WO1999035926A1

WO1999035926A1 - Waterproof and thermal barrier material

Info

Publication number: WO1999035926A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/010138
Authority: WO
Inventors: Craig D. Lack
Original assignee: Gore Enterprise Holdings Inc
Current assignee: Gore Enterprise Holdings Inc
Priority date: 1998-01-14
Filing date: 1998-05-18
Publication date: 1999-07-22
Anticipated expiration: 2000-07-14
Also published as: AU7390898A

Abstract

A textile assembly useful for providing protection against heat or cold when used in garments is described. The protection is provided by an air space within the assembly. The air space is provided by a spacer material located within the assembly, which prevents two adjacent material in the assembly from abutting.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

WATERPROOF AND THERMAL BARRIER MATERIAL

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a regular filing based on provisional application 60/036079 filed January 16, 1997.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a flexible, pliant, liquid water resistant composite material, particularly useful in garments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional firefighter turnout garments typically are comprised of three layers. One layer is an outer shell typically made from a PBI/Kevlar blend or Nomex in the form of woven cloths. A shell is a protective textile covering. The outer shell primarily provides protection from mechanical and direct flame threats. A second layer is a liquid barrier which provides protection from water and other fluids. State-of-the-art moisture barriers provide liquid water penetration resistance while remaining permeable to water-vapor. Permeable to water vapor is sometimes termed "breathable". These "breathable" moisture barriers provide heat stress reduction to the wearer. Two commercially available liquid water resistant, moisture barriers are GORE- TEX™ moisture barrier and CROSSTECH™ moisture barrier both available from W. L. Gore and Associates. They are liquid water resistant, water-vapor- permeable composites of a microporous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane coated with a water-vapor permeable continuous polymer that imparts oleophobicity to the construction. This construction is laminated to a fabric. A third layer is used for insulation, e.g. thick, lofty, quilted, single layer or multi-layer, non-woven/woven fabric designed to provide thermal insulation can be employed. Alternatively, continuous sheets of apertured, closed cell foams have also been used as a thermal barrier in WO96/08174 to Lion Apparel Inc.: In addition, British Patent 1 ,094,893 provides thermal insulation by bonding a woven textile to a foamed plastic that has a pattern of channels which provide air space in the bonded material.

These garment configurations compromise performance properties. While the bulkiness of a conventional thermal liner provides good thermal insulation performance, it significantly increases encumbrance and reduces garment breathability (water-vapor-permeability). Similarly, garments which utilize an apertured foam sacrifice flexibility in order to achieve an acceptable level of thermal protection. This invention resolves the above tradeoffs by offering both improved flexibility and improved breathability while also providing acceptable thermal insulation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is a fabric composite construction which provides the performance of both a moisture barrier layer and thermal insulation, but it is less encumbering than most art constructions, is liquid water and liquid penetration resistant, thermally protective, and preferably may be water-vapor- permeable. Accordingly, it finds use in firefighter turnout garments, high temperature resistant gloves, and the like.

More specifically, the invention comprises a textile assembly comprising

(a) a shell fabric, and

(b) a layer of a carrier fabric to which is adhered a polymer, preferably a microporous, polymer, said polymer being liquid-water resistant and preferably water-vapor-permeable, e.g. stretched polytetraflueroethylene; the shell fabric being adjacent the carrier fabric layer, the shell fabric and the carrier fabric layer being separated by a spacer material attached to one of said shell fabric or said carrier fabric; said attachment being in a discontinuous pattern on the surface of said shell fabric or on the surface of the carrier fabric layer; and

The spacer material is a thermally stable polymer material and includes open-cell, closed-cell, and syntactic foams. Preferably the spacer material has continuous voids through it. The textile of this invention can be used to produce apparel items such as gloves, footwear, coats, and jackets as well as non-garment items such as surgical back-table covers where resilient, thermal insulation may be required.

By textile assembly is meant any construction having a fabric therein. By shell is meant a protective fabric.

By fabric is meant any cloth or a material resembling a cloth.(e.g. woven, nonwoven, knit, etc) useful in garments

By spacer material is meant a material that keeps apart other materials which the spacer is between. By voids is meant gaseous spaces in the spacer material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic of a garment lay-up consisting of syntactic silicone foam bumps (or raised dots) adhered to a waterproof, moisture vapor permeable fabric that is located adjacent a shell fabric.

