Multi-filament polyamide yarns characterized by high tenacity and low shrinkage are disclosed. Such yarns or fabrics made therefrom can be used in industrial applications in which such a combination of properties is desirable. Such yarns are particularly useful in the manufacture of automobile airbag fabrics. Also disclosed is a process for making such yarns. The yarn manufacturing process involves spin-drawing molten nylon, relaxing and controlling the yarn tension, and then winding the yarn. Yarns made according to this process exhibit linear density in the range of 110-940 decitex, tenacity equal to or greater than 80 cN/tex, and shrinkage, measured at 177 C., of less than 5%.

A mattress, foundation, or other upholstered sleep product or article includes a core and barrier material surrounding the core. The barrier material includes flame and heat-resistant material that is configured to prevent combustion of the core when the upholstered article is impinged with a gas flame according to California Technical Bulletin 603 of the State of California Department of Consumer Affairs. The barrier material may include an intumescent material that is configured to swell and char in the presence of a flame so as to form a barrier to the flame and to heat generated by the flame.

The invention is directed to an insulation composition comprising the following layers (a) a hydrophobic, moisture permeable layer composed of a woven, non-woven, or knit fibrous material, (b) a hydrophilic wicking layer, (c) an insulation material layer. The invention is also directed to a method to remove water from an insulated metal transport conduit comprising a metal transport conduit and an insulation composition, wherein the insulation composition comprises of a layer (b1) of a high void material, by supplying a stream of gas to the layer of high void material at a first point and discharging a stream of the gas and any water picked up from the high void material at a second point. The invention is also directed to a method to detect and locate liquid water in an insulation composition positioned around a metal transport conduit wherein the insulation composition comprises of a layer of wicking material and wherein the method is performed by measuring the local electric conductivity in said wicking material.

A material that is capable of stopping high-speed projectiles but yet is sufficiently flexible for use in various applications, such as to be used in footwear to protect a person's feet, especially the bottoms thereof is achieved by an enhanced ballistic material formed from interleaving layers of a ballistic material and layers of a gel matrix material that remains relatively soft and flexible. The ballistic material layer may be high tensile strength synthetic or polymeric fibers that are arranged in a mesh weave. Preferably the gel matrix material is capable of investing the ballistic material, e.g., by having the gel matrix material fill the interstices of the fibers, which may be achieved through the use of to heat and/or pressure. Furthermore, the combined material, i.e., the enhanced ballistic material, may be shaped, e.g., by molding.

Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are directed to articles of clothing that allow for monitoring of different analytes (e.g., electrolytes and molecules) in human sweat during fitness activity, while training, or simply in everyday life. The clothing includes a sensor system completely integrated in textile such that every sensing part is made of textile fibers. The clothing is able to control, collect, analyze, and expel the sweat over time. The textile sensor allows a spontaneous absorption of body sweat directly from the skin, while it is produced, using the hydrophilic natural properties of the textile. Then, once adsorbed, the flux of sweat is controlled and guided through the textile using a gradient of the textile's hydrophilic properties. The sweat guided through the textile is analyzed through an electrochemical sensor woven into the textile. Finally, the sweat is collected in a reservoir and expelled for evaporation.

Flexible electronically functional fabrics are described that allow for the placement of electronic functionality in flexible substrates such as traditional fabrics. The fabrics can be made using flexible electronically functional fibers or a combination of electronically functional fibers and textile fibers. Electronic devices can be incorporated into the fabric to give it full computing capabilities.

The invention relates to a textile fabric having a woven fabric, which is made up in whole or in part of flat filament yarns, wherein warp threads and weft threads form the woven fabric and wherein the warp threads and the weft threads are each made of a polymer. The invention provides that the warp threads and the weft threads are spun dyed and are different colors, which produce a varying color of the woven fabric depending upon a viewing angle.

Flame resistant fabrics and garments that have improved resistance to pilling and/or abrasion are disclosed. The fabrics, the fibers or yarns that make up the fabrics, or garments made from the fabrics are treated with a finish composition that is applied to the fibers, yarns, fabrics, or garments and then cured. The finish composition increases the resistance to pilling and/or abrasion of the fibers, yarns, fabrics, or garments. The finish composition includes a polymeric abrasion resistance aid, an alkylfluoropolymer, a polyethylene, and a wetting agent.

Provided is an abrasion-resistant polyester fiber, which has, in particular, a strength within a specific range, an elongation within a specific range and a Young's modulus falling within a specific range in a specific elongation range on a stress-strain curve, to improve the abrasion resistance of a woven/knitted product for clothing using, in particular, a fine size polyester fiber. The polyester fiber is an abrasion-resistant polyester fiber comprising ethylene terephthalate as a main repeating unit, characterized by satisfying the following requirements: (1) the fineness being from 8 dtex to 200 dtex inclusive; (2) the single yarn fineness being from 1.0 dtex to 4.0 dtex inclusive; (3) the breaking strength being 3.5 cN/dtex or greater; (4) the breaking elongation being from 20% to 50% inclusive; and (5) the minimum differential Young's modulus being 20 cN/dtex or less in an elongation range of from 2% to 5% inclusive on a stress-strain curve of the fiber.

A material that is capable of stopping high-speed projectiles but yet is sufficiently flexible for use in various applications, such as to be used in footwear to protect a person's feet, especially the bottoms thereof is achieved by an enhanced ballistic material formed from interleaving layers of a ballistic material and layers of a gel matrix material that remains relatively soft and flexible. The ballistic material layer may be high tensile strength synthetic or polymeric fibers that are arranged in a mesh weave. Preferably the gel matrix material is capable of investing the ballistic material, e.g., by having the gel matrix material fill the interstices of the fibers, which may be achieved through the use of heat and/or pressure. Furthermore, the combined material, i.e., the enhanced ballistic material, may be shaped, e.g., by molding.