GB2111824A - Protective garments - Google Patents

Abstract

A survival or immersion suit is made up from a laminated material comprising a substrate of a knitted fabric 2, a polytetrafluoroethelyne intermediate layer 4 and an outer layer of a high temperature resistant nylon fabric 6. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to protective clothing The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to protective clothing, especially but not exclusively flame resistant immersion (survival) suits, that is suits which are intended to protect the wearer against exposure in hazardous conditions.

Known immersion (survival) suits are made up from a knitted textile material substrate coated with a plastics material. While these prior suits have proved to be generally satisfactory, in a number of aspects they have exhibited disadvantages, for example they are fairly susceptible to damage by abrasion. In addition they are not resistant to heat or flame.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided an immersuion (survival) suit made up from a material comprising a laminate of a substrate, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) layer and an outer layer of material.

The outer layer may be a heat and flame resistant material.

Preferably the substrate is a fabric knitted from a modacrylic fibre and the outer layer may be formed from a high temperature resistant nylon fibre. Preferably the immersion (survival) suit is provided with one-way vents at its shoulders and near its feet portions to allow air trapped within the suit to escape.

The present invention provides also a neck seal which may be fitted to a suit of the type described in the preceding three paragraphs and which seals on fitment of the suit, the seal comprising a padded rear portion adapted, in use, to contact the back of the wearer's neck and to which is attached at a distance from one end thereof a front portion having a padded top region and a lower gusset region, the gusset being fixed at its apex to a jacket flap of the immersion (survival) suit whereby on closing said flap the front portion is pressed against the sides and front of the wearer's neck.

Preferably said padded rear portion and padded top region of the front portion are covered by a material comprising an elastomeric knitted substrate coated with a plastics material.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a typical immersion (survival) suit Figure 2 shows a cross-section through a portion of material from which the suit of the present invention is manufactured; and Figure 3 shows diagrammatically a neck seal for an immersion (survival) suit viewed from the rear.

An immersion (survival) suit which may take the form illustrated in Figure 1 but may take other forms comprises a one-piece garment including a body portion, arms and legs. Feet portions are provided on the legs and glove portions may be provided on the arms, the glove portions being either fixed or removable.

The suit is provided with sufficient water-proof sliding clasp fasteners to enable its easy fitment and removal. To allow entrapped air to be vented therefrom if the wearer is immersed in water, one-way vents are provided in each leg near the foot portion and in at least one shoulder of the suit.

Suitably the vents are of the type described in our U.K. Patent No. 1600614.

The immersion(survival) suit is provided with a hood and a neck seal.

The material from which the immersion suit is predominantly made up comprises a substrate 2 knitted from a modacrylic fibre laminated to a PTFE centre layer 4 and a woven outer layer 6 of a high temperature resistant material, for example NOMEX (Registered Trade Mark). The advantage of the PTFE layer is that whereas it is waterproof it allows the passage of vapour and thereby promotes wearer comfort. The outer layer of NOMEX is not only high temperature resistant but also since it is a tough material it is resistant to abrasion in use, for example by belts fixed to the seats of aircraft or other vehicles.

It will be realised from the description above that with the possible exception of the hands the wearer's body is entirely enclosed apart from the face and neck and to provide a water-tight seal around the face and neck two separate but co-operating measures are employed. In the first instance the rim of the hood is faced with a pad covered by a material comprising an elastomeric knitted substrate coated with a water-proof plastics material. On fitting the hood this pad is brought into close contact with the wearer's face thus providing a water-proof seal.