Figure 2 is a schematic of a garment lay-up consisting of silicone foam lines adhered to a waterproof, moisture vapor permeable fabric that is adjacent a shell fabric.

Figure 3 is a schematic of a garment lay-up consisting of silicone foam bumps adhered to a waterproof, moisture vapor permeable fabric that is located adjacent a shell fabric.

Figure 4 is a schematic of a garment lay-up consisting of silicone foam bumps adhered to a textile that is located adjacent a waterproof, moisture vapor permeable fabric and a shell fabric.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings.

This invention is a flexible, composite construction that functions as both a liquid and thermal barrier material. Components include a liquid penetration resistant fabric. barrier. The thermal barrier portion is provided by a spacer material that separates the shell fabric from layer b of the textile assembly.

The spacer material may be an open-celled polymer foam, closed-celled foam, or a syntactic foam,. Water-resistant materials which resist liquid water penetration are well known to persons skilled in the art of making rainwear. Clearly, the degree of water-resistance required in a so-called waterproof garment depends upon the severity of the external conditions to which it is subjected. A suitable test of water-resistant (Suter test) is described herein. An acceptable practical indication of water-resistance is one in which there is no evidence of water being forced through a sample by a pressure of 1.4 pounds per square inch (0.1 kg/cm²), or more typically 2.0 pounds per square inch (0.14kg/cm²). This also gives a measure of hydrophobicity in respect of porous materials. The benefit of a water-vapor-permeable material is that evaporated perspiration from the wearer's body is allowed to escape from within the garment by passage through the material, thus preventing build-up of liquid water within the garment and consequent clammy feeling. In order to be considered as water-vapor-permeable, the material should generally have a water-vapor-permeability of at least 1 ,000, preferably greater than 1500 and more preferably greater than 3000 g/m²/day. However, values in excess of 100,000 g/m²/day are possible with certain substrates. The water-vapor- permeability of the material will usually be somewhat lower than this (e.g. 5,000 to 12,000 g/m²/day or up to 30,000 g/m² for certain substrates) but generally speaking its water-vapor-permeability may also be within the ranges outlined above.

A suitable water-resistant water-vapor-permeable flexible membrane for use herein is disclosed in US Patent No. 3,953,566 which discloses a porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) material. The expanded porous PTFE has a micro-structure characterized by nodes interconnected by fibrils. If desired, the water-resistance may be enhanced by coating the expanded PTFE with a hydrophobic and/or oleophobic coating material.

The water-resistant water-vapor-permeable membrane might also be a microporous material such as a high molecular weight microporous polyethylene or polypropylene, microporous polyurethanes or polyesters, or a hydrophilic monolithic polymer such as a polyurethane.

In addition, the water-resistant water-vapor-permeable membrane may include a coating of a water-resistant water-vapor-permeable hydrophilic film of the type disclosed in US Patent No. 4,194,041 , the membrane and hydrophilic film together forming a composite. Such hydrophilic films are generally also oleophobic. The flexible membrane may be formed of porous expanded PTFE as described in US Patent No. 3,953,566, and the coated membrane may be formed as described in USP4, 194,041. The carrier fabric and the shell can be one of a number of known fabrics such as a woven, non-woven or knitted fabric of a material such as nylon, polyester, or flame resistant cotton. Depending on the desired final fabric surface characteristics and fabric lay-up orientation, the carrier fabric may be comprised of either filament yarns, or staple yarns, or a combination of staple and filament yarns in either woven, nonwoven, or knit form.

The carrier fabric of layer b is present to provide strength and support to the liquid water repellent material.

The benefit of layer b being, in addition, a water-vapor-permeable material is that evaporated perspiration from the wearer's body is allowed to escape from within the garment by passage through the material, thus preventing build-up of liquid water within the garment and consequent clammy feeling.

The shell fabric constitutes the outer surface of a garment formed and provides the required visual or aesthetic appearance and the necessary mechanical or physical properties. It can be a fabric as defined above.

An inventive feature of the invention is the presence of the spacer material which maintains a space between the shell fabric and layer b. The air-space provides an insulating function, thus eliminating need for a thick lofty, quilted material. The spacer material is preferably comprised of polymeric raised dots or ridges.

The spacer material can be adhered directly to either one or both surfaces of layer b. Or it may also be adhered to other layers such as the shell fabric, the carrier fabric, or an inner liner fabric. The layers can be combined in any number of arrangements such as but not limited to those described in the specific examples.

