Water barrier of water-swellable clay or other abrasive material sandwiched between interconnected layers of flexible fabric sewn or needled together using a lubricant and/or a liquid adhesive

A multi-layer article of manufacture useful as a waterproofing material comprising a pair of flexible sheet material layers having a layer of powdered or granular abrasive material sandwiched therebetween, said pair of sheet material layers structurally interconnected one to the other by sewing or needle punching to confine the abrasive material therebetween, and thereafter binding an outer surface of one of the sheet material layers by applying an adhesive to additionally strengthen the sewing or needle bond interconnection in an amount sufficient to increase the shear strength of the article but insufficient to substantially coat the abrasive material.

A multi-layer article of manufacture comprising a pair of flexible fabric layers having a contaminant-interacting layer of material sandwiched therebetween, said contaminant-interacting layer capable of interacting with water-soluble contaminants from water contacting said layer, said pair of fabric layers structurally interconnected one to the other with fibers to confine the contaminant-interacting material layer therebetween, wherein one of the flexible fabric layers includes an adhesive in an area of the interconnecting fibers and in an amount sufficient to increase the shear strength of the article.

A multi-layer article of manufacture useful as a waterproofing material comprising a pair of flexible sheet material layers having a layer of powdered or granular abrasive material sandwiched therebetween, said pair of sheet material layers structurally interconnected one to the other by sewing or needle punching to confine the abrasive material therebetween, and thereafter binding an outer surface of one of the sheet material layers by bonding together thermoplastic fibers contained within said one sheet material layer, after sewing or needle punching, to additionally strengthen the sewing or needle bond interconnection.

A method of manufacturing a multi-layers article including a lower layer of fabric, an upper layer of fabric and an intermediate layer of a powdered or granular abrasive material secured between the fabric layers by needle punching or sewing, the improvement comprising applying a lubricating-effective amount of a liquid to a surface of the layer of abrasive material to lubricate the penetration of a needle through the layer of abrasive material, thereby reducing needle wear and breakage and providing consistent, effective securing of the upper and lower fabric layers surrounding an essentially constant thickness of said abrasive material, and thereafter binding an outer surface of one of the fabric layers by applying an adhesive to at least one of the fabrics during manufacture such that the adhesive bridges an area between essentially horizontally disposed fabric fibers and essentially vertically disposed securing fibers to increase the shear strength of the article essentially without coating the intermediate abrasive particles with said adhesive.

A method of preventing water from contacting a structure comprising installing a multi-layer article of manufacture against said structure;

• said multi-layer article including first and second sheet material layers having a layer of water-swellable clay therebetween, said first and second sheet material layers secured together on opposite sides of the clay layer by needle punching or sewing, and thereafter applying a water-insoluble adhesive to at least one of the sheet material layers during manufacture such that the adhesive bridges an area between essentially horizontally disposed sheet material fibers and essentially vertically disposed securing fibers to increase the shear strength of the article.