ARC FLASH PROTECTION GLOVE

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arc flash protection glove (100, 200). The glove (100, 200) comprises a fire-resistant glove liner (2), which glove liner (2) consists of a palm side (3) and a back side (4), which palm side (3) comprises palm side finger portions (3A), a palm side center portion (3B) and a palm side cuff portion (3C), which backside (4) comprises backside finger portions (4A), a backside center portion (4B) and a backside cuff portion (4C). The glove liner (2) is provided with a fire-resistant coating comprising a fire-resistant material, the fire-resistant coating comprises: a backside coating portion (5B) having an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 and being arranged on the backside center portion (4B), and a palm side coating portion (5A) arranged on the palm side (3) of the glove liner (2), wherein the palm side coating portion (5A) covers at least 90% of said palm side finger portions (3A) and at least 90% of said palm side center portion (3B), wherein an average coating weight of said backside coating portion (5B) is within the range of 5-80% of an average coating weight of the palm side coating portion (5A). A heat protection glove (100, 200) and a method for manufacturing an arc flash protection (100, 200) glove or a heat protection glove (100, 200) are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A heat and/or arc flash protection glove comprising a fire-resistant glove liner, which glove liner consists of a palm side and a backside, which palm side comprises palm side finger portions, a palm side center portion and a palm side cuff portion, which backside comprises backside finger portions, a backside center portion and a backside cuff portion, which glove liner is provided with a fire-resistant coating comprising a fire-resistant material, said fire-resistant coating comprises: a backside coating portion having an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 and being arranged on the backside center portion, and a palm side coating portion arranged on the palm side of said glove liner, wherein said palm side coating portion covers at least 90% of said palm side finger portions and at least 90% of said palm side center portion, wherein an average coating weight of said backside coating portion is within the range of 5-80% of an average coating weight of said palm side coating portion.

2. (canceled)

3. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the composition of the fire-resistant material of the backside coating portion and the composition of the fire-resistant material of the palm side coating portion optionally is the same.

4. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the backside coating portion is fully or partly composed of a different fire-resistant material compared to the palm side coating portion.

5. The glove according to claim 1, wherein said back side coating portion is arranged as a continuous or discontinuous layer, optionally comprising a dot pattern.

6. The glove according to claim 1, comprising a first coating arranged on at least said palm side coating portion, which first coating has a total coating weight within the range of 5-20 g/glove of size 10; and comprising a second coating arranged on at least said backside coating portion, which second coating has a total coating weight within the range of 1-8 g/glove of size 10.

7. The glove according to claim 1, comprising a first coating arranged on at least said palm side coating portion, which first coating has a total coating weight within the range of 3.3-25 g; and comprising a second coating arranged on at least said backside coating portion, which second coating has a total coating weight within the range of 0.66-10 g.

8. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the fire-resistant material comprises polymers selected from the group consisting of silicon, polyvinylchloride and chloroprene, or a mixture thereof.

9. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the fire-resistant material comprises chloroprene.

10. The glove according to claim 8, wherein the fire-resistant material comprises 10-90 wt % chloroprene, or 20-80 wt % chloroprene, or 30-70 wt % chloroprene, or 40-60 wt % chloroprene.

11. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the fire-resistant coating further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of: pigments, fillers, softeners, surface active agents, accelerators, crosslinkers and vulcanizers, or mixtures thereof.

12. The glove according to claim 1, wherein the glove liner is formed of a fire-resistant material selected from the group consisting of: para-aramid, meta-aramid, modacrylic, cotton, wool, polyamide and polyester.

13. A method for manufacturing an arc flash protection or fire-resistant glove comprising the steps of: providing a fire-resistant glove liner, which glove liner consists of a palm side and a backside, which palm side comprises palm side finger portions, a palm side center portion and a palm side cuff portion, which backside comprises backside finger portions, a backside center portion and a backside cuff portion; providing a fire-resistant coating to said glove liner by: providing a backside coating portion having an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 on said backside center portion; and providing a palm side coating portion on said palm side, wherein said palm side coating portion covers at least 90% of said palm side finger portions and at least 90% of said palm side center portion; wherein an average coating weight of said backside coating portion is within the range of 5-80% of an average coating weight of said palm side coating portion.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the steps of: providing at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said backside center portion, providing at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said palm side, and wherein said step of providing a backside coating on said backside center portion further comprises providing at least one layer of said at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said backside center portion to said backside center portion, wherein said step of providing a palm side coating on said palm side further comprises providing at least one layer of said at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said palm side to said palm side, and wherein said fire-resistant coating composition for said palm side and said fire-resistant coating composition for said backside is optionally different.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said step of providing a backside coating portion further comprises providing a plurality of layers of said fire-resistant material composition on top of each other, and said step of providing a palm side coating portion comprises providing a plurality of layers of said palm coating composition on top of each other, wherein a predetermined number of said plurality of layers of said back side coating portion and a predetermined number of said plurality of layers of said palm side coating portion are provided simultaneously, e.g. by means of dipping or spray coating; and optionally the total number of layers of said palm side coating portion provided to said palm side is larger than total number of layers of said backside coating portion provided to said backside center portion.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the step of providing said backside coating portion and/or said palm side coating portion is performed by a method comprising dipping, spraying, brushing or screen-printing, or a combination thereof.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the step of providing said backside coating portion comprises providing a discontinuous coating by means of spraying or screen-printing said at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said backside center portion.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises a step of drying of the coating composition to yield a fire-resistant coating material.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises a step of vulcanization of the coating composition on the glove liner, wherein the vulcanization temperature is within the range of 80-140 C., or 85-135 C., or 90-130 C.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0067] These and other variants of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, wherein:

