TEXTILE ARTICLE FOR MOTORCYCLIST PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

Abstract

A protective fabric is described, preferably for motorcyclist professional clothing, said monolayer or coupled fabric comprising at least two coupled fabrics which surprisingly meets all the requirements of the applicable reference standards for abrasion, cut and burst resistance, while maintaining unchanged exceptional characteristics of softness, breathability, comfort, washability.

Claims

1. A protective fabric consisting of: wires in the warp having titre 200-300 dtex; wires in the weft having titre 530-630 dtex; and having a multiple weave which in the weft the number of overlapping wefts is 2-4, and in the warp the number of overlapping threads is 10-50; said wires consisting of from 10-250 twisted or parallel filaments; and where said threads are optionally elasticized threads.

2. The protective fabric according to claim 1, which in the weft the number of overlapping wefts is 2 or 4, and in the warp the number of overlapping threads is 10-16

3. The protective fabric according to claim 1, in which the warp threads are made of polyester HT (high tenacity) or polyamide HT, optionally elasticized; and the weft threads are made of polyester HT, preferably elasticized.

4. The protective fabric according to claim 1 having from 20 to 200 threads/cm in the weft, and preferably from 45-85, and from 20-200 threads/cm in the warp, and preferably from 45-85;

5. The protective fabric according to claim 1 having a weight less than 1000 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of less than 1.5 mm.

6. A coupled protective fabric comprising at least 2 coupled fabrics, wherein an upper fabric consists of: wires in the warp having titre 200-300 dtex; wires in the weft having titre 530-630 dtex, said wires consisting of from 10-250 twisted or parallel filaments, said wires optionally being elasticated wires; and having a multiple weave in which the number of overlapping wefts is from 2-20, and preferably from 2-6, and in the warp the number of overlapping threads is from 10-50, and preferably from 10-16; and a lower fabric wherein, the lower fabric is of the same construction as the upper fabric or the lower fabric is different from the upper fabric, wherein the threads constituting the weft of the lower fabric have the same or a different diameter than the threads constituting the warp; the threads that constitute the weft of the lower fabric have a composition that is the same as or different than that of the threads of the warp, and wherein the titre of said threads is from 100 to 700 dtex and the weave of the lower fabric is such that the number of threads superimposed in the weft is from 1-20 and the number of threads superimposed in the warp is from 1-50; and wherein the composition of said threads is selected from the group consisting of polyester or polyamide, optionally with high tenacity (HT), ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), liquid crystal polymer fiber (LCP), para-aramid fiber (AR), fiber of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), or mixtures thereof; said threads composed of 10-250 twisted or parallel filaments; said threads optionally elasticized.

7. The coupled protective fabric according to claim 6, consisting of 2 coupled fabrics wherein the upper fabric is the fabric of claim 1.

8. The coupled protective fabric according to claim 6, consisting of 2 coupled fabrics wherein the lower fabric has a simple plain weave in which the threads constituting the warp are the same as the threads constituting the weft.

9. The coupled protective fabric according to claim 6, wherein the threads forming the warp in the lower fabric are alternated with drawing 1A-1B and in which the titre of the threads constituting the weft and the warp is from 100-700 dtex, and preferably, from 350-650 dtex.

10. The coupled protective fabric according to claim 9, wherein the yarn in A is HT polyester having a titre of from 500-600 dtex; and the yarn in B is polyamide/UHMWPE in a mixture having a strength of from 420-480 dtex, and both yarns in A and B are elasticized.

11. The coupled protective fabric according to claim 6, wherein the lower fabric has from 10-200 threads/cm in the weft, and preferably from 10-30; and from 10-200 threads/cm in the warp, and preferably from 10-30.

12. The protective fabric according to claim 6 having a weight less than or equal to 1500 g/m.sup.2, and preferably less than 1000 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness less than or equal to 2.0 mm, and preferably less than 1.5 mm.

13. A method of manufacturing protective clothing (PPE) resistant to abrasion, cutting and bursting, including protective clothing for motorcyclists (PPE), the method comprising tailoring a protective fabric according to claim 1.

