Two-way stretchable fabric laminate and articles made from it
AssigneeW. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
InventorsAnita Dutta, Edward J. Daniel, Robert C. Willmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is a stretchable layered fabric laminate which is air impermeable and waterproof while being permeable to water vapor. The stretchable fabric laminate includes a stretchable composite material layer consisting of a hydrophobic protective layer of a porous polymeric material on each side of a layer of hydrophilic water-vapor-permeable synthetic polymer. The composite material layer is laminated to at least one layer of stretchable fabric. The stretchable layered fabric laminate has excellent stretch and recovery properties in both machine and transverse directions, and is useful for the manufacture of form-fitting articles of protective clothing and other end uses.
Claims18
A stretchable layered fabric laminate stretchable in both the machine and transverse directions comprising:
- (a) a composite layer stretchable in the transverse direction comprising two layers of a microporous hydrophobic polymeric membrane material that can be elongated at least 50% in the transverse direction, and which is partially impregnated with and bonded together by a continuous non-porous layer of an elastomeric hydrophilic water-vapor permeable polymer to form said composite layer having a non-porous internal region and two microporous surfaces;
- (b) said composite layer being laminated on at least one side to a layer of an elastic fabric by an adhesive distributed in a non-continuous pattern such that the composite layer is bunched together in folds in the machine direction and is substantially planar in the transverse direction;
- said fabric laminate being capable of stretching at least 10% and recovering at least 80% of the amount stretched when the stretching force is removed in both machine and transverse directions;
- and
- said fabric laminate being air and liquid water impermeable and being water vapor permeable to the extent of having a water vapor transmission rate of at least 2000 gm/m.sup.2 /24 hrs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.