The spacer material may be in the form of discrete raised dots or bumps, raised ridges or lines, broken dashed ridges, or a grid pattern. The pattern of this polymeric spacer material should be chosen to provide the optimal balance of final product performance desired. Preferably it is a foamed material.

The use of discrete foam entities allows the final garment lay-up to have much greater flexibility than is possible with many current garment constructions. Moreover, depending on the size, geometry, and placement of the foam entities within the lay-up and the choice of substrate materials, this invention can provide much greater water-vapor permeability than is currently available.

Materials suitable for the foamed spacer include but are not limited to open-cell foams, closed-cell foams, and syntactic foams of various thermally stable polymers. Suitable polymers include but are not limited to silicone polymers, melamine polymers, polyamide polymers, fluoropolymers, neoprene polymers, polyurethane polymers, and co-polymers of these and other suitably thermally stable polymers. Reactive, gas liberating, silicone foams are available from companies such as General Electric Silicones. Alternatively, foams can be produced by "blowing" of conventional materials. Syntactic foams can be produced by the inclusion of microballoons into a non-foam forming polymer.

Preferably, the polymeric spacer is a cured foamed silicone composition.

These silicones are available and employed as liquid curable organopolysiloxane compositions made foamable by admixing a foaming or blowing agent.

The curable silicone composition is liquid, preferably a viscose liquid, which facilitates application to substrates. It ordinarily comprises a liquid diorganosiloxane having functional groups, such as, for example,

where R is hydrocarbon of 1 - 2.0 carbons, preferably methyl, combined with an organosilicone compound having functional groups for cross-linking sites, e.g.,

RSi X ₃

where R is hydrocarbon of 1 - 20 carbons, preferably methyl and X is a hydrolizable group such as alkoxy groups such as methoxy, ethoxy and propoxy groups, acyloxy groups such as acetoxy group, oxime groups, aminoxy groups, isopropenoxy group and the like.

Another organopolysiloxane is one having at least two vinyl groups bonded to the silicon atoms in a molecule combined with an organohydrogenpolysiloxane having at least three hydrogen atoms directly bonded to the silicon atoms in a molecule together with a catalyst for the addition reaction of hydrosilation.

The condensation catalyst used in the first type is exemplified by tin compounds such as dibutyltin dilaurate, dioctyltin dilaurate, dioctyltin diacetate, tin octylate and the like, carboxylic acid salts of iron, zinc, lead and the like metals, platinum compound such as chloroplatinic acid and amine compounds according to the types of the condensation reaction , for the second type it may be platinum or a platinum compound such as platinum black, chloroplatinic acid and the like.

The foaming or blowing agents suitable for use include those widely used in the plastics or synthetic rubber industries such as thermally decomposable organic blowing agents and the microcapsule type blowing agents which may be microcapsules encapsulating an organic liquid having a low boiling point with a synthetic resin film having resistance against solvents. Examples of the thermally decomposable organic blowing agents include several organic compounds decomposable by heating producing gaseous decomposition products such as azobisisobutyronitrile, dinitroso-pentamethylene tetramine, azobisformamide and the like. The blowing agents of the microcapsule type include the microcapsules of a hydrocarbon or halogenated hydrocarbon solvent as well as either and alcoholic solvents having a low boiling point such as isobutane, n-hexane, diethylether, methyl alcohol, methylene chloride, tricholoroethane and the like encapsulated in a polyvinylidene chloride resin film.

The foamable silicone-containing composition used in the present invention is obtained by blending from 1 to 200 parts by weight or, preferably, from 10 to 100 parts by weight of the above mentioned blowing agent with 100 parts by weight of the curable silicone composition mainly composed of the above described liquid diorganopolysiloxane. The blowing agent may be blended with the curable silicone composition either in advance to form a ready-mixed mixture or directly before application. It is optional that the composition be diluted with an organic solvent to have a viscosity or consistency suitable for application to cloths. The composition may contain other conventional additives such as an inorganic filler, coloring agent, e.g. pigment, and the like.

