FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fabrics having flame resistance and high visibility for use in safety apparel and apparel components. BACKGROUND

Safety apparel and garments are required to meet strict guidelines for visibility. This means that the fabric used to make such apparel should be dyeable in high visibility colours. In Canada, visibility requirements are governed by CSA Z96 and in the US by ANSI/ISEA 107 and applicable international standards. Safety apparel and apparel parts should also meet requirements for flame resistance. Flame resistance requirements are governed in Canada by CAN/CGSB-155.20, CAN/CGSB 155.22 and CSA Z462; and in the US by NFPA 2112, NFPA 1971, NFPA 1977, NFPA 1975 and NFPA 70E and applicable international standards.

To ensure longevity and proper fit of safety apparel it is also important that the fabrics used to make such apparel have little to no shrinkage in use or in laundering. Stain resistance is also important in ensuring that the high visibility of safety apparel and apparel components are not marred by staining or permanent soiling.

While a number of fabrics may meet one or more of the safety requirements and desired qualities listed above, it is very hard to manufacture a suitable fabric that meets all requirements and qualities. Furthermore, for the purposes of commercial manufacture and sale it is also desirable that the apparel or apparel component, and hence the fabric from which they are made, not be prohibitively expensive.

Some examples of prior art fabrics for use in safety apparel include US 6,706,650 to Gibson et al., which teaches a fabric formed substantially of modacrylic yarns and a cationic dye applied to said fabric. US Patent 7,419,922 also to Gibson et al., teaches a fabric formed of a first yarn that comprises a blend of modacrylic and conventional fibers, and a second yarn that comprises a blend of anti-static fibers with conventional fibers or with modacrylic.

A need still exists in the art for fabrics that can be dyed to meet high visibility requirements, that meet flame resistance requirements, and that are also colour-fast, and affordable. SUMMARY

A fabric for use in safety apparel is taught. The fabric comprises a first yarn comprising modacrylic run in a weft direction of said fabric and a second yarn comprising polyester run in a warp direction of said fabric. The fabric meets high visibility requirements governed by CSA Z96 in Canada and by ANSI/ISEA 107 in the US; and meets requirements for flame resistance governed in Canada by CAN/CGSB-155.20 and CSA Z462; and in the US by NFPA 2112, NFPA 70E, NPFA 1971, NFPA 1975 and NFPA 1977.

A method of manufacturing a fabric is further taught, said method comprising the steps of running a first yarn in a weft direction, said first yarn comprising modacrylic and running a second yarn in a warp direction, said second yarn comprising polyester, wherein said method produces a fabric meeting visibility requirements governed by CSA Z96 in Canada and by

ANSI/ISEA 107 in the US; and meeting requirements for flame resistance governed in Canada by CAN/CGSB-155.20 and CSA Z462; and in the US by NFPA 2112, NFPA 1971, NFPA 1975, NFPA 1977 and NFPA 70E.

It is to be understood that other aspects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein various embodiments of the invention are shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized, the invention is capable for other and different embodiments and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS The description that follows and the embodiments described therein are provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles of various aspects of the present invention. These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention in its various aspects. The present invention relates to fabrics for use in making safety apparel and components of apparel. More particularly the present invention provides fabrics that meet Canadian and US standard guidelines for high visibility and for flame resistant textiles.

The present fabrics are more preferably affixable to or with any number of secondary materials to impart desired qualities such reflectiveness. The present fabric can be sewed, adhered or laminated onto secondary materials, or conversely secondary materials can be sewn, adhered or laminated onto the present fabric.

For example it is possible to laminate reflective tapes, fabrics, or films such as 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material products on to the present fabrics.

Most preferably the present fabric is used in the manufacture of high visibility, flame resistant bands or tape for use as high visibility trim on safety apparel.

The present fabrics may be woven in any number of weave configurations including but not limited to plain, twill, and satin weave. The present fabrics can also be knitted fabrics. Most preferably, the present fabrics are woven in a 8 x 4 warp-faced twill configuration.

The present fabric is preferably made up of a polyester or polyester blend yarn run in the warp direction of the fabric and a modacrylic or modacrylic blend run in the weft, or fill, direction.

Modacrylics are understood to generally include any fiber that has a lower acrylonitrile level (35-85%) than ordinary acrylic fiber in its make-up. Modacrylics are known in the art for being inherently flame resistant. That is, they do not melt or drip or continue to burn when a source of ignition is removed. Modacrylics also present good colorfastness and can be washed without loss of color. However modacrylics are expensive and also have a tendency to shrink under high heat exposure. The modacrylic blend of the present invention can be modacrylic blended with any number of conventional fibres including polyester, cotton, wool, rayon, glass, minerals or aramids. The modacrylic blend is preferably a modacrylic-nylon blend, preferably comprised of between 50%-100% modacrylic and between 0% to 50% nylon. Most preferably the modacrylic blend is a 90%modacrylic/10% nylon blend.

The polyester of the present invention can be any type of polyester known in the art so long as it meets requirements for strength and colour-fastness. Polyesters show good color-fastness and can be dyed to the desired high visibility range of colors including high visibility yellow and high visibility orange. Polyester fabrics are also strong, relatively inexpensive and also exhibit excellent dimensional stability.

Polyester blends that can be used for the present invention include blends of polyester with nylon, cotton, wool, glass, mineral, aramids, rayon and combinations thereof. More preferably, polyester blends comprise from between 70% to 100% polyester and from between 0% and 30% of the other material or combinations of materials. While flame resistant polyester can be used in the present invention it is noted by the present inventors that in the particular weave or knit configuration of the present fabrics, flame resistant polyester is not required. By weaving a modacrylic or modacrylic blend in the weft direction, the inventors have found that sufficient flame resistance is imparted to the final fabric to meet flame resistance regulations for the safety apparel industry. In flame or heat conditions, the non-flame resistant polyester yarn component of the present fabric may be seen to soften or melt, but not catch fire and will not continue to burn if the flame source is removed. In this way, an entirely non-flame resistant polyester yarn can be used in the warp direction while still meeting flame resistance requirements.

In an optional embodiment case of using a polyester filament fibre as the yarn, weaving a polyester filament improves smoothness and flatness of the surface of the resulting fabric and can improve adherence of secondary materials over polyester staple fibres. Fibre content of the fabric as described can be adjusted to maximize desired properties and minimize undesired properties of the resultant fabric. As described above, in non-flame resistant polyester can be used in the warp direction of the present invention. In such cases a maximum limit of non-flame resistant polyester is preferred to maintain flame resistant characteristics of the overall fabric. To minimize shrinkage due to heat, otherwise described as maximizing thermal stability, a maximum limit of modacrylic is preferred. Most preferably the fibre content of the present fabric is 67% modacrylic, 26% polyester and 7% nylon.

The present fabric is dyeable by conventional dyeing methods such as in a jet dyeing machine to obtain high visibility colours such as fluorescent Yellow-Green, fluorescent Orange-Red or fluorescent Red hues that meet luminescence and chromacity requirements. In one example, a cationic dye may be used to dye the present fabric.

The present fabric may also optionally be finished or chemically finished to improve such qualities as dimensional stability and reduced shrinkage, colour fastness and texture or feel. Such finishing treatments are well known and understood by a person of skill in the art. The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular, such as by use of the article "a" or "an" is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather "one or more". All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.