Protective apparel material and method for producing same

A method for producing an article composed of protective material comprising a base layer of textile material, an intermediate layer of relatively cut-resistant fiber material, and an outer layer of solid, elastomeric material which retards penetration by liquid, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing said base layer in the form of textile material which is sufficiently non-porous to prevent the passage entirely therethrough of said elastomeric material when the latter is in a liquid state and which will bond to the elastomeric material;
• conforming said base layer to a predetermined shape dictated by the shape of said article;
• providing said intermediate layer in a form having intermeshing strands defining pores therebetween sufficiently large to permit the passage therethrough of said elastomeric material when the latter is in a liquid state;
• mounting said intermediate layer exteriorly to said base layer to conform the shape of said intermediate layer to the shape of the underlying base layer;
• providing said elastomeric material in a liquid state;
• dipping the base layer and mounted intermediate layer into said liquid elastomeric material;
• said dipping step comprising flowing said liquid elastomeric material through said pores in said intermediate layer to cover said base layer, fill said pores and substantially totally encapsulate said strands with said elastomeric material;
• and solidifying the liquid, elastomeric material and bonding it to said base layer while the elastomeric material covers the base layer, fills the pores in said intermediate layer and substantially totally encapsulates the strands in the intermediate layer.