14. Protective clothing (PPE) resistant to abrasion, cutting and bursting, said clothing comprising a protective fabric according to claim 1.

15. A method of manufacturing protective clothing (PPE) resistant to abrasion, cutting and bursting, including PPE for motorcyclists, comprising a tailoring a coupled fabric according to claim 6.

16. Protective clothing (PPE) resistant to abrasion, cutting and bursting, said clothing comprising a coupled protective fabric according to claim 6.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] FIG. 1shows the weft profile of an embodiment (comparative example 1) of a fabric according to the state of the art.

[0020] FIG. 2shows the weft profile of an embodiment (example 2) of a fabric according to the invention.

[0021] FIG. 3shows the weft profile of an embodiment (example 3) of a fabric according to the invention.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows the weft profile of an embodiment (example 4) of a fabric according to the invention.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows the weft profile of an embodiment (example 4) of a lower fabric according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Protective Fabric According to the Invention

[0024] The protective fabric according to the invention consists of a weft in which the number of superposed wefts is 2-4, even more preferably 2 or 4 and a warp in which the number of overlapped threads is 10-50, preferably 10-16, even more preferably 10.

[0025] Any type of weave can be used for the construction of the upper fabric according to the invention (for example, double, double-double-sided, triple, quadruple, six-fold, eight-fold, etc.) and furthermore also the ligation is of the known type which is normally used in this field, for example a ligation in lowered, in raised or a combination of the two or by inversion of the warps or of the wefts may be used. The weft threads are inserted into the warp according to traditional techniques using the looms usually used for the weaving of this type of articles.

[0026] The threads constituting the warp preferably have a titre of 200-300 dtex, more preferably 220-280 dtex. The threads constituting the warp are preferably composed of 40-100 filaments, preferably 40-60 or 60-80 filaments. The threads constituting the warp are preferably twisted and optionally elasticized. Preferably according to the present invention the threads constituting the warp of the protective fabric according to the invention are polyester or polyamide filaments (for example nylon), preferably high tenacity, and optionally elasticized with elastomers of known type. The threads constituting the warp are preferably twisted and optionally elasticized polyester (PL) HT or polyamide (PA) HT threads. Even more preferably, the threads constituting the warp have a dtex of 230-275 dtex or 230-270 dtex and a weight composition of 85-95% of PA and 0-15% or 5-15% of elastomer (EA).

[0027] Preferably the threads constituting the weft of the protective fabric according to the invention are chosen from the group consisting of: [0028] polyester or polyamide filaments, possibly with high tenacity, [0029] high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) threads such as Dyneema or derivatives, [0030] fiber threads made of liquid crystal polymers (LCP) such as Vectran or Vectran derivatives, [0031] para-aramid (AR) fiber threads such as Kevlar or derivatives, [0032] polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber threads such as Teflon or derivatives, or [0033] a mixture of the aforementioned threads;
said parallel or twisted and optionally elasticized threads with elastomers of a known type.

[0034] The threads constituting the weft preferably have a titre of 530-630 dtex, more preferably 550-610 dtex. The threads constituting the weft are preferably composed of 50-150 filaments, preferably 90-110 filaments. The threads constituting the weft are preferably twisted and elasticized polyester (PL) HT threads. Even more preferably, the threads constituting the weft have a dtex of 560-600 dtex and a weight composition of 90-98% PL and 2-10% elastomer (EA).

[0035] The fabric according to the invention preferably has 20-200 threads per cm in weft, more preferably 45-85, even more preferably 80, and 20-200 threads per cm in warp, more preferably 45-85, even more preferably 65.

[0036] With the particularly preferred specifications described above, it has been possible to prepare a fabric having a weight of about 400-900 g/m.sup.2, preferably 600-800 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of about 0.7-1.5 mm, preferably 1-1.4 mm, which it has resulted being extremely comfortable, light and workable, in FIG. 2 the weft profile of a preferred embodiment of the protective fabric according to the invention is shown.

