Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D02—YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING
  • D02G—CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS
  • D02G3/00—Yarns or threads, e.g. fancy yarns; Processes or apparatus for the production thereof, not otherwise provided for
  • D02G3/44—Yarns or threads characterised by the purpose for which they are designed
  • D02G3/443—Heat-resistant, fireproof or flame-retardant yarns or threads
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41D—OUTERWEAR; PROTECTIVE GARMENTS; ACCESSORIES
  • A41D31/00—Materials specially adapted for outerwear
  • A41D31/04—Materials specially adapted for outerwear characterised by special function or use
  • A41D31/08—Heat resistant; Fire retardant
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D03—WEAVING
  • D03D—WOVEN FABRICS; METHODS OF WEAVING; LOOMS
  • D03D15/00—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used
  • D03D15/50—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads
  • D03D15/513—Woven fabrics characterised by the material, structure or properties of the fibres, filaments, yarns, threads or other warp or weft elements used characterised by the properties of the yarns or threads heat-resistant or fireproof
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D10—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBLASSES OF SECTION D, RELATING TO TEXTILES
  • D10B2331/00—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products
  • D10B2331/02—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyamides
  • D10B2331/021—Fibres made from polymers obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds, e.g. polycondensation products polyamides aromatic polyamides, e.g. aramides
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/30—Woven fabric [i.e., woven strand or strip material]
  • Y10T442/3976—Including strand which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous composition, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/30—Woven fabric [i.e., woven strand or strip material]
  • Y10T442/3976—Including strand which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous composition, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]
  • Y10T442/3984—Strand is other than glass and is heat or fire resistant
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T442/00—Fabric [woven, knitted, or nonwoven textile or cloth, etc.]
  • Y10T442/60—Nonwoven fabric [i.e., nonwoven strand or fiber material]
  • Y10T442/696—Including strand or fiber material which is stated to have specific attributes [e.g., heat or fire resistance, chemical or solvent resistance, high absorption for aqueous compositions, water solubility, heat shrinkability, etc.]

Definitions

• the present invention relates to textile fabrics comprising
• the present invention further relates to the use of these textile fabrics for manufacturing heat protective clothing and flame protective clothing and to the use of these textile fabrics in vehicles and spaces at risk from fire.
• Flame resistant wovens and nonwovens are used in heat and flame protective clothing but also in vehicles and spaces at risk from fire, for example as a fire guard in the upholstery of seats, as flame resistant mattress covers, wallcovers and wallpapers. Owing to the severe mechanical stress encountered for example in the case of seat cushions in public transit means and airplanes or in the case of wallcoverings in movie houses and theatres, the wovens and nonwovens shall be durable and abrasion resistant.
• Flame protective fibers such as those based on aramid (for example Twaron® from Akzo-Nobel, Kevlar® and Nomex® from DuPont, Technora® from Teijin) exhibit good heat and flame protection, but are so harsh as to offer poor wear comfort when used in clothing or an unpleasant hand when used in a fixed application, for example in seat covers. Moreover, they possess inadequate wear resistance.
• aramid for example Twaron® from Akzo-Nobel, Kevlar® and Nomex® from DuPont, Technora® from Teijin
• EP-A 874 079 discloses heat and flame protective wovens comprising a blend of melamine fibers and aramid fibers.
• DE-A 195 23 081 discloses blends of 10 to 90 parts by weight of melamine fibers and 10 to 90 parts by weight of natural fibers and also fabrics woven therefrom.
• DE-A 196 17 634 discloses flame resistant fabrics woven from melamine fibers, optionally flame resistant fibers and normally flammable fibers such as wool, cotton, polyamide, polyester and viscose. Flame resistant polyesters are not mentioned.
• EP-A 976 335 discloses fabrics woven from 10 to 90% by weight of cotton fibers, 5 to 45% by weight of polyamide or polyester fibers and 5 to 45% by weight of melamine fibers. The examples utilize normal (non flame resistant) polyester fiber.
