The present invention relates generally to protective garments and, more particularly, to an improved, more comfortable, more flexible, protective garment.
Prior to the present invention, technological developments of yarns for protective garments have centered around the use of Kevlar, which is the DuPont trademark for an aramid fiber, as the fiber used in yarns, which yarns are ultimately used in protective garments. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, aramid fibers have been used in yarns with the yarns thereafter knitted to make protective garments including bullet-resistant vests and protective gloves as exemplified by Byrnes, U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,898.
In addition to the use of an aramid yarn as aforesaid, aramid fibers have been utilized in combination with other materials to form a yarn which yarn may be thereafter knitted to form a protective garment such as a protective glove with increased slash or cut resistance. Examples of this concept may be found in Byrnes U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,295, and Byrnes et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,449, each of which describes the use of the Kevlar aramid fiber in combination with wire; the first of these two patents discloses the use of an aramid fiber yarn together with a metal wire and the second of these two patents describes a composite yarn itself; the yarn including a core of aramid fiber plus flexible wire and a covering of aramid fiber.
There are, of course, certain recognized problems with the use of the aramid fiber as the constituent in a yarn to thereafter be utilized in protective garments. For example, aramid fibers weaken in water. Second, the aramid fiber has only a limited resistance to true abrasion. Third, ultraviolet light adversely affects the appearance of the aramid fiber and can cause discolorations in the aramid fiber, discolorations in the yarn and discoloration in the finished product.
Recently, a new high-strength fiber has been announced by Allied Corporation. The fiber is an extended chain polyethylene, which is a polyolefin, and has been sold under the trademark of Spectra with two different fibers being marketed, Spectra 1000 and Spectra 900. We understand that the Spectra 1000 is a 1200 denier fiber and that Spectra 900 is 650 denier fiber.