric of equal weight containing, in the same proportions, the meta-aramid fiber component and a para-aramid fiber described in a) and b), but wherein the meta-aramid fiber component of the control fabric is fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer and does not include a fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

11 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 9 wherein the garment has a predicted total body burn performance, for a four-second exposure as measured by ASTM F1930 (2018), that is at least 15 percent less than a garment made from a control fabric of equal weight containing, in the same proportions, the meta-aramid fiber component and a para-aramid fiber described in a) and b), but wherein the meta-aramid fiber component of the control fabric is fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer and does not include a fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

12 . The flame-resistant garment of claim 9 wherein the garment has a predicted total body burn performance, for a five-second exposure as measured by ASTM F1930 (2018), that is at least 10 percent less than a garment made from a control fabric of equal weight containing, in the same proportions, the meta-aramid fiber component and a para-aramid fiber described in a) and b), but wherein the meta-aramid fiber component of the control fabric is fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer and does not include a fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

13 . A flame-resistant fabric comprising a yarn, the yarn comprising:
a) 85 to 97 weight percent of a meta-aramid fiber component, and b) 3 to 15 weight percent of a fiber made from para-aramid polymer, based on the total amount of a) and b) in the yarn; wherein the meta-aramid fiber component is
i) 50 to 100 weight percent fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid polymer and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer, the polymer blend comprising 88 to 95 weight percent meta-aramid polymer and 5 to 12 weight percent PVP polymer, and
ii) 0 to 50 weight percent fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer,
based on the total amount of i) and ii) in the meta-aramid fiber component.

14 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the yarn comprises
a) 93 to 97 weight percent of a meta-aramid fiber component, and
b) 3 to 7 weight percent of a fiber made from para-aramid polymer.

15 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 , wherein the meta-aramid fiber component ii) further comprises modacrylic fiber, flame-retardant rayon fiber, lyocell fiber, or mixtures thereof.

16 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 , wherein the yarn further comprises:
c) 1 to 3 weight percent of an antistat fiber, based on the total amount of a), b), and c) in the yarn.

17 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the polymer blend of meta-aramid polymer and PVP polymer comprises 90 to 93 weight percent meta-aramid polymer and 7 to 10 weight percent PVP polymer.

18 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the meta-aramid polymer is poly (metaphenylene isophthalamide).

19 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the para-aramid polymer is poly (paraphenylene terephthalamide).

20 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the fabric is dyed or mock-dyed.

21 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 wherein the fabric has a basis weight of 135 to 270 grams per square meter (4 to 8 ounces per square yard).

22 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 having a flame shrinkage that is at least 10 percent less than the flame shrinkage of a control fabric of equal weight containing, in the same proportions, the meta-aramid fiber component and the para-aramid fiber described in a) and b), but wherein the meta-aramid fiber component of the control fabric is fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer and does not include the fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

23 . The flame-resistant fabric of claim 13 having a flame shrinkage that is at least 20 percent less than the flame shrinkage of a control fabric of equal weight containing, in the same proportions, the meta-aramid fiber component and the para-aramid fiber described in a) and b), but wherein the meta-aramid fiber component of the control fabric is fiber made solely from meta-aramid polymer and does not include the fiber made from a polymer blend of meta-aramid and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP).

Assignees

• Dupont Safety & Construction Inc

Inventors

• Andersen Mark William
• Aronson Mark T
• Wiseman B Lynne
• Zhu Reiyao

Classifications

• D10B2501/04

  Outerwear; Protective garments · CPC title

• D10B2401/04

  Heat-responsive characteristics · CPC title

• D10B2321/00

  Fibres made from polymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• D10B2331/021

  aromatic polyamides, e.g. aramides · CPC title

• D01F1/07

  for making fire- or flame-proof filaments · CPC title