• textile fabrics comprehends all sheetlike textile articles, whatever their method of production.
• Useful textile fabrics accordingly include for example wovens, formed-loop knits, drawn-loop knits, tufteds, felts and nonwovens.
• flame resistant As to “flame resistant”, some preliminary remarks may be in order.
• an external source of ignition for example a flame
• the source of ignition is removed and the behavior of the material is observed, for example slow or rapid burning, self-extinguishing, burning or melting drips, glowing, evolution of toxic gases, smoke evolution, etc.
• flame resistant is meant that the material—the fiber or fabric—is incombustible or continues to burn only very slowly or is self-extinguishing.
• Flame resistance can be inherent to the chemical composition of the fiber or the construction of the textile fabric. This is the case with aramid fibers or glass fibers for example.
• flame resistance can be attained through treatment of the fibers, of the yarn or of the textile fabric with a flame retardant or—often preferred—by using a flame retardant in the course of the production of the fiber.
• the flame retardant may be incorporated into the fiber as the fiber is being made.
• Useful flame retardants include in particular reactive phosphorus compounds, for example Afflamit®, Pyrovatex®, Proban® or Secan®.
• the textile fabrics of the invention comprise
• the melamine fiber used according to the invention may be produced for example according to the processes described in EP-A 93 965, DE-A 23 64 091, EP-A 221 330 or EP-A 408 947.
• Particularly preferred melamine fiber includes as monomeric building block (A) from 90 to 100 mol % of a mixture consisting essentially of from 30 to 100, preferably from 50 to 99, particularly preferably from 85 to 95, especially from 88 to 93, mol % of melamine and from 0 to 70, preferably from 1 to 50, particularly preferably from 5 to 15, especially from 7 to 12, mol % of a substituted melamine I or mixtures of substituted melamines I.
• the particularly preferred melamine fiber contains from 0 to 10, preferably from 0.1 to 9.5, especially from 1 to 5, mol %, based on the total number of moles of monomeric building blocks (A) and (B), of a phenol or of a mixture of phenols.
• the particularly preferred melamine fiber is customarily obtainable by reacting components (A) and (B) with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-supplying compounds and subsequent spinning, the molar ratio of melamines to formaldehyde being in the range from 1:1.15 to 1:4.5, preferably in the range from 1:1.8 to 1:3.0.
• [0030] include those where X 1 , X 2 and X 3 are each selected from the group consisting of —NH 2 , —NHR 1 and —NR 1 R 2 , subject to the proviso that X 1 , X 2 and X 3 are not all —NH 2 , and R 1 and R 2 are each selected from the group consisting of hydroxy-C 2 -C 10 -alkyl, hydroxy-C 2 -C 4 -alkyl-(oxa-C 2 -C 4 -alkyl) n , where n is from 1 to 5, and amino-C 2 -C 12 -alkyl.
• Hydroxy-C 2 -C 10 -alkyl is preferably hydroxy-C 2 -C 6 -alkyl, such as 2-hydroxyethyl, 3-hydroxy-n-propyl, 2-hydroxyisopropyl, 4-hydroxy-n-butyl, 5-hydroxy-n-pentyl, 6-hydroxy-n-hexyl, 3-hydroxy-2,2-dimethylpropyl, preferably hydroxy-C 2 -C 4 -alkyl, such as 2-hydroxyethyl, 3-hydroxy-n-propyl, 2-hydroxyisopropyl and 4-hydroxy-n-butyl, particularly preferably 2-hydroxyethyl and 2-hydroxyisopropyl.
• Hydroxy-C 2 -C 4 -alkyl-(oxa-C 2 -C 4 -alkyl) n preferably has n from 1 to 4, particularly preferably n 1 or 2, such as 5-hydroxy-3-oxapentyl, 5-hydroxy-3-oxa-2,5-dimethylpentyl, 5-hydroxy-3-oxa-1,4-dimethylpentyl, 5-hydroxy-3-oxa-1,2,4,5-tetramethylpentyl, 8-hydroxy-3,6-dioxaoctyl.