Treatment of fabric or substrate with the spacer material can be performed by intermittant coating of the fabric material or a substrate with the spacer material by knife coating, embossed roller coating, or the like followed by preliminary drying and then heat treatment so that the spacer material can be cured with simultaneous foaming to give a discontinuous coating on the fabric or substrate. Referring now to the figures, element 3 of Figure 1 depicts the layer b

(shown as a unitary entity, i.e., it is not depicted by layers). Element 2 depicts the raised dots or "bumps", and element 1 represent the shell fabric. As can be seen, the presence of the "bumps" keeps the shell fabric 1 spaced apart from layer b, thus creating an air space that provides the insulating effect. In Figure 2, shell fabric 4 is separated from layer b (6) by spacer ridges 5.

In Figure 3, shell fabric 7 is separated from layer b (9) by raised spacer dots 8 and a woven liner 10 is depicted as adjacent to layer b. In another configuration shown in Figure 4, the spacer dots or bumps 13 are depicted as being attached to fabric 14. As seen, the dots 13 separate fabric 14 from layer b (12) which is protected by shell fabric 11.

In dot or bump form, the dots will have a diameter of between about 0.05 to 0.5 inches, preferably 0.1 to 0.24 inches; a height of between about 0.02 to

0.5 inches, preferably 0.08 to 0.18 inches; a distance apart between about 0.05 to 1.0 inches, preferably 0.3 to 0.6 inches; and cover the surface of the substrate they are attached to an extent of 10 - 90% surface area, preferably,

15 - 30%. In rod form, as shown in Figure 2, the spacer will be about 0.05 to 0.3 inches in width and run the distance of the substrate. Other dimensions and the like will be the same as described above.

The spacer can also be in the form of raised grid 2 or rectangles of about the same general dimensions as described above. It will be understood that whether dots or rods or rectangular shaped, the spacer material may be ordered and spaced in rows or circles, or can be randomly spaced, so long as an air space is maintained as described further above.

The textile assembly of the invention can be used in wearing apparel, such as garments including hats, gloves, jackets, sweaters, cold-weather wear, fire fighting garments, etc. The assembly material can be seamed together for use in garments and the seams of the water resistant water-vapor-permeable material sealed by seam sealing tape, as is known in the apparel field.

EXPERIMENTAL MEASUREMENTS

Water-vapor permeability evaluations of the fabric lay-ups were made using a Sweating Guarded Hot Plate apparatus [made by Holometrix, Inc., Cambridge, MA] and using the Total Heat Loss test method. This method is described in Appendix B of the NFPA 1971 (1991 ed.) document or in NFPA 1977 (1993 edition) paragraph 3 - 4.5. This method is based upon the use of a heated sweating flat plate to evaluate the insulation and evaporative heat transfer of fabric samples. The dry and evaporative heat transfer from the test plate surface (35°C) in a conditioned environment (25°C, 65%RH) are measured and used to determine the "total heat loss" (Q) of the sample. Total heat loss, reported in watts/m², is used to compare the heat transfer qualities of fabric samples. With its evaporative components, total heat loss was a useful criteria for comparing the water-vapor permeability of the samples reported herein. The higher the total heat loss value, the greater the water-vapor permeability and in firefighting garments, the greater the heat stress reduction capability. It is preferred that the total heat loss is at least 150 watts/m².

Flexibility i.e., hand measurements, were obtained using a Thwing-Albert

Handle-o-meter model #211-5. A 20 mm apparatus gap and a 1000 gram beam loading were used. The lower the value; the less force required to bend the test specimen i.e. the better the hand. Because fabric orientation may effect hand and because orientation can vary in the garment assembly process, measurements on test lay-ups were made in the warp and fill directions of knit and the lower of the two values reported.

Thermal protective performance measurements were made using the Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) test method described in the 1971 NFPA, 1997 edition document. The higher the value, the better the thermal protective performance.

The heights of the foam entities as well as the thickness of the fabric lay- ups were measured with a standard pedestal mounted micrometer. A one inch diameter foot was attached to the micrometer such that the micrometer probe rested evenly on the test specimen.

For comparison, the test results on a conventional firefighting garment lay-up are included in the result tables. The conventional lay-up chosen was a polybenzamidazole (PBI)/Kevlar® blended woven shell fabric (available from Southern Mills, Inc.) that was 7.5 oz./yard², a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier (available from W.L.Gore and Associates, Inc.), and a 7.5oz./yd² Aralite® quilted Nomex® thermal liner (available from Southern Mills, Inc.). The CROSSTECH moisture barrier used comprised a porous, stretched polytetrafluoroethylene coated over its surface and partially impregnated with a water-vapor-permeable polyurethane, and adhered to a backing fabric. EXAMPLES

Examples 1 through 4 depict various embodiments of this invention. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements, constructions, nor orientations shown in these examples.

