A woven flame-resistant fabric for garments, the warp and fill yarns being made up of at least about 30 wt. % inherently flame-resistant fibers. The fabric is woven from a plurality of warp yarn groups consecutively arranged across the width direction in a recurring pattern, each warp yarn group consisting of a plurality of adjacent consecutively arranged warp yarns. At least one warp yarn in each warp yarn group is woven with the fill yarns in a plain (1/1) weave and at least one warp yarn in each warp yarn group is woven in one or more non-plain weaves each selected from the group consisting of 1/2, 2/1, 2/2, 1/3, and 3/1. Approximately half of the warp yarns in the fabric are woven in a plain (1/1) weave and the remaining warp yarns in the fabric are woven in the one or more non-plain weaves, in an alternating fashion.

Provided is a method of manufacturing fiber with aligned porous structure, an apparatus, and applications of the fiber. The apparatus comprises: a fiber extrusion unit, a freezing unit, and a collection unit for collecting the frozen fibers, wherein fibers extruded from the fiber extrusion unit pass through the freezing unit. Continuous and large scale preparation of such fiber with aligned porous structure is achieved by combining directional freezing and solution spinning.

Provided is a method of manufacturing fiber with aligned porous structure, an apparatus, and applications of the fiber. The apparatus comprises: a fiber extrusion unit, a freezing unit, and a collection unit for collecting the frozen fibers, wherein fibers extruded from the fiber extrusion unit pass through the freezing unit. Continuous and large scale preparation of such fiber with aligned porous structure is achieved by combining directional freezing and solution spinning.

Embodiments of the invention relate to flame resistant fabrics containing fibers having at least one energy absorbing and/or reflecting additive incorporated into the fibers. Inclusion of such fibers into the fabric increases the arc rating/fabric weight ratio of the fabric while still complying with all requisite thermal protective requirements.

Embodiments of the invention relate to flame resistant fabrics containing fibers having at least one energy absorbing and/or reflecting additive incorporated into the fibers. Inclusion of such fibers into the fabric increases the arc rating/fabric weight ratio of the fabric while still complying with all requisite thermal protective requirements.

Fabrics including a single-ply yarn are described herein along with fabrics that have low picks per inch or low courses per inch. The fabrics may comprise modacrylic fibers, meta-aramid fibers, anti-static fibers, and optionally para-aramid fibers, and the fabrics may comprise: about 10% or 20% to about 60% or 80% modacrylic fibers by weight of the fabric; about 20% or 40% to about 80% meta-aramid fibers by weight of the fabric; about 0.1% to about 2% anti-static fibers by weight of the fabric; and about 0% to about 10% para-aramid fibers by weight of the fabric.

Fabrics including a single-ply yarn are described herein along with fabrics that have low picks per inch or low courses per inch. The fabrics may comprise modacrylic fibers, meta-aramid fibers, anti-static fibers, and optionally para-aramid fibers, and the fabrics may comprise: about 10% or 20% to about 60% or 80% modacrylic fibers by weight of the fabric; about 20% or 40% to about 80% meta-aramid fibers by weight of the fabric; about 0.1% to about 2% anti-static fibers by weight of the fabric; and about 0% to about 10% para-aramid fibers by weight of the fabric.

Embodiments of a leno weave mesh of the present invention generally include a plurality of high-temperature weft yarns, high-temperature warp yarns, and low melting point warp yarns; wherein each low melting point warp yarn is intertwined with a high-temperature warp yarn, each intertwined pair of warp yarns is positioned such that the low melting point warp yarn and high-temperature warp yarn are disposed alternatingly on either side of the woven mesh at intersections of the weft and warp yarns, and the woven mesh is heated whereby the surfaces of the low melting point warp yarns adhere to the surface of the high-temperature warp yarns and said high-temperature weft yarns at contact points there between. An intumescent coating system employing embodiments of the mesh, and a method of providing thermal protection to a substrate utilizing the intumescent coating system, are also provided.

Embodiments of a leno weave mesh of the present invention generally include a plurality of high-temperature weft yarns, high-temperature warp yarns, and low melting point warp yarns; wherein each low melting point warp yarn is intertwined with a high-temperature warp yarn, each intertwined pair of warp yarns is positioned such that the low melting point warp yarn and high-temperature warp yarn are disposed alternatingly on either side of the woven mesh at intersections of the weft and warp yarns, and the woven mesh is heated whereby the surfaces of the low melting point warp yarns adhere to the surface of the high-temperature warp yarns and said high-temperature weft yarns at contact points there between. An intumescent coating system employing embodiments of the mesh, and a method of providing thermal protection to a substrate utilizing the intumescent coating system, are also provided.

An article comprising a fabric comprising: (a) a blended yarn comprising: (i) from about 10% to about 85% by weight of at least one biregional fiber comprising an oxidized polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile based homopolymers, acrylonitrile based copolymers, acrylonitrile based terpolymers, and combinations thereof; (ii) at least one companion fiber selected from the group consisting of FR polyester, FR nylon, FR rayon, FR treated cellulose, m-aramid, p-aramid, modacrylic, novoloid, melamine, wool, nylon, regenerated cellulose, polyvinyl chloride, antistatic fiber, poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polysulphonamide (PSA), and combinations thereof; and (b) optionally including a companion yarn different from said blended yarn; wherein said companion yarn includes p-aramid in an amount less than 20% of the fabric weight; and
wherein the fabric has a weight from about 3 oz/yd.sup.2 to about 12 oz/yd.sup.2.