• Amino-C 2 -C 12 -alkyl is preferably amino-C 2 -C 8 -alkyl, such as 2-aminoethyl, 3-aminopropyl, 4-aminobutyl, 5-aminopentyl, 6-aminohexyl, 7-aminoheptyl and 8-aminooctyl, particularly preferably 2-aminoethyl and 6-aminohexyl, very particularly preferably 6-aminohexyl.
• amino-C 2 -C 8 -alkyl such as 2-aminoethyl, 3-aminopropyl, 4-aminobutyl, 5-aminopentyl, 6-aminohexyl, 7-aminoheptyl and 8-aminooctyl, particularly preferably 2-aminoethyl and 6-aminohexyl, very particularly preferably 6-aminohexyl.
• Particularly useful substituted melamines for the invention include the following compounds: 2-hydroxyethylamino-substituted melamines such as 2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)-4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4-di(2-hydroxyethylamino)-6-amino-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4,6-tris(2-hydroxyethylamino)-1,3,5-triazine; 2-hydroxyisopropylamino-substituted melamines, such as 2-(2-hydroxyisopropylamino)-4,6-diamino-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4-di(2-hydroxyisopropylamino)-6-amino-1,3,5-triazine, 2,4,6-tris(2-hydroxyisopropylamino)-1,3,5-triazine; 5-hydroxy-3-oxapentylamino-substituted
• Useful phenols (B) include phenols that contain one or two hydroxyl groups and may be substituted by radicals selected from the group consisting of C 1 -C 9 -alkyl and hydroxyl, and also C 1 -C 4 -alkanes substituted by two or three phenol groups, di(hydroxyphenyl) sulfones, or mixtures thereof.
• Preferred phenols are: phenol, 4-methylphenol, 4-tert-butylphenol, 4-n-octylphenol, 4-n-nonylphenol, pyrocatechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane, bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone, particularly preferably phenol, resorcinol and 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane.
• Formaldehyde is generally used as an aqueous solution having a concentration of, for example, from 40 to 50% by weight or in the form of compounds supplying formaldehyde in the course of the reaction with (A) and (B), for example as oligomeric or polymeric formaldehyde in solid form such as paraformaldehyde, 1,3,5-trioxane or 1,3,5,7-tetroxocane.
• the particularly preferred melamine fiber is customarily produced by polycondensing melamine, optionally substituted melamine and optionally phenol together with formaldehyde or formaldehyde-supplying compounds. All the components may be added from the start or may be reacted a little at a time and successively and the precondensates formed may have further melamine, substituted melamine or phenol added to them subsequently.
• the reaction temperature is generally in the range from 20 to 150° C., preferably in the range from 40 to 140° C.
• the reaction pressure is generally not critical.
• the reaction is generally carried out in the range from 100 to 500 kPa, preferably under atmospheric pressure.
• the reaction can be carried out with or without solvent. Generally, no solvent is added when using aqueous formaldehyde solution. When formaldehyde bound in solid form is used, it is customary to use water as solvent, the amount used being generally within the range from 5 to 40%, preferably from 15 to 20%, by weight based on the total amount of monomers used.
• the polycondensation is generally carried out in the pH range above 7.
• the pH range from 7.5 to 10.0 is preferred and that from 8 to 9 is particularly preferred.
• the reaction mixture may further include small amounts of customary additives, such as alkali metal sulfites, eg. sodium disulfite and sodium sulfite, alkali metal formates, eg. sodium formate, alkali metal citrates, eg. sodium citrate, phosphates, polyphosphates, urea, dicyandiamide or cyanamide. They may be added as pure individual compounds or as mixtures with each other, in each case without a solvent or as aqueous solution, before, during or after the condensation reaction.