Example 1

As shown in Figure 1 , one embodiment utilized a syntactic foam (2) in combination with a moisture vapor permeable, liquid resistant barrier (3). One means of preparing a syntactic foam was to mix expandable microspheres such as Expancel DU-090 from Expancel Company in a two part, thermosetting, heat activated silicone such as Sylgard 577 from Dow Corning. Ten parts by weight of Sylgard 577 Part A was mixed with one part by weight with the Sylgard 577 Part B. Then, three percent by weight of the expandable microspheres were mixed into the silicone mixture. The resulting material was then loaded into a 50 ml syringe. The syringe was then used to deposit approximately 0.125 inch diameter droplets of this material onto the textile side of a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier, i.e. Nomex® SLE-89™ spunlaced textile laminate (available from W.L.Gore and Associates, Inc.) so as to create a pattern where the droplets were approximately 0.5 inch apart . This composite material was then placed in a preheated convection oven for 3 minutes at 180°C during which time the microballoons inflated while the silicone binder cured. The expandable microspheres effectively created a pattern of syntactic silicone foam bumps which were durably adhered to the moisture barrier substrate material. As with the other examples, the percent surface coverage was varied by changing the pattern with which the resin mix was deposited onto the substrate. In this example, the foam bumps were approximately 0.09 inches high and covered approximately 16% of the fabric surface.

Performance tests of this invention were conducted on a typical garment lay-up according to the invention. Thus, a Nomex® IMA woven shell fabric (1) (such as that sold by Southern Mills) was placed adjacent to the foam bumps as above described. For comparison, tests results were compared to a typical firefighter garment lay-up comprised of a 7.5 oz yd2 woven shell fabric next to a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier laminate next to a 7.5 oz yd2 quilted thermal liner. The results of this comparison, given in Table 1 , show dramatically superior breathabilty and improved hand of this invention compared to the conventional lay-up.

Table 1 - Example 1 Test Result Comparison

Example 2

As shown in Figure 2, a second embodiment was a coated ePTFE membrane laminated on one side to a Nomex® woven face fabric (6) available from W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., with a foam ridges (5) adhered to the reverse side. In this example, RTF7000 reactive silicone foam from General Electric was used. One hundred parts by weight of the RTF700 resin were weighed into a suitable mixing container. Then 7 parts by weight of the 7110 curing and blowing agent were weighed into a separate container. Next the 7110 was mixed into the RTF7000 resin. This mixture was quickly loaded into a 50 ml syringe and the syringe then used to deposit parallel lines of the reacting foam mixture onto the substrate material. To maximize water-vapor- permeability while maintaining good thermal protection, the foam lines were approximately 0.2 inches wide and spaced approximately 0.6 inches apart. Although the RTF 7000 silicone foam system will react and spontaneously rise at room temperature, the preferred samples were prepared by placing the foam/fabric composite into a 150 C preheated oven for 5 minutes. Parallel ridges of approximately 0.16 inch high silicone foam resulted which covered approximately 30% of the substrate surface area. Depending on the desired performance, other patterns could also be used such as dots, bumps, grids, dashed lines, or any other suitable pattern.

Performance tests of this invention construction were conducted. As with Example 1 , Nomex® IMA woven shell fabric (4) (such as that sold by Southern Mills) was placed adjacent to the above described invention. For comparison, tests results were compared to a typical firefighter garment lay-up comprised of a 7.5 oz/yd2 woven shell fabric next to a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier laminate next to a 7.5 oz yd2 quilted thermal liner. The results of this comparison, given in Table 2, show dramatically improved water-vapor- permeability and improved hand of this invention compared to the conventional lay-up.

Table 2 - Example 2 Test Result Comparison

Example 3: As shown in Figure 3, a third embodiment utilized silicone foam in the form of bumps (8) adhered to the textile side of the Nomex SLE-89™ spunlaced / CROSSTECH® moisture barrier material (9). Similar to Example 2, RTF7000 reactive silicone foam was used in this example. The RTF7000 foam was mixed as described in Example 2. However in order to produce a regular pattern of bumps, the mixed foam precursor material was forced (using a doctor blade device) through the openings of a template material which was located on top of the Nomex SLE-89™ spunlaced / CROSSTECH® substrate. The hole size and spacing of the template as well as the template thickness were selected to produce the desired foam bump size and placement. In this example, an arrangement of 0.1 inch high foam bumps that are approximately 0.2 inch in diameter was made. To maximize breathability while maintaining good thermal protection, foam bumps were used in a regular pattern in which each was located approximately 0.3 inches from the neighboring bumps. Thus, approximately 20% of the resulting substrate surface was effectively covered by the foam bumps. In order to achieve maximum breathability, hand, and thermal protective performance, the size, shape, and pattern (including amount of surface covered) must be optimized.

