A heat-resistant aromatic polyamide fiber is described. The outer surface of the shell is coated with a fire-resistant elastomer and liner. Generally conforming and secured to the shell and disposed inwardly of the shell, the liner is made of a felt fabric of temperature-resistant aromatic polymide fiber

Arons, I. J.

Sidman, K. R.

Tschirch, R. P.

English

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I s s u e  D a t e  
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i n v e n t i o n  o f . .  . .'I 
25th Anniversarv 
1958-1983 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19840020415 2020-03-22T10:09:50+00:00Z
ed States Patent [19] 11 11 .4,454,611 
[45] Jun. 19, 1984 
[54] HEAT RESISTANT PROTECTIVE HAND 
COVERING 
[75] Inventors: Richard P. Tschirch, Westwood; 
Kenneth R. Sidman, Wayland; Irving 
J. Arom, Peabody, all of Mass. 
[73] Assignee: The United States of America as 
represented by the United States 
National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration, Washington, D.C. 
[21] Appl. No.: 393,586 
[22] Filed: Jun. 30,1982 
1511 Int. (3.3 ............................................. A41D 19/00 
[52] U.S. Cl. ....................................... 2/161 R; 2/164; 
2/167 
[58] Field of Search ................... 2/170, 162, 158, 164, 
2/167, 161 R, 243, 2.5, 16, 20 
1561 References Cited 
US. PATENT DOCUMENTS 
2,327,625 EA943 Dickson .............................. 2/161 R 
2,988,457 6/1961 Gatcomb ............................ 2/167 X 
2,999,764 9/1961 Rhoads ............................... 2/167 X 
3,026,531 3/1962 Holaday .................................. 2/167 
3,787,897 1/1974 Sabin et al. ......................... 2/167 X 
4,004,295 1/1977 Bymes. Sr. ......................... 2/161 R 
4,302,851 12/1981 Adair ...................................... 2/167 
Primary Examiner-Werner H. Schroeder 
Assistant Examiner-Tracy Graveline 
Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edward K. Fein; John R. 
Manning; Marvin F. Matthews 
1571 ABSTRACT 
A heat-resistant, protective glove having a shell made 
of a fabric of a temperature-resistant aromatic polyam- 
ide fiber, the outer surface of the shell being coated with 
a fire-resistant elastomer and a liner, generally conform- 
ing and secured to the shell and disposed inwardly of 
the shell, the liner being made of a felt fabric of a tem- 
perature-resistant aromatic polyamide fiber. 
9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 
I - 24i 
U.S. Patent Jun. 19; 1984 
... 26 
* r .  ... .. . .  \ 
\ 34 .. 
4,454,6 1 1 
12 
FIG. 2 
30 
FIG. 3 
2 
4,454,611 
1 
outer layer is made of woven Kevlar ‘fibers, the main 
outer layer also having a lining made of a layer of wool 
While the prior art discussed above has, to some 
5 extent, overcome some of the difficulties in providing 
effective, protective hand apparel for fire fighters and 
the like, the need to constantly improve such apparel is 
readily apparent. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to 
provide protective hand apparel such as mitts or gloves 
which are heat and flame-resistant and which are resis- 
tant to cutting and puncturing. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide 
protective hand apparel made of a coated fabric which 
affords comfort and dexterity to the wearer while pro- 
viding protection against heat, flames, cuts and punc- 
The above and other objects of the present invention 
will become apparent from the drawings, the descrip- 
tion given herein and the appended claims. 
The heat-resistant, protective glove of the present 
invention is comprised of a shell having an inner surface 
cuts, lacerations* and 25 and an outer surface, the shell generally defining a palm 
countered in all structural fires. whether ature-resistant polyamide fiber. The outer surface of the 
HEAT RESISTANT P R O T E m E  HAND 
COVERING knit fabric. 
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION 
The invention described herein was made in the per- 
formance of work under a NASA contract and is sub- 
ject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
(72 Stat 435,42 U.S.C. 2457). 10 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to protective hand cov- 