• customary additives such as alkali metal sulfites, eg. sodium disulfite and sodium sulfite, alkali metal formates, eg. sodium formate, alkali metal citrates, eg. sodium citrate, phosphates, polyphosphates, urea, dicyandiamide or cyanamide. They may be added as pure individual compounds or as mixtures with each other, in each case without a solvent or
• modifiers are amines and aminoalcohols, such as diethylamine, ethanolamine, diethanolamine or 2-diethylaminoethanol.
• Useful additives further include fillers and emulsifiers.
• Useful fillers include for example fibrous or pulverulent inorganic reinforcing agents or fillers, such as glass fiber, metal powder, metal salts or silicates, for example kaolin, talc, baryte, quartz or chalk, pigments and dyes.
• Emulsifiers used are generally the customary nonionic, anionic or cationic organic compounds having long-chain alkyl moieties.
• the polycondensation can be carried out batchwise or continuously, for example in an extruder (see EP-A 355 760), according to conventional methods.
• the melamine resin of the invention is generally spun in a conventional manner, for example after addition of a curing agent, customarily acids, such as formic acid, sulfuric acid or ammonium chloride, at room temperature in a rotospinning machine and subsequently curing the crude fiber in a heated atmosphere or by spinning in a heated atmosphere, simultaneously evaporating the water solvent and curing the condensate.
• a curing agent customarily acids, such as formic acid, sulfuric acid or ammonium chloride
• melamine fiber can also be produced using other customary methods, for example fiber pulling, extrusion and fibrillation.
• the fiber obtained is generally predried, optionally drawn and then cured at from 120 to 250° C.
• the fiber is typically from 5 to 25 ⁇ m in thickness and from 2 to 2000 mm in length.
• Useful melamine resins are, for example, commercially available from BASF as Basofil®.
• Polyesters are homopolymers, copolymers, blends and graft polymers of synthetic long-chain polyesters that contain recurring ester groups in the polymer main chain as an essential constituent.
• Preferred polyesters are esters of an aromatic dicarboxylic acid with an aliphatic dihydroxy compound, i.e., polyalkylene arylates such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT).
• Such polyalkylene arylates are obtainable by esterifying or transesterifying an aromatic dicarboxylic acid or its esters or ester-forming derivatives with a molar excess of an aliphatic dicarboxy compound and polycondensing the resultant esterification or transesterification product in a known manner.
• Preferred dicarboxylic acids are 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, terephthalic acid and isophthalic acid or mixtures thereof. Up to 30 mol % and preferably not more than 10 mol % of the aromatic dicarboxylic acids may be replaced by aliphatic or cycloaliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, azeleic acid, sebacic acid, dodecanedioic acids and cyclohexanedicarboxylic acids.
• Preferred aliphatic dihydroxy compounds are diols having 2 to 6 carbon atoms, especially 1,2-ethanediol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-hexanediol, 5-methyl-1,5-pentanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and neopentyl glycol or mixtures thereof.
• polyesters are polyalkylene terephthalates derived from alkanediols having 2 to 10 and preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms. Of these, particular preference is given to polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate or blends thereof.
• polyethylene terephthalates and polybutylene terephthalates which contain up to 1% by weight, based on the polyesters, preferably up to 0.75% by weight, of 1,6-hexanediol and/or 5-methyl-1,5-pentanediol as further monomer units.
• Such polyalkylene terephthalates are known per se and are described in the literature. They contain in the main chain an aromatic ring derived from the aromatic dicarboxylic acid.
• the aromatic ring may be substituted, for example by halogen such as chlorine and bromine or by C 1 -C 4 -alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl or t-butyl.
• the reaction is customarily carried out using a molar excess of diol in order that the ester equilibrium may be influenced in the desired form.
• the molar ratio of dicarboxylic acid or ester:diol is customarily in the range from 1:1.1 to 1:3.5 and preferably in the range from 1:1.2 to 1:2.2. Very particular preference is given to a dicarboxylic acid:diol molar ratio of from 1:1.5 to 1:2 and to a diester:diol molar ratio of from 1:1.2 to 1.5.
