Fabric (woven – knitted – or nonwoven textile or cloth – etc.) – Coated or impregnated woven – knit – or nonwoven fabric which... – Coating or impregnation provides heat or fire protection
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-27
2001-05-08
Morris, Terrel (Department: 1771)
Fabric (woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.)
Coated or impregnated woven, knit, or nonwoven fabric which...
Coating or impregnation provides heat or fire protection
C428S920000, C428S921000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06228784
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of heat resistant cloth for fire fighting suitable for use in fireproof suits worn by firemen at the site of fire.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional heat resistant cloth for fire fighting is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication (kokoku) No. 62-34765. As shown in
FIG. 2
, the conventional heat resistant cloth for fire fighting has a rubber layer
2
disposed on the outer surface of a substrate fabric
1
made of an aramid fiber or the like. A polyester film
4
having aluminum deposition films
3
and
5
on opposite sides thereof is bonded to the surface of the rubber layer
2
via a first bonding layer
6
. A tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film
8
is bonded to the outside deposition film
3
via a second bonding layer
7
.
In the conventional heat resistant cloth for fire fighting, in consideration of fabric workability, a polyester film is used for formation of deposition films through vacuum-deposition, which deposition films are provided for enhancement of heat reflectivity. However, when the heat resistant cloth for fire fighting is sewn to fabricate a firemen's suit, the polyester film is subjected to tension, with the result that the deposition films breaks and separates from the polyester film at a seam, which in turn results in deterioration of weather resistance and texture. To solve these drawbacks, the tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film serving as a protective layer is bonded to the surface of the polyester film having the deposition films.
Another conventional heat resistant cloth for fire fighting is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open (kokal) No. 9-19412. As shown in
FIG. 3
, a synthetic rubber layer
10
is disposed on the surface of a substrate fabric
9
, and a heat reflecting layer
15
is bonded to the surface of the rubber layer
10
via a bonding layer
11
. The heat-reflecting layer
15
is composed of a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film
14
having an inner surface
14
a
subjected to corona discharge treatment, and a vacuum-deposition film
12
of aluminum or the like formed on the inner surface
14
a
via a primer coating layer
13
.
In the heat resistant cloth for fire fighting shown in
FIG. 3
, the weights of the substrate fabric and the synthetic rubber are reduced in order to reduce the overall weight of the heat resistant cloth. Moreover, in order to obtain soft texture and enhanced flame resistance, the polyester film of the heat resistant cloth for fire fighting shown in
FIG. 2
is omitted. Instead, a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film—which has conventionally been used as a protective layer—is used as a layer for supporting a deposition film. That is, after the inner surface of the tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film is subjected to corona discharge treatment, a deposition film is applied to the inner surface of the tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film via a primer coating layer. Subsequently, the tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film is bonded to a substrate fabric via a bonding layer.
The conventional heat resistant cloth for fire fighting shown in
FIG. 3
has an improved structure such that a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film is used to make the texture soft and enhance flame resistance; the copolymer film surface is subjected to corona discharge treatment to produce a sufficient degree of adhesiveness between the copolymer film and the deposition film; and the deposition film is formed on the copolymer film via the primer coating layer made from a synthetic resin and the thus completed heat reflecting layer
15
is bonded to the substrate fabric in order to obtain sufficient brightness to thereby achieve required heat reflectivity. However, since the heat resistance of the synthetic resin is low, the conventional heat resistant cloth causes problems at high temperature in that cracks are generated in the cloth and heat reflectivity is lowered due to decreased brightness.
Moreover, the conventional heat resistant cloths shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
have the problem that they are thick and heavy, because a rubber layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate fabric.
The conventional heat resistant cloths use an adhesive which is made of an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, or an ethylene vinylacetate resin, to which is added a flame retardant, such as aluminum hydroxide, antimony oxide, a bromic compound, or a phosphoric compound. However, there still exists the problem that the adhesiveness is low at high temperature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide heat resistant cloth for fire fighting in which, through application of plasma treatment on solely the inner surface or on both surfaces of a fluororesin film, a primer coating layer is omitted, thereby improving the adhesiveness between a fluororesin film and a vacuum-deposition film, the heat resistance of the deposition film, and the heat reflectivity of the deposition film; in which a silicone rubber adhesive is preferably used as an adhesive for a substrate fabric, thereby improving water resistance even if a synthetic rubber layer is omitted; which is thinner and lighter than a conventional heat resistant cloth; and which provides soft texture.
The present invention provides a heat resistant cloth for fire fighting, in which at least an inner surface of a fluororesin film is subjected to plasma discharge treatment to form a treated surface; a vacuum-deposition film made of a bright (reflective) metal such as aluminum is formed on the treated surface of the fluororesin film; and the vacuum-deposition deposition film on the treated surface is bonded to an outer surface of a substrate fabric through use of an adhesive in order to form a heat-reflecting layer on the outer surface of the substrate fabric.
Preferably , the adhesive is a silicone rubber adhesive.
The present invention also provides a heat resistant cloth for fire fighting, in which a vacuum-deposition film of a bright (reflective) metal such as aluminum is transferred onto an outer surface of a substrate fabric via an adhesive layer; and a fluororesin film having a plasma-discharge-treated bonding surface is bonded to the vacuum-deposition film, via the bonding surface, through use of an adhesive in order to form a heat-reflecting layer on the outer surface of the substrate fabric.
Preferably, the adhesive is a silicone rubber adhesive.
As described above, in the heat resistant cloth for fire fighting according to the present invention, a deposition film is formed on at least the inner surface of the fluororesin film after the inner surface is subjected to plasma discharge treatment. Therefore, the adhesiveness between the fluororesin film and the vacuum-deposition film and the heat resistance of the deposition film are improved. Moreover, since no primer coating layer is used, the thus-formed heat reflecting layer can prevent a decrease in brightness, which would otherwise occur due to cracks generated in the primer coating layer. Thus, a decrease in heat reflectivity at high temperature is prevented. Since no flammable synthetic resin layer is used at the surface of the heat reflecting layer, flame resistance can be improved.
In the case where a silicone rubber adhesive is used to bond together the substrate fabric and the vacuum-deposition film, heat resistance and flame retardation can be improved. Even if a synthetic rubber layer is omitted, the waterproofness can be maintained. Further, omission of the synthetic rubber layer reduces the overall weight and makes the texture softer.
Further, the heat resistant cloth for fire fighting according to the present invention can reduce the total number of layers including a primer coating layer and a synthetic rubber layer by at least two, compared with a conventional heat resistant cloth, so that the number of production steps can be decreased in order to increase productivity.
Moreover, use of a silicone rubber adhesive enhances the adhesiveness at high temperatures,
Kobayashi Jutaro
Kobayashi Kanjiro
Kobayashi Torataro
Mochizuki Masayuki
Yoshida Mayumi
Ladas & Parry
Morris Terrel
Ruddock Ula C.
Toyo Metallizing Kabushiki Kaisha
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