[0037] Coupled Fabric

[0038] The coupled protective fabric according to the present invention is preferably comprised of only two layers; an upper fabric and a lower fabric.

[0039] Preferably, the upper layer is different from the lower layer.

[0040] The threads constituting the weft of the upper fabric have a different diameter and composition from those of the threads constituting the warp;

[0041] Preferably, the threads constituting the lower fabric weft have the same diameter and composition to that of the threads constituting the warp.

[0042] Upper Fabric

[0043] The upper fabric is constituted by a weft wherein the number of superimposed wefts is 2-20, more preferably 2-6, still more preferably 2, 4 or 5 and a warp wherein the number of overlapping threads is 10-50, preferably 10-16, even more preferably 10.

[0044] Any type of weave can be used for the construction of the upper fabric according to the invention (for example, double, double-double-sided, triple, quadruple, six-fold, eight-fold, etc.) and moreover also the ligature is of the known type which is normally used in this sector, for example you can use a ligature in lowered, in raised or a combination of the two or by inversion of the warps or of the wefts. The weft threads are inserted into the warp according to traditional techniques using the looms usually used for weaving of this type of articles.

[0045] The threads constituting the warp have a titer of 200-300 dtex, more preferably 220-280 dtex. The wires that constitute the warp are preferably composed of 40-100 filaments, preferably 40-60 or 60-80 filaments. The threads constituting the warp are preferably twisted and optionally elasticized. Preferably, according to the present invention, the threads constituting the warp of the upper fabric are polyester or polyamide filaments (for example nylon), preferably at high-tenacity, and optionally elasticized with known type elastomers. The threads constituting the warp are preferably twisted and optionally elasticized polyester (PL) HT or polyamide (PA) HT threads. Even more preferably, the threads forming the warp have a dtex of 230-275 dtex or 230-270 dtex and a weight composition of 85-95% of PA and 0-15% or 5-15% of elastomer (EA).

[0046] Preferably, the threads constituting the weft of the upper fabric are selected in the group consisting of [0047] filaments of polyester or polyamide, possibly at high tenacity, [0048] high molecular weight polyethylene threads (UHMWPE) such as Dyneema or derivatives, [0049] liquid crystal polymer fiber (LCP) threads as for example Vectran or Vectran derivatives, [0050] para-aramid fiber (AR) threads, as for example Kevlar or derivatives, [0051] polytetrafluoroethylene fiber threads (PTFE) as for example Teflon or derivatives, or [0052] a mixture of the above threads;
said parallel or twisting threads and optionally elasticized with known type elastomers.

[0053] The threads constituting the weft have a titre of 530-630 dtex, more preferably 550-610 dtex. The threads constituting the weft are preferably composed of 50-150 filaments, preferably 90-110 filaments. The threads constituting the weft are preferably twisted and elasticized polyester (PL) HT threads. Even more preferably, the threads constituting the weft have a dtex of 560-600 dtex and a weight composition 90-98% of PL and 2-10% of elastomer (EA).

[0054] The upper fabric according to the invention preferably has 20-200 threads per cm in weft, more preferably 45-85, still more preferably 65, and 20-200 threads per cm in the warp more preferably 45-85, even more preferably 65.

[0055] With the particularly preferred specifications described above, it was possible to prepare a upper fabric having a weight of about 400-800 gr/m.sup.2, preferably 600 gr/m.sup.2 and a thickness of about 0.7-1.3 mm, preferably 1.0 mm, which turned out to be extremely comfortable, light and workable, in FIG. 4 is shown the weft profile of a preferred embodiment of the upper fabric layer.

[0056] Lower Fabric

[0057] Preferably, according to the present invention, the threads constituting the warp and the weft of the lower fabric are preferably the same and selected in the group consisting of [0058] polyester or polyamide threads, preferably at high-tenacity, [0059] high molecular weight polyethylene threads (UHMWPE), such as Dyneema or derivatives, [0060] liquid crystal polymer fiber (LCP) threads such as Vectran or derivatives, [0061] para-aramid fiber (AR) threads such as Kevlar or derivatives, [0062] polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fiber threads such as Teflon or derivatives, or [0063] a mixture of the above threads,
said parallel or twisted threads and preferably elasticized with known type elastomers.