• catalysts are titanium compounds and tin compounds as known inter alia from U.S. Pat. No. 3,936,421 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,444.
• Preferred compounds are tetrabutyl orthotitanate and triisopropyl titanate and also tin dioctoate.
• Useful polyester fibers include all customary textile fibers composed of the aforementioned polyesters. Such fibers are known.
• Polyester fibers are customarily produced by the melt spinning or the extrusion process, whereafter they are stretched hot. A subsequent heat treatment may be used to render them highly crystalline and shrinkage resistant. Details concerning polyester fibers may be found in Ullmanns Encyklopädie der Technischen Chemie, vol. 11, 4th edition, page 305, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1978, and Z. Rogowin's monograph, Chemiefasern, Thieme-Verlag, Stuttgart 1982, pages 259-285.
• Useful polyester fibers include for example the commercially available Trevira® fibers from Trevira GmbH and Teretal® fibers from Montefibre.
• the polyester fibers of the fill thread may be identical to or different from the polyester fibers of the warp thread.
• the fill may contain PET fibers and the warp PBT fibers, and vice versa.
• the polyester fibers are flame resistant.
• the flame resistance is attained by treating the fibers and/or yarn with flame retardants or—preferably—by using flame retardants in the course of the production of the polyester fibers, i.e., the flame retardant is incorporated into the fiber as it is being made.
• Useful flame retardants include reactive phosphorus compounds, for example Afflamit® from Thor Chemie, Pyrovatex® from Ciba, Proban® from Albright and Wilson, Secan® from Schumer. Polyphosphonates are also suitable. It is similarly possible to use halogen compounds, especially bromine compounds such as 2,2-bis(4,4′-hydroxyethoxy-3,5-dibromophenyl)propane, as flame retardants.
• the treatment of the fibers or yarns with the flame retardants or the use of the flame retardants in the course of fiber production is effected in a conventional manner.
• the flame retardants are customarily used in a total amount of from 0.1 to 30% by weight, based on the flame resistant polyester fibers B) (that is, based on the sum total of normal, non flame resistant polyester fibers and flame retardant).
• Flame resistant polyester fibers are commercially available for example as Trevira® CS from Trevira GmbH and as Dacron® from DuPont.
• the textile fabrics of the invention may optionally further comprise up to 40% by weight of further flame resistant fibers C) other than polyester.
• the proportion of the further flame resistant fibers C) is preferably up to 30% by weight and particularly preferably up to 25% by weight.
• Useful further non polyester flame resistant fibers include in particular aramid fibers, flame resistant viscose fibers and flame resistant modacrylics.
• Aramid fibers are preferably produced by spinning solutions of polycondensation products of iso- or terephthalic acid or derivatives thereof, such as acyl chlorides, with para- or meta-phenylenediamine in solvents, such as N-methylpyrrolidone, hexamethylenephosphoramide, concentrated sulfuric acid or customary mixtures thereof.
• solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone, hexamethylenephosphoramide, concentrated sulfuric acid or customary mixtures thereof.
• the continuous fiber obtained is then customarily cut into staple fibers which are generally from 5 to 25 ⁇ m in thickness.
• Preferred aramid fibers are based on an isomeric poly-p-phenyleneterephthalamide (Kevlar®, U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,542) or poly-m-phenyleneisophthalamide (Nomex®, U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,324).
• Viscose fibers are preferably spun from cellulose by the viscose process. Woodpulp cellulose is treated with caustic soda. The alkali cellulose obtained is squeezed off, comminuted and allowed to stand in air. The thus preripened alkali cellulose is treated with carbon disulfide CS 2 to form cellulose xanthate. The xanthate is dissolved in dilute caustic soda to form a viscous dope known as viscose. The dope is filtered and stored. The thus afterripened dope is pumped through spinneret holes into a spin bath containing sulfuric acid, sodium sulfate and zinc sulfate, and the viscose coagulates to form fine cellulose filaments. The filaments are optionally stretched, then washed and aftertreated. Further details concerning viscose fibers are to be found in the aforementioned monograph by Z. Rogowin, pages 76-197.