The water-proof seal provided for the neck is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 3 and comprises a rear portion 10 of substantially crescent from which is a padded member covered by the same material as is used at the rim of the hood, that is an elastomeric knitted substrate coated with a waterproof plastics material. This member 10 is attached at the neck of the garment by a single line of stitching 12 along its base and has a front portion 14 attached thereto by a line of stitching 16 such that the front member is flapped from the rear portion about a point which is intermediate the centre of the rear portion and one end thereof.The front portion is substantially triangular in shape with the apex of the triangle downwards and has a padded top region 18 with a throat cut-out 20, the region 18 being made up from the same knitted elastomeric plastics coated material used for the rear portion. The remainder of the front portion 14 is made up from the material chosen for the majority of the rest of the suit. The apex of the triangular front portion 14 is attached by stitching 22 to the jacket flap of the suit and it will be realised that as the jacket flap of the suit is closed the front portion 14 will be wrapped around the sides and front of the wearer's neck. Closing the sliding clasp fastener of the jacket will move the front portion into close contact with the wearer's neck and maintain the contact.Thus, the wearer's neck is almost completely encircled by a padded waterproof material and if the sealing effect of this arrangement is considered in conjunction with the sealing effect of the closed hood then it will be realised that an efficient water-proof seal is provided around the wearer's neck and face.

Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example the material used in making up the survival suit may be varied. In addition the suit may be provided with pockets etc.

In another modification an immersion suit more suitable for leisure activities, for example waterskiing, takes the general form of the suit described above but is manufactured predominantly from a material comprising a substrate laminated to a PTFE centre layer and a woven outer layer of a material which need not be high temperature resistant but is preferably hard wearing and of a pleasing appearance.The suit of the modification is provided with a waterproof sliding clasp fastener extending downwardly from its neck at the front of the suit and whereas the waterproof neck seal described above with reference to the drawing may be incorporated a modified neck seal comprising a collar of a knitted elastomeric plastic coated material suitably padded may be provided, the collar incorporating a flap which in co-operation with the sliding clasp fastener ensures that on pulling up the fastener the collar snugly fits around the wearer's neck to provide a water-tight seal. Similarwater-tightsealing arrangements may be employed at the hand and foot openings of the suit, that is where the suit does not include built-in hand and foot portions. Padded cuffs made up from the knitted elastomeric plastic coated material are employed and the size of the cuff may be adjustable by incorporating a fold-over facility, the fold-over being held down by VELCRO R.T.M.

fastenings.

Suits of this nature can be used to replace existing suits which, to provide an efficient neck seal incorporate a one piece annular rubber neck seal. This means that no opening for a sliding clasp fastener can be provided in the neck seal and as a result the existing suit is split across the back between the shoulder blades and provided with a horizontally extending sliding clasp fastener. This makes existing suits extremely difficult to put on and take off.

Claims (11)

1. An immersion suit made up from a material comprising a laminate of a substrate, a polytetrafluoroethylene layer and an outer layer of material.

2. A suit as claimed in claim 1, in which the outer layer is a heat and flame resistant material.

3. A suit as claimed in claim 2, in which the outer layer is formed from a high temperature resistant nylon fibre.

4. A suit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the substrate is a fabric knitted from a modacrylic fibre.

5. A suit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, provided with one-way vents at its shoulders and near its feet portions to allow air trapped within the suit to escape.

6. A suit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a neck seal comprising a padded rear portion adapted, in use, to contact the back of the wearer's neck and to which is attached at a distance from one end thereof a front portion having a padded top region and a lower gusset region, the gusset being fixed at its apex to a jacket flap of the immersion suit whereby on closing said flap the front portion is pressed against the sides and front of the wearer's neck.

7. A suit as claimed in claim 6, in which said padded rear portion and padded top region of the front portion are covered by a material comprising an elastomeric knitted substrate coated with a plastics material.

8. An immersion suit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

9. A neck seal for an immersion suit comprising a padded rear portion adapted, in use, to contact the back of the wearer's neck and to which is attached at a distance from one end thereof a front portion having a padded top region and a lower gusset region, the gusset being fixedat its apex to a jacket flap of the immersion suit whereby on closing said flap the front portion is pressed against the sides and front of the wearer's neck.

10. A neck seal for an immersion suit as claimed in claim 9, in which said padded rear portion and padded top region of the front portion are covered by a material comprising an elastomeric knitted substrate coated with a plastics material.

11. A neck seal for an immersion suit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.