[0068] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a palm side and a backside of a glove liner.

[0069] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a palm side and a backside glove according to the first aspect, second aspect or third aspect of the present invention comprising a continuous backside coating.

[0070] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a glove according to the first aspect, second aspect or third aspect of the present invention comprising a discontinuous backside coating comprising a dot pattern.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0071] In the following detailed description, some embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, it is to be understood that features of the different embodiments are exchangeable between the embodiments and may be combined in different ways, unless anything is specifically indicated. Even though in the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well known constructions or functions are not described in detail, so as not to obscure the present invention.

[0072] In FIG. 1, a fire-resistant glove liner 2 is depicted. The fire-resistant glove liner 2 may be formed of a fire-resistant material selected from the group consisting of: para-aramid, meta-aramid, modacrylic, cotton, wool, polyamide and polyester, or any combination thereof. The fire-resistant glove liner 2 consists of a palm side 3 and a backside 4. The palm side 3 comprises palm side finger portions 3A, a palm side center portion 3B and a palm side cuff portion 3C. The backside 4 comprises backside finger portions 4A, a backside center portion 4B and a backside cuff portion 4C. This glove liner comprises five finger portions. In FIG. 1, the respective portions are delimited with lines.

[0073] In FIG. 2, an arc flash and/or heat protection glove 100 is shown. The glove 100 is shown in both a palm side view (left hand side) and backside view (right hand side). The glove 100 comprises a fire-resistant glove liner 2, as seen in FIG. 1. The glove liner is provided with a fire-resistant coating 5 comprising a fire-resistant material. A fire-resistant material may comprise polymers selected from the group consisting of silicon, polyvinylchloride and chloroprene, or a mixture thereof. For example, the fire-resistant material may comprise 10-90 wt % chloroprene, or 20-80 wt % chloroprene, or 30-70 wt % chloroprene, or 40-60 wt % chloroprene.

[0074] A fire-resistant coating 5 may further comprise an additive selected from the group consisting of: pigments, fillers, softeners, surface active agents, accelerators, crosslinkers and vulcanizers, or mixtures thereof. The additive and the fire-resistant material may be provided in a fire-resistant coating composition, optionally together with a solvent.

[0075] According to one example the fire-resistant composition comprises Chloropren and 5 pph (part per hundred) of ZnO. According to a alternative example the fire-resistant composition comprises PVC, which is thermally treated together with 60 pph of a softener such as DINCH (1,2-Cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid diisononyl ester).

[0076] The fire-resistant coating 5 comprises a palm side coating portion 5A. The palm side coating portion 5A is arranged on the palm side 3 of the glove liner 2. Here, the palm side coating portion 5A covers at least 90% of the palm side finger portions 4A and at least 90% of the palm side center portion 4B. Alternatively, the palm side coating portion 5A may cover at least 95% of the palm side finger portions 4A and at least 95% of the palm side center portion 4B. Alternatively, the palm side coating portion 5A may fully cover the palm side 3 finger portions 4A and the palm side center portion 4B.

[0077] The fire-resistant coating 5 further comprises a backside coating portion 5B. The backside coating portion 5B is arranged on the backside center portion 4B. The backside coating portion 5B is arranged on at least 4 cm.sup.2 of the backside center portion 4B. As is seen in FIG. 2, the backside 4 is provided with at least at least 4 cm.sup.2 of a backside coating portion 5B, as indicated by the dashed square on the backside coating portion 5B. For reference, a corresponding square is shown on the palm side. Alternatively, the backside coating portion 5B may have an area of at least 5 cm.sup.2, or at least 6 cm.sup.2, or at least 7 cm.sup.2, or at least 8 cm.sup.2. The backside coating portion 5B is deposited as at least one layer that is thinner and/or has a different material composition than the palm side coating portion 5A. In FIG. 1, the backside coating portion 5B is arranged as a continuous layer of an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 on the backside center portion 4B. Here, the continuous layer of the backside coating portion 5B is arranged on the entire area of the backside center portion 4B. Furthermore, the backside coating portion 5B is arranged on at least 80% of the backside finger portions 4A.