• Modacrylics are preferably obtained by straight-chain copolymerization of acrylonitrile with vinyl chloride or vinylidene chloride.
• the acrylonitrile fraction is in the range from 35 to 85% and especially in the range from 50 to 85% by weight. Further details concerning modacrylics are to be found in the monograph by Z. Rogowin, pages 293-313.
• the viscose fibers and modacrylics are flame resistant.
• the flame resistance is attained by treating the fibers and/or yarn with flame retardants or—preferably—by using flame retardants in the course of the production of the fibers, i.e., the flame retardant is incorporated into the fiber as it is being made.
• Useful flame retardants include those mentioned in connection with the flame resistant polyester fibers B).
• the treatment of the fibers or yarns with the flame retardants or the use of the flame retardants in the course of fiber production is effected in a conventional manner.
• the flame retardants are customarily used in a total amount of from 0.1 to 30% by weight, based on the flame resistant polyester fibers C) (that is, based on the sum total of normal, non flame resistant fibers and flame retardant).
• Flame resistant viscose fibers are commercially available for example as viscose FR from Lenzing. Flame resistant modacrylics are available for example as Kanecar® SYCM from Kanebo Corp.
• the textile fabrics of the invention as well as the melamine fibers A), the flame resistant polyester fibers B) and the optional further flame resistant fibers C), may optionally further comprise up to 25% by weight of fibers D), which are not flame resistant.
• the fraction of non flame resistant fibers D) is preferably up to 20% by weight and especially up to 10% by weight.
• Useful non flame resistant fibers include all fibers, for example natural fibers and polyamide fibers.
• the natural fibers used are generally naturally occurring fibers based on cellulose, such as cotton, wool, linen or silk, which natural fibers shall also comprehend cellulose-based fibers which are of natural origin but have been modified or treated by known and customary processes.
• German Standard Specification DIN 60001 cotton and wool in particular are natural fibers, cotton belonging to the group of vegetable fibers.
• German Standard Specification DIN 60004 defines what is meant by the term wool.
• wool shall comprehend all coarse and fine animal hairs.
• Useful polyamide fibers include all customary textile fibers composed of polyamide. Such fibers are known. Polyamide fibers are produced from various polyamide types, especially from small nylon 66 and nylon 6 and also from nylon 11 and nylon 610, by melt spinning or extrusion. Subsequently they are stretched hot or cold. Nylon 6 is polycaprolactam, nylon 66 is made up of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid units. Nylon 11 is formed from 11 aminoundecanoic acids, nylon 610 from hexamethylenediamine and sebacic acid. Details concerning polyamide fibers are given in Ullmanns Encyklopädie der Technischen Chemie, volume 11, 4th edition, page 315, Verlag Chemie, Weinheim 1978.
• Polyamide fibers are the preferred non flame resistant fibers D).
• Useful polyamide fibers are commercially available for example from BASF, DuPont and Rhodia.
• textile fabrics include wovens, formed-loop knits, drawn-loop knits, tufteds, felts and nonwovens.
• the fibers are processed into an intimate blend into a conventional manner.
• the fiber blends are processed in a known manner, for example as described in the aforementioned monograph by Albrecht, section 4, pages 139 ff.
• Wovens are generally produced from yarns.
• the various fiber varieties are customarily preblended as a staple and spun into yarns using the known processes customary in the textile industry. These yarns can then be further processed into various kinds of wovens depending on the application.
• a nonwoven is a sheetlike structure fabricated from fibers and consolidated in various ways.
• the term “nonwovens” shall comprehend all sheetlike textile composites from fiber webs, especially consolidated fiber webs.
• Nonwovens can be produced by Various processes, for example as dry laid webs, wet laid webs or spun bonded (extrusion) webs. See FIG. 4-1 on page 138 of Albrecht's monograph.