[0064] Preferably, the lower fabric consists of a simple canvas wherein the threads forming the warp are the same as the threads constituting the weft and alternate with drawing 1A-1B and wherein both A and B are selected from the listed fibers above.

[0065] Clearly, various alterations are possible with the design of threads A and B, the preferred one is 1A-1B, but other possible ones are 2A-2B, 3A-3B, 1A-2B, 2A-1B, etc.

[0066] More preferably, the yarn in A is polyester HT and the yarn in B is polyamide/UHMWPE in mixture, both yarns in A and B are elasticized.

[0067] Preferably, the weight composition of the yarn A is 90-98% of PL and 2-10% of elastomer (EA). Preferably, the weight composition of the yarn B is 40-50% of UHMWPE, 45-55% of PA and 5-10% of elastomer (EA).

[0068] The weft threads are inserted into the warp according to traditional techniques using the looms usually used for the weaving of this type of articles.

[0069] The weave preferably used is a simple canvas, as illustrated in the warp profile in FIG. 5.

[0070] Preferably the threads titre constituting the weft and the warp is 100-700 dtex, more preferably 350-650 dtex, preferably 550-600 dtex for the yarn A and 420-480 dtex for the yarn B; the warp threads may be parallel but preferably are twisted and elasticized, while those of the weft may be indifferently twisted or parallel and elasticized.

[0071] The threads constituting the weft may have the same diameter as the threads constituting the warp or different diameter.

[0072] The lower fabric according to the invention preferably has 10 to 200 threads per cm in weft, more preferably 10-30, still more preferably 18-24, most preferably 22; and 10-200 threads per cm in the warp preferably 10-30, more preferably 18-24, even more preferably 22.

[0073] With the particularly preferred specifications described above, it had been possible to prepare a lower fabric having a weight of about 150-500 g/m.sup.2, preferably 300 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of about 0.2-0.6 mm, preferably 0.4 mm, which was found to be extremely comfortable, light and workable and surprisingly resistant.

[0074] Coupling

[0075] In the coupled fabric according to the invention, the two upper and lower fabrics are coupled by means traditional coupling techniques known by the application between the two fabrics of an adhesive means or by quilting, seam between them, of the 2 layers. Among the known coupling techniques, polyurethane (PU) or reactive polyurethane (PUR) coupling, powder coupling, PU film or PL coupling, web coupling, latex coupling are preferred.

[0076] The aforesaid adhesive means (also called glue) can be applied by blade, by points or by hot transfer, preferably according to the present invention the selected coupling is reactive polyurethane (PUR) by points, as it allows to maintain exceptional properties of breathability, elasticity, softness without minimally altering the gluing power between the layers, with tightness and resistance to all environmental aging (high temperatures, low temperatures, acid sweat, alkaline sweat, water, etc.) to which the material is subjected.

[0077] Preferably, both the upper fabric and the lower fabric, before proceeding to the final phase of PUR by point coupling, preferably in quantities of 30-50 g/m.sup.2, take advantage of a good preparation to eliminate all the stiffening agents present on the fibers applied in phase spinning, warping and weaving and possible impurities present in the fibers or collected during the previous workings.

[0078] Preferably then, to eliminate all impurities present in the fabric and favor the re-entry and fibers closure, which may also be about 25% in both directions if there is the preferred presence of an elastomer both in the weft and in the warp, both the upper and lower fabrics are purged in width, procedure carried out with water and addition of possible detergent soaps, at a temperature of about 90 C. After washing, the fabric must be dried and thermofixed, preferably with a passage carrying out drying in ramosa at a temperature of 165 C., speed of 25 m/min, then always in ramosa thermofixing at a temperature of 180 C., speed of 25 m/min. The thermofixing serves to give permanent stability for all subsequent procedure (coupling, dyeing, printing, finishing, industrial washing or domestic washing, etc.). After the thermofixing we proceed with the equalization, a rolling operation with application of steam, to homogenize the surface and to make recover softness to the fabric, hardened and strain hardened by the thermofixing.