[0078] The glove 100 was e.g. manufactured by providing a first coating to the glove liner (not shown), subsequently providing a second coating, e.g. by a palm dip such that the palm side finger portions 3A and the palm side center portion 3B is fully covered by the second coating. Furthermore, the second coating was, e.g. during the palm dip, provided to a portion of the backside finger portions 4A. The glove 100 was e.g. subsequently provided with a third coating on the backside center portion, fully covering the backside center portion, and on a portion of the backside finger portions 4A.

[0079] The composition of the fire-resistant material of the backside coating portion 5B and the composition of the fire-resistant material of the palm side coating portion 5A may be the same. Alternatively, the backside coating portion 5B is fully or partly composed of a different fire-resistant material compared to the palm side coating portion 5A. Hereby, the backside coating portion 5B and the palm side coating portion 5A may have substantially different properties. For example, the palm side coating portion 5A may have a higher fire-resistance than the backside coating portion 5B, or vice versa. As another example, the backside coating portion 5B may be composed of a lighter fire-resistant material compared to the palm side coating portion 5A. The palm side coating portion 5A may e.g. comprise a first layer of a first material, and the backside coating portion 5B may comprise a first layer of the first material, wherein the palm side coating portion 5A or the backside coating portion 5B comprise a second layer of a second material.

[0080] The average coating weight of the backside coating portion 5B is within the range of 5-80% of the average coating weight of the palm side coating portion 5A. The darker coating present i.a. on the palm side coating portion may have a total coating weight within the range of 5-20 g/glove of size 10. The brighter coating present i.a. on the backside coating portion may have a total coating weight in the range of 1-8 g/glove of size 10. This is scaleable to gloves of other sizes as explained above.

[0081] FIG. 3 depicts an arc flash and/or heat protection glove 200 where the backside coating portion 5B is arranged as a discontinuous layer. The glove 200 is shown in both a palm side view (left hand side) and backside view (right hand side). The discontinuous layer is arranged on an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 on the backside center portion 4B. Here, the discontinuous backside coating portion 5B comprises a dot pattern. Here, the dots 6 comprised in the dot pattern are depicted as being distributed in a uniform manner over the backside center portion 4B, such that any dot 6 has the same separation distance to any closest neighbor of the dot 6. The dot pattern may e.g. comprise dots 6 that are 1-3 mm in diameter, with a separation distance of 1-3 mm. Alternatively, the dots 6 comprised in the dot pattern may be non-uniform in size. Furthermore, the dots 6 comprised in the dot pattern may be non-uniform in separation distance, such that some dots 6 are arranged closer to any closest neighbor as compared to other dots 6. For example, the dot pattern may comprise dots that are alternating in size, such that half the dots are larger than the other half. For example, half the dots may be 3-6 mm in diameter while the other half may be 1-3 mm in diameter.

[0082] The gloves 100 and 200 in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be manufactured by the same method. A method for manufacturing an arc flash protection or fire-resistant glove is provided according to the fourth aspect of the present invention. First, a fire-resistant glove liner 2 is provided. The glove liner 2 consists of a palm side 3 and a backside 4, which backside 4 comprises backside finger portions 4A, a backside center portion 4B and a backside cuff portion 4C.

[0083] A fire-resistant coating 5 is subsequently provided to the glove liner 2. The fire-resistant coating 5 is applied by providing a backside coating portion 5B having an area of at least 4 cm.sup.2 on the backside center portion 4B, and providing a palm side coating portion 5A on the palm side 3, wherein the palm side coating portion 5A covers at least 90% of the palm side 3. The backside coating portion 5B may be arranged in a continuous layer, as is shown in FIG. 2 and discussed in relation to said figure above, or in a discontinuous layer, as is shown in FIG. 3 and discussed in relation to said figure above.

[0084] An average coating weight, after the palm side coating portion 5A and the backside coating portion 5B have been applied, of the backside coating portion 5B is within the range of 5-80% of an average coating weight of the palm side coating portion 5A. An average coating weight of said backside coating portion is alternatively within the range of 10-70%, or 15-60%, or 20-55%, or 25-50% of an average coating weight of said palm side coating portion. An estimation of the coating weight may be made: by cutting a 4 cm.sup.2 piece of the backside center portion 4B and a 4 cm.sup.2 piece of e.g. the palm side center portion, weigh the separate pieces, divide the respective weights with 4 cm.sup.2 each and calculate the ratio therebetween. A more thorough way of measuring the coating weight is subtracting the dry weight of the glove liner 2 before the step of providing fire-resistant coating 5 from the dry weight of the coated glove liner 2.