• Dry laid webs can be produced for example by carding using a flat or roller card and superposing a plurality of card-produced films of fiber in a plurality of layers to form a web. They can similarly be produced by the aerodynamic process whereby the previously opened fibers are deposited by an air stream on a continuously moving foraminous surface through which the air is aspirated away on the other side.
• Wet laid webs are produced in similar fashion to paper by dispersing the fibers in water, applying the suspension to a moving sieve belt, through which the water is filtered off to form the web, and subsequent consolidation of the web.
• Spun bonded (extrusion) webs are produced from polymer chips, which are initially plasticated in an extruder before the resultant melt is spun into filaments. The filaments are stretched and laid down to form a web, which is then consolidated.
• the consolidating can be effected for example using chemical means in the form of binders, which cause the fibers to adhere to each other.
• the chemical agents can be used continuously (by impregnation, coating, spraying, printing) or discontinuously.
• Consolidation can also be effected thermally, for example by calendering, hot air consolidation or ultrasound. Thermal consolidation causes suitable fibers to melt incipiently and thus to cohere to each other. Lastly, consolidation can be effected mechanically (friction consolidation), for example by needling, interlooping, web stitching with or without thread or entangling.
• nonwovens are needled webs and nonwovens which were mechanically consolidated in known manner by loop formation using threads or fibers.
• Nonwovens produced using the familiar web-processing stitch bonding processes are particularly suitable.
• Also particularly suitable are nonwovens which were consolidated in known manner using high energy (high pressure, for example) water jets.
• interlooping In interlooping, a distinction is made between the warp knitting (meshlike interlooping of threads using different constructions, threads in the longitudinal direction of the web), weft knitting (like warp knitting but threads in the transverse direction) and stitch bonding or web stitching. Web stitching with or without thread is preferred.
• Web stitching with or without thread combines sewing (stitching through and joining together of sheets) and formed-loop knitting (synchronous formation of loops from threads or fibers). In web stitching with thread loops are formed from thread and in web stitching without thread loops are formed from fiber.
• These web-processing stitch bonding processes subdivide into the Maliwatt process (web stitching with thread), the Malifleece process (web stitching without thread), the Voltex process, the Kunit process, the Multiknit process and the KSB process. See FIG. 6-33 on page 305 of Albrecht's monograph.
• the textile fabrics may include a finish, especially a heat, oil, soil and/or moisture resistant finish.
• the fabric may be impregnated or coated with the finish.
• Examples of useful finishes for the invention are layers of et al, for example aluminum, applied on one or both sides.
• Such metal layers which are customarily applied in a thickness of for example 5 to 200 ⁇ m, preferably 10-100 ⁇ m, so that the flexibility of the fabric is not adversely affected, protect against fire, heat, especially radiant heat, soot and extinguishant, for example water and foam or powder extinguishants.
• EN 1486 metallized fabrics are useful for producing protective suits for specialized firefighting.
• Metallation is generally effected by subjecting the fabric to a high vacuum metal vapor deposition process (see Ullmanns Enzyklopädie der Technischen Chemie, 3 rd edition, vol. 15, p.
• Such metal foils generally comprise a polymeric support film which has been coated with a thin film of metal. They preferably include a polymeric support based on polyester.
• the metallized films are suitable according to German armed forces supply specification TL 8415-0203 for application to the inventive fabric on one or preferably both sides thereof, for example by means of an adhesive or by hot calandering.
• Such foils are used by various manufacturers for the coating of wovens (eg. Gentex Corp., Carbondale Pa., USA; C.F. Ploucquet GmbH & Co, D-89522 Heidenheim; Darmitzer GmbH, D-46485 Wesel).
• the wovens of the invention from metallized yarns or fibers.
• the yarns are preferably coated with aluminum in layer thicknesses within the range of 10-100 ⁇ m.
• the fibers have metal coatings of from 0.01 to 1 ⁇ m.
• Such yarns or fibers are producible for example on the lines of the processes described in DE-B 27 43 768, DE-A 38 10 597 or EP-A 528 192.