[0079] If the upper fabric and/or the lower fabric contain UHMWPE yarns (for example Dyneema), the drying and thermofixing phase must be carried out in tumbler, the industrial equivalent of the domestic dryer, which works at temperatures below 100 C., but which performs an important mechanical action given by the centrifugation basket, which determines the maximum re-entry of the fibers, to obtain the same results in terms of dimensional stability of the ramosa. For fabrics in which Dyneema fiber (UHMWPE) is present tumbler drying is required because above 110 C. said fiber starts to soften and then melts, completely losing the characteristics that make it one of the most resistant fibers to abrasion, cut and tear on the market. This operation in tumbler is more expensive and long compared to the thermofixing in ramosa, reason why, if not forced by technical reasons, it is preferably avoided.

[0080] Once the 2 fabrics have been prepared as described above, we can proceed with the reactive polyurethane (PUR) coupling to point.

[0081] This procedure is preferably carried out on cold, on a machine where the thermoplastic PUR is dissolved from the pressure plate heated to about 115 C. (accessory external to the machine) and pushed through a pump to the micro-perforated cylinder for application on the fabrics. Immediately after the application of the glue, the 2 coupled fabrics are crushed by a calender which applies a pressure of about 2.5 tons and immediately rolled up to form a large roll, which remains stationary to cross-link in a heated environment where the temperature must never fall below 15 C. (limit temperature which crystallizes the PUR rendering it ineffective). The cross-linking time depends on the external temperature, at 20 C. 24 h of cross-linking are enough (the minimum time below which it can not be lowered), below 20 C. the cross-linking time proportionally extends it with the decrease the temperature itself.

[0082] The advantage of this type of coupling is that once the cross-linking is completed, the PUR does not go back any more, neither with high nor with low temperatures, and gives a permanent seal to all the expected environmental aging and to all the domestic and industrial washings.

[0083] The present invention can be better understood in the light of the following embodiment examples.

EMBODIMENT EXAMPLES

Example 1 (Comparative)Protective Fabric

[0084] A fabric has been reproduced as described in the Italian patent application n. 102015000051902.

[0085] Warp Yarn

[0086] Polyester (PL) HT 275 dtex 48 filaments 400 Z twists

[0087] Weft Yarn

[0088] 96 Polyester (PL) HT filaments 550 dtex arranged in a spiral pattern (330 twists per meter, TPM) around a 78 dtex elastomer (EA)

[0089] 94% Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex+6% elastomer (EA) 78 dtex Final titre 580 dtex

[0090] The fabric has been realized on looms usually used for the weaving of this type of articles, applying a multiple weave (double double-face) of 10 threads superimposed in the warp and 5 wefts superimposed in the weft as shown in FIG. 1.

[0091] The resulting fabric has a warp reduction of 70 threads/cm5% and a weft reduction of 96 threads/cm 15%, a weight of 1000 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 1.80 mm and has shown an abrasion resistance according to EN 13595>8 seconds (level 2).

[0092] The fabric is elasticized, machine washable, breathable, completely recyclable, can be dyed and printed in any color, you can make it waterproof, windproof, fireproof etc.

Example 2Protective Fabric

[0093] Warp Yarn

[0094] Polyester (PL) HT 275 dtex 48 filaments 400 Z twists

[0095] Weft Yarn

[0096] 96 Polyester filaments (PL) HT 550 dtex arranged in a spiral pattern (330 twists per meter, TPM) around a 78 dtex elastomer (EA)

[0097] 94% Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex+6% 78 dtex elastomer (EA)

[0098] Final titre 580 dtex

[0099] The upper fabric has been made on looms usually used for the weaving of this type of articles, applying a multiple weave (double double-sided) of 10 threads superimposed in the warp and 5 wefts superimposed in the weft as shown in FIG. 2.

[0100] The resulting fabric has a warp reduction of 70 threads/cm5% and a weft reduction of 80 threads/cm5%, a weight of 800 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 1.40 mm and has shown a abrasion resistance according to EN 13595>5 seconds (level 1).