[0085] Optionally, the method may comprise providing at least one fire-resistant coating composition for the backside center portion 4B, and providing at least one fire-resistant coating composition for said palm side 3. The step of providing a backside coating on said backside center portion 4B may thus further comprise providing at least one layer of the at least one fire-resistant coating composition for the backside center portion 4B to the backside center portion 4B. Correspondingly, the step of providing a palm side coating 5A on the palm side 3 further comprises providing at least one layer of the at least one fire-resistant coating composition for the palm side 3 to the palm side 3. The backside center portion 4B and the palm side 3 may be provided with a different number of layers.

[0086] Furthermore, any layer applied to the palm side 3 may be thicker or thinner than any layer applied to the backside center portion 4B, or vice versa.

[0087] The step of providing a backside coating 5B may further comprise providing a plurality of layers of the fire-resistant material composition on top of each other. Furthermore, the step of providing a palm side coating portion 5A comprises providing a plurality of layers of the palm coating composition on top of each other. A predetermined number of the plurality of layers of the backside coating 5B and a predetermined number of the plurality of layers of the palm side coating 5A may be provided simultaneously. Optionally, the total number of layers of the palm side coating 5A provided to the palm side 3 is larger than total number of layers of the backside coating 5B provided to the backside center portion 4B.

[0088] Furthermore, the fire-resistant coating composition for the palm side 3 and the fire-resistant coating composition for the backside 4 may be different. As such, the compositions may comprise different fire-resistant materials, and/or different additives, leading the coating compositions to provide different properties to the sides to which they are applied. For example, the backside center portion 4B may be provided with a first layer of a first composition, and the palm side 3 may be provided with a first layer of the first composition, whereafter the palm side coating portion 5A or the backside coating portion 5B may be provided with a layer of a second composition.

[0089] Providing the backside coating 5B and/or said palm side coating 5A may be performed by a method comprising dipping, spraying, brushing or screen-printing, or a combination thereof. For example, the glove liner 2 may first be subjected to dipping. The glove liner 2 may e.g. be subjected to three-quarter dipping. Alternatively, the glove liner 2 may be subjected to a palm dip, knuckle dip, finger dip, half-dip, or full dip, or a combination thereof. For example, the glove liner 2 may be subjected to dipping such that a palm side coating portion 5A is applied. Subsequently, the glove liner 2 may be subjected to spraying, brushing or screen-printing such that a backside coating portion 5B is applied.

[0090] The step of providing the backside coating may comprise providing a discontinuous coating. The step of providing a discontinuous coating may be performed by means of spraying or screen-printing the at least one fire-resistant coating composition for the backside center portion 4B on the backside center portion 4B. The discontinuous coating may be provided by use of a template through which the coating material passes before being deposited on the backside center portion 4B.

[0091] In some embodiments, the glove liner 2 may be mounted on a mould. By mounting the glove liner 2 on a mould, it is for some coating methods easier to coat the liner 2. A flat mould may be used. The flat mould may have a non rectangular transection measured across the finger. The flat mould may e.g. be a flat mould as disclosed in the registered design RCD-007571237. Alternatively, the glove liner 2 may be mounted on a hand shaped mould, such as an aluminum mould.

[0092] The glove liner 2 may optionally be washed in water. The glove liner 2 may be washed in water on the mould, alternatively off the mould before being mounted on the mould. During washing, the glove liner is dipped into water, ethanol or methanol with dissolved electrolytes such as CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2 or similar.

[0093] The coating composition or coating compositions may, after having been applied to the glove liner 2, be subjected to drying of the coating composition to yield a fire-resistant coating material. The step of drying may comprise application of heat through convection, radiation or conduction, or a combination thereof. The step of drying may be performed with in an oven.

[0094] The coating composition may be subjected to two steps of drying. For example, the coating composition may be pre-dried after it has been provided to the glove liner 2. After pre-drying, the composition is washed by dipping the coated glove liner into water, ethanol or methanol with dissolved electrolytes such as CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2. After washing, the coated glove liner 2 may be subjected to final drying.

[0095] The coating glove liner 2 may also be subjected to salt texturing or a second dip in a coagulant in order to stabilize the coating.

[0096] A step of vulcanization of the coating composition on the glove liner 2 may optionally be employed. The vulcanization temperature may be within the range of 80-140 C., or 85-135 C., or 90-130 C.

[0097] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the variants described above. The features of the described variants may be combined in different ways, and many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word comprising does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed in the claim. The word a or an preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.