• Such layers preferably comprise polyurethane materials and/or polytetrafluoroethylene materials.
• Such coatings are already known from the prior art for improving the weather performance of textiles (see Ullmanns Enzyklopädie der Technischen Chemie, 5 th edition, vol. A26, p. 306-312, and Lexikon für Textilveredelung, 1955, p. 211 ff). These coatings can be such that water vapor can diffuse through the layer while they are not significantly penetrated, if at all, by liquid water or similar firefighting products and by combustion products. These coatings are generally adhered or calendered onto the fabric as polymer films.
• Further measures to improve the protective performance of the fabrics comprise finishing the fibers or the fabric with water, oil and/or soil resistant compounds (hydrophobic or oleophobic finish).
• water, oil and/or soil resistant compounds hydrophobic or oleophobic finish.
• Such compounds are known as textile assistants to the skilled person (cf. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 5 th edition, vol. A26, p. 306-312).
• water-resistant compounds are metal soap silicones, organofluorine compounds, for example salts of perfluorinated carboxylic acids, polyacrylic esters of perfluorinated alcohols (see EP-B-366 338 and references cited therein) or tetrafluoroethylene polymers. The two polymers mentioned last in particular are also used as oleophobic finish.
• the textile fabrics of the invention combine good flame and heat protection, good wear comfort and pleasant hand. These advantageous properties are retained even after numerous cleaning and reconditioning operations. Moreover, the fabrics possess high abrasion resistance and are environmentally friendly.
• the textile fabrics of the invention are useful for manufacturing heat protective clothing and flame protective clothing. This includes workers' protective clothing, welders' protective clothing and protective clothing for working in the steel industry (blast furnace) and chemical industry (chemical reactors).
• the textile fabrics of the invention are similarly useful in vehicles and spaces at risk from fire, for example in seating and lying furniture, mattress covers, wall coverings and wallpapers.
• Representative examples are upholstery fabrics for fire resistant seat covers, fabrics for curtains, wall coverings, ceiling coverings and wall papers in airplanes, buses, railroad, tram and underground carriages, cable railway cabins, movie houses, theaters, event halls, etc.
• the following stapel fibers were used.
• the first number indicates the linear density in dtex and the second number indicates the staple length in mm.
• PES I The commercially available flame resistant polyester fiber Trevira® CS 1.7/38 from Trevira GmbH was used.
• PES II The commercially available flame resistant polyester fiber Trevira® CS 2.4/50 from Trevira GmbH was used.
• PES III The commercially available non flame resistant polyester fiber Dacron® 1.7/48 from DuPont was used.
• PA A commercially available non flame resistant 1.7/60 polyamide fiber from Rhodia was used. It consisted of nylon 66.
• Modacrylic The commercially available flame resistant modacrylic fiber Kanecar® SYCM 2.2/38 from Kanebo was used.
• Nonwovens composed of flame resistant polyester fibers without melamine fibers (comparative example 7V) exhibited melting drips.
• Nonwovens composed of melamine fibers and non flame resistant polyester fibers (comparative example 8V) exhibited burning and melting drips.
• inventive nonwovens containing melamine and flame resistant polyester fibers exhibited high flame resistance and no burning drips.
• Examples 4 and 6 show that the admixture of small fractions of non flame resistant fibers—polyamide in example 4 and non flame resistant polyester in example 6—does not affect this advantageous performance profile.

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• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Treatments For Attaching Organic Compounds To Fibrous Goods (AREA)
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• 2001
  • 2001-07-16 DE DE10133787A patent/DE10133787A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2002
  • 2002-07-03 TW TW091114708A patent/TWI229710B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-07-05 CN CNA028159101A patent/CN1541128A/zh active Pending
  • 2002-07-05 WO PCT/EP2002/007487 patent/WO2003008042A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2002-07-05 BR BR0211242-6A patent/BR0211242A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2002-07-05 US US10/483,156 patent/US20040219852A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2002-07-05 MX MXPA04000420A patent/MXPA04000420A/es unknown

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