[0101] The fabric is elasticized, machine washable, breathable, completely recyclable, can be dyed and printed in any color, you can make it waterproof, windproof, fireproof etc.

Example 3Protective Fabric

[0102] Warp Yarn

[0103] Polyester (PL) HT 275 dtex 48 filaments 400 Z twists

[0104] Weft Yarn

[0105] 96 Polyester (PL) HT filaments 550 dtex arranged in a spiral pattern (330 twists per meter, TPM) around a 78 dtex elastomer (EA)

[0106] 94% Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex+6% 78 dtex elastomer (EA)

[0107] Final titre 580 dtex

[0108] The fabric has been realized on looms usually used for weaving this type of article, applying a multiple (double) weave of 10 threads superimposed in the warp and 2 wefts superimposed in the weft as shown in FIG. 3 with ligature in lowered.

[0109] The resulting fabric has a warp reduction of 70 threads/cm5% and a weft reduction of 62 threads/cm5%, a weight of 600 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 1.1 mm and shown an abrasion resistance according to EN 13595>4 seconds (level 1).

[0110] The fabric is elasticized, machine washable, breathable, completely recyclable, can be dyed and printed in any color, you can make it waterproof, windproof, fireproof etc.

Example 4Protective Fabric

[0111] Warp Yarn

[0112] 68 filaments of Polyamide (PA) HT 220 dtex arranged in a spiral around an elastomer (EA) of 78 dtex

[0113] 91% Polyamide (PA) HT 220 dtex+9% elastomer (EA) 78 dtex Final titer 250 dtex

[0114] Weft Yarn

[0115] 96 filaments of Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex arranged in a spiral (330 twists per meter, TPM) around an elastomer (EA) of 78 dtex

[0116] 94% Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex+6% elastomer (EA) 78 dtex Final titer 580 dtex

[0117] The fabric has been made on looms usually used for the weaving of this type of articles, applying a multiple weave of 2 superimposed threads in the weft and 10 superimposed threads in the warp as shown in FIG. 4 with ligature in up.

[0118] The resulting fabric has a warp reduction of 65 threads/cm5% and a weft reduction of 65 threads/cm5%, a weight of 600 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 1.00 mm and demonstrated an abrasion resistance in accordance with EN 13595<4 seconds.

[0119] The fabric is elasticized, machine washable, breathable, completely recyclable, can be dyed and printed in any color, you can make it waterproof, windproof, fireproof etc.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Test results according to EN 13595-1: 2002 for the fabrics of the invention according to examples 1-4 EN 13595-1: 2002 (Protective Clothing For Ex.1 Professional Motorcyclists) Zone (COMP) Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 5.4 (Resistance to impact 1&2 8.2 5.4 4.1 3.5 abrasion after 5 washes) 3 8.2 5.4 4.1 3.5 (s) 4 8.2 5.4 4.1 3.5 5.5 (Resistance to impact 1&2 18.2 24.8 25 n.d. cut after 5 washes) 3 13.3 16.5 20 n.d. (mm) 4 13.3 16.5 20 n.d. 5.6 (Resistance to impact 1&2 >1200 >1200 >1200 n.d. burst after 5 washes) 3 >1200 >1200 >1200 n.d. (Kpa) 4 >1200 >1200 >1200 n.d.

Example 5Coupled Fabric

[0120] Upper Fabric

[0121] The upper fabric is constituted by a protective fabric according to the invention, in particular coupled protective fabrics have been realized in which the upper fabric is constituted by the fabric according to examples 1 and 4.

[0122] Lower Fabric

[0123] Yarn A of Warp and Weft

[0124] 96 filaments of Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex arranged in a spiral (330 twists per meter, TPM) around an elastomer (EA) of 78 dtex

[0125] 94% Polyester (PL) HT 550 dtex+6% elastomer (EA) 78 dtex

[0126] Final titer 580 dtex

[0127] Yarn B of Warp and Weft

[0128] 130 filaments of UHMWPE (Dyneema)/Polyamide (PA) arranged in a spiral around an elastomer (EA) of 78 dtex

[0129] 44% UHMWPE+48% PA+8% EA

[0130] Final titer 450 dtex

[0131] The lower fabric has been made on looms usually used for weaving this type of articles, applying a simple canvas weave and inserting the yarns A and B to design 1A-1B as shown in FIG. 2.

