Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Coated or structually defined flake – particle – cell – strand,... – Rod – strand – filament or fiber
Reissue Patent
1995-09-27
2001-10-30
Weosberger, Richard (Department: 1774)
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand,...
Rod, strand, filament or fiber
C428S223000, C428S223000, C428S296400, C428S297400, C428S357000, C428S373000, C428S377000, C428S392000, C428S401000
Reissue Patent
active
RE037430
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to the technical field of stainless steel cut resistant, abrasion resistant and electrically conductive yarn, suitable for making fabrics and particularly knitting fabrics and garments, and to protective garments, such as cut resistant, abrasion resistant and/or electrically conductive gloves, aprons, smocks, jackets, trousers, leggings, socks or stockings, and the like, as well as protective fabric structures of all kinds, such as drapes and the like.
Cut resistance is important in a wide variety of industries, as lacerations are one of the greatest causes of industrial accidents. Notable are the meat cutting and butchering workers, machinists, carpenters and joiners, assembly line workers, and the like.
Abrasion resistance is comparably important in a variety of industrial contexts; also of significance is the incidence of abrasive exposure among athletes, particularly those performing on artificial turf and other harsh environments.
Electrical conductivity is a major asset in electronics industries, where grounding to dissipate static discharge is necessary to prevent damage to electronic components and assemblies.
A number of approaches have been followed to provide cut resistant, abrasion resistant and electrically conductive yarns, and for forming such yarns into fabrics and protective garments and the like.
Numerous attempts have been made to employ metallic yarns and wires. Wires are generally prohibitively difficult to work with, and are prone to breakage when worked and work hardened. Metallic wires are not particularly durable when exposed to abrasion, and numerous breaks occur during spinning, knitting, and in use.
High strength polymers have been substituted for metallic wires and yarns; among these are the aromatic polyamides, such as Kevlar®, and ultra-high molecular weight polyolefins, such as Spectra® (Kevlar® is a registered trademarks of du Pont. Spectra® is a registered trademark of Allied Signal, Inc.) While these materials have met with some success, the level of cut resistance attained, and the bulk of fibers and yarns required, remain problems for users.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,898, Byrnes, teaches the employment of Kevlar® yarns in providing cut resistant garments.
More recently, composite metallic-polymer yarns have been employed. Such composites afford overall better properties, but the limitations of both metallic and synthetic polymers are still present to some degree.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,295, Byrnes, teaches a composite yarn of metallic wire and a Kevlar® yarn in providing cut resistant garments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,449, Byrnes, et al., teaches a composite yarn having a core of one or more strands of metal wire, served with two plies of Kevlar® fiber wrapped in opposite directions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,251, Betticher, teaches a composite yarn having a core of one or more strands of metal wire, served with two plies, the first of Kevlar® fiber wrapped in one direction, the second of Nylon® polyamide wrapped in the opposite direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,777,789, Kolmes, et al., teach a composite having a polymer core, of a variety of natural and synthetic fibers, a wrapping of wire, and a serving over the wire wrapping of two counter wound plies of non-metallic fibers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,107 is a Continuation, having the same disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,781 is a composite yarn with a polymer fiber core having a metallic wire knit over the core; the composite thus formed may be served, braided or over-knit with a synthetic polymer fiber outer cover.
Wire and wire cored metallic yarns are quite difficult to knit or otherwise fabricate into protective garments.
The garments are generally bulky, stiff and heavy. In the form of gloves, limited flexibility and tactility constrain the functionality of the gloves.
Efforts to reduce the diameter of metallic wire cores in multiple strands result in the development of excessive torque and liveliness which limits the ability to knit gloves or other protective garments. In workable yarns with limited metallic content, cut resistance is often inadequate.
Wire cored yarns are prone to breakage when knit, flexed, bent, or otherwise manipulated, compromising the protective value and properties for which it is employed.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY
It is an object of the present invention to provide metallic yarns with high levels of cut resistance and electrical conductivity in a form substantially free of torque or liveliness, easily knitted or otherwise formed into fabrics and protective garments and the like, particularly gloves.
In the present invention, a cut resistant, abrasion resistant, electrically conductive composite yarn for making protective garments and the like is provided, comprising a core and a serving or wrapping applied on the core, wherein the core is a substantially torque-free continuous filament metallic yarn of at least about 60 ends, and up to as much as about 300 ends, each fiber in said metallic yarn has a diameter of not more than about 25 &mgr;m, and the serving comprises at least one non-metallic fiber.
In another aspect of the present invention, a cut resistant, abrasion resistant, electrically conductive, low torque composite yarn for making protective garments and the like is provided comprising a composite twist of a metallic yarn and at least one non-metallic yarn, wherein the first metallic yarn is a continuous filament metallic yarn of at least about 60-300 ends, preferably about 80-100 ends, having a twist in a direction opposite to the twist of the composite twist, and each fiber in the metallic yarn has a diameter of not more than about 25 &mgr;m.
The cut resistant and electrical conductivity are high, so that the composite yarn may be thinner and lighter weight than the prior art forms. The low torque characteristics make the yarns readily formed into fabrics and protective garments and the like by knitting, weaving and the like.
In the most usual circumstances, polyamides, such as nylon fibers and yarns are preferred for their economy, ready availability, ease of use, and good abrasion resistance. High strength polymers are preferred in other circumstances as the non-metallic yarns; among these are the aromatic polyamides, such as Kevlar®, and ultra-high molecular weight polyolefins, such as Spectra®. These materials add to the cut and abrasion resistance of the composite yarns of the invention, in cooperation with the metal fiber yarns, but at added cost and handling difficulty.
In gloves, in particular, thinner, lighter, and more flexible knits provide gloves with excellent flexibility, tactile properties, and comfort at very high levels of cut resistance and electrical conductivity.
Protective garments and the like, such as gloves can be readily cleaned, by washing and/or dry cleaning techniques, and may be sterilized if required, by the use of cold sterilizing solutions, autoclaving, or the like.
The yarns of the present invention are quite resistant to breakage and the loss of fragments of the metallic fibers during processing or use.
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1
is a schematic representation of a knit glove of the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a stylized representation of a composite yarn of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3883898 (1975-05-01), Byrnes
patent: 4004295 (1977-01-01), Byrnes
patent: 4384449 (1983-05-01), Byrnes
patent: 4470251 (1984-09-01), Bettcher
patent: 4777789 (1988-10-01), Kolmes
patent: 4838017 (1989-06-01), Kolmes
patent: 4912781 (1990-04-01), Robins
patent: 5070540 (1991-12-01), Bettcher et al.
patent: 5119512 (1992-06-01), Dunbar et al.
patent: 5248548 (1993-09-01), Toon
patent: 5287690 (1994-02-01), Toon
patent: 2668176 (1992-04-01), None
Frijouf, Rost & Pyle, P.A.
USF Filtration and Separations Group
Weosberger Richard
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