Performance tests were conducted on a typical garment lay-up of this invention. Thus, a PBI/Kevlar® woven shell fabric (7) (such as that sold by Southern Mills) was placed adjacent to one side of the above described construction and a woven Nomex® fabric liner (10) on the other.. For comparison, tests results were compared to a typical firefighter garment lay-up comprised of a 7.5 oz/yd2 woven shell fabric next to a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier laminate next to a 7.5 oz/yd2 quilted thermal liner. The results of this comparison, given in Table 3, show dramatically improved water-vapor- permeability and improved hand of this invention compared to the conventional lay-up.

Table 3 - Example 3 Test Result Comparison

Example 4:

As shown in Figure 4, a fourth embodiment utilized a silicone foam in the form of bumps (13) adhered to a textile (14). This composite textile layer was then located adjacent to the waterproof layer CROSSTECH® water-vapor- permeable barrier (12) on the side opposite the Nomex side to yield the desired effect. The foam chemistry, pattern, and application method used in this example was substantially the same as that described in Example 3. In this example, this technique was used to create a regular pattern of silicone foam bumps on a woven Nomex® textile. The silicone foam bumps were approximately 0.1 inch high and approximately 0.2 inch in diameter. To maximize breathability while maintaining good thermal protection, foam bumps were used in a regular pattern in which each was located approximately 0.3 inches from the neighboring bumps. Performance tests were conducted on a typical garment lay-up. Thus, a

PBI/Kevlar® woven shell fabric (11) was placed adjacent to one side of the above described invention and a waterproof CROSSTECH® moisture barrier on the other side. For comparison, all tests results were compared to a typical firefighter garment lay-up comprised of a 7.5 ozl άl woven shell fabric next to a CROSSTECH® moisture barrier laminate next to a 7.5 oz/yd2 quilted thermal liner. The results of this comparison, given in Table 4, show improved hand of this invention compared to the conventional lay-up.

Table 4 - Example 4 Test Result Comparison

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Textile assembly comprising

(a) a shell fabric, and

(b) a layer of a carrier fabric to which a polymer is adhered, said polymer being liquid-water resistant; the shell fabric being adjacent fabric layer (b); the shell fabric and the carrier fabric being separated by a spacer material attached to one side of said shell fabric or said carrier fabric; said attachment being in a discontinuous pattern on the surface of said shell fabric or on the surface of said carrier fabric;

2. The textile assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer material is attached to the shell fabric.

3. The textile assembly of claim 1 wherein the spacer material is attached to the carrier fabric.

4. The textile assembly of claim 1 , 2 or 3 wherein the spacer material is in the form of raised dots on the surface of the material to which the spacer is attached.

5. The textile assembly of claim 1 wherein the polymer is microporous.

6. The textile assembly of claim 5 wherein the microporous polymer is stretched polytetrafluoroethylene.

7. The textile assembly of claim 6 wherein the spacer material is a silicone polymer.

8. The textile assembly of claim 7 wherein the silicone polymer is a cured, foamed silicone.

9. The textile assembly of claim 6 wherein a backing fabric is attached to the carrier fabric on the side that has the stretched porous polytetrafluoroethylene.

10. The textile assembly of claim 1 disposed as part of a garment.

11. The textile assembly of claim 3 wherein the garment is a fire-fighting garment.

12. The textile assembly of claim 4 wherein the raised dots are silicone and have a diameter of between about 0.05 to 0.5 inches, a height of between about 0.02 to 0.5 inches, a distance apart of between about 0.05 to 1.0 inches and cover the surface of the material to which the dots are adhered to an extent between about 10 and 90 percent.

13. The textile assembly of claim 12 wherein the microporous polymer is stretched porous polytetrafluorethylene.

14. The textile assembly of claim 1 having total heat loss value of at least 150 Watts/m².