[0132] The resulting lower fabric has a warp reduction of 22 threads/cm and a weft reduction of 22 threads/cm, a weight of 300 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 0.40 mm.

[0133] Coupling

[0134] The upper fabric is purged in width, operation carried out with water and addition of possible detergent soaps, at a temperature of 90 C., to eliminate all impurities present in the fabric and favor the re-entry and closure of the fibers, that in this case can be very high thanks to the preferred presence of the elastomer both in the weft and in the warp, about 25% in both directions, after washing it is dried with a passageway in ramosa at a temperature of 165 C., speed of 25 m/min, then always in ramosa it is thermofixed at a temperature of 180 C., a speed of 25 m/min, to give permanent stability for all subsequent procedures (coupling, dyeing, printing, finishing, industrial washing or domestic washing, etc.); after thermofixing, proceed with the equalization, a roll-up operation with application of steam, to homogenize the surface and allow the fabric to recover soft, hardened and strain hardened by the thermofixing.

[0135] The lower fabric is purged in width exactly as described above for the upper fabric, but the drying and thermofixing phase is carried out in tumbler, the industrial equivalent of the domestic dryer, which works at temperatures below 100 C., but with a important mechanical action given by the centrifuge basket, which determines the maximum re-entry of the fibers, to obtain the same results in terms of dimensional stability of the ramosa. For this fabric tumbler drying is required when the Dyneema fiber (UHMWPE) is present inside the fabric, because above 110 C. it starts to soften and then melts, completely losing the characteristics that make it one of the fibers more resistant to abrasion, cut and tear on the market. This operation is more expensive and lengthy compared to the thermofixing in ramosa, reason why, if not required for technical reasons, it is preferably avoided. Once the 2 tissues have been prepared as described above, we can proceed with reactive polyurethane (PUR) coupling by point using an amount of PUR equal to 30-50 g/m.sup.2.

[0136] This operation is carried out on cold, on a machine where the thermoplastic PUR is melted from the pressing plate heated to about 115 C. (accessory external to the machine) and pushed by a pump to the micro-perforated cylinder for application on the fabrics, immediately after the application of the glue, the 2 coupled fabrics are crushed by a calender that applies a pressure of about 2.5 tons and immediately rolled up to form a large roll, which remains stationary to cross-link in a heated environment where the temperature must never fall below 15 C. (limit temperature that crystallizes the PUR making it ineffective), the cross-linking time depends on the external temperature, at 20 C. 24 h of cross-linking is enough (the minimum time below which it cannot be lowered), below the 20 C. the cross-linking time proportionally lengthens with decreasing temperature.

[0137] The resulting coupled fabric has, in the case of coupling with upper fabric as ex. 4, a weight of less than 1000 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of less than 1.5 mm and has demonstrated an abrasion resistance according to EN 13595 Standard>16 seconds.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Test results according to EN 13595-1: 2002 coupled fabrics realized with upper fabric as in ex. 1 and 4 EN 13595-1: 2002 (Protective Clothing For Coupled Coupled Professional Motorcyclists) Zone es. 1 es. 4 5.4 (Resistance to impact 1&2 12 16.6 abrasion after 5 washes) 3 12 16.6 (s) 4 12 16.6 5.5 (Resistance to impact 1&2 12.3 19.3 cut after 5 washes) 3 6 11.5 (mm) 4 6 11.5 5.6 (Resistance to impact 1&2 >1200 >1200 burst after 5 washes) 3 >1200 >1200 (Kpa) 4 >1200 >1200

[0138] The fabric is elasticized, machine washable, breathable, completely recyclable, can be dyed and printed in any color, you can make it waterproof, windproof, fireproof etc.