erings such as gloves, mitts and the like and, more par- 
ticularly, to gloves that provide improved levels of 
protection against cutting, puncturing or burning of the 
hands of the wearer. 
around furnaces Or Shdar industrial installation are 2o 
necessarily exposed to handling hot objects Or direct 
exPosure to flame Or a high degree of heat Which can 
quickly cause severe burns- In Particular, fire fighters 
are continually exposed to a variety of hazards Capable 
Of causing substantial 
Fireman, foundry workers, workers who work tures. 
Punctures result from contacts with broken g h  sharp 
metal and Plastic objects, nail and wood en- 
from radiant thermal hot Objects Or Open flame, 
can @2Cur in fue’ In 
exposed to and hazardous liquids while fight- 
side, a backside and an opening for insertion of the 
wearer’s hand. The shell is made of a fabric of a temper- 
shell is coated with a flame-resistant elastomer. The 
be 30 glove also has a liner which overlies the inner surfaw of 
the shell and which generally conform to and is se- 
fire fighters 
ing All Of these hazards are Often Ob- 
scured by poor lighting or smoke and, therefore, be- 
come even more dangerous. 
cured to the shell, the liner being made of a felt fabric of 
a temperature-resistant aromatic polyamide fiber. In the 
Hazardous conditions ~e compounded by debris, 35 most preferred embodiment, the glove also includes a 
encircling relation to the opening in the shell for inser- 
tion Of the wearer’s hand- 
soot, and water or other extinguishing agents that nor- generally hlhllar Or wrist which has One 
mally cover and permeate everything at and adjacent to end secured, as by sewing, to the shell and in generally 
a rue scene, including the fue fighters. Consequently, 
discomfort can be severe, adding to both fire fisrhter’s 
stress and reduced alertness. Th&e conditions Gntrib- 40 
Ute to fue fighters’ susceptibility to injury by fire-scene 
hazards. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
FIG. 1 is a front, elevational view of a protective 
Accordingly, suitable protective garments, including 
gloves, are absolutely necessary to protect the fie 
fighter from severe injury in the p e r f o ~ ~ ~  of 
duty. Such gloves must be fue and heat-resistant, resis- 
tant to and punctures and not adversely affect 
comfort and dexterity. 
glove constructed in accordance with the Present in- 
vention. 
FIG. 2 is a fragmental sectional view, on an enlarged 
scale, taken on the lines 2-2 Of’FIG- 1. 
FIG. 3 is a fragmental sectional view, on an enlarged 
scale, taken on the l ies  3-3 of FIG. 1. 
45 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED 
EMBODIMENT 
1,730,763,2,304,137,2,650,365,3,883,898,4,004,295 and 
4,302~85 1 all dklose various types of hat ,  flame and- The term “glove,” as used herein, is intended to mean 
/or cut and puncture resistant gloves made of various a conventional glove, a mitt, a mitten or any similar 
materials. type wearing apparel for the hand. Thus, the present 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,730,763 to Gerding discloses a protec- 55 invention is directed not only to gloves provided with 
tive glove for use against f ie  comprising an outer layer individual fingerstalls and a thumbstall but also hand 
of woven or knitted asbestos fabric and an inner layer apparel of the type wherein there are no individual 
made of various materials such as cotton, wool, leather fingerstalls but a thumbstall or wherein there are neither 
or any woven or knitted fabric having more cohesive- fingerstalls nor a thumbstall. 
ness or tensile strength than asbestos. Referring fust to FIG. 1, the glove G is seen to have 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,137 to Peakes discloses a protec- the usual fingmtalls 12, a thumbstall 14 and wrist cuff 
tive glove comprising an inner glove which is made of or wristlet 16. FIG. 1 shows the palm side of glove G, 
a layer of cotton fabric, balloon cloth or the like, coated the backside not being shown. 
with a viscous rubber layei, the inner glove being in- Referring now to FIG. 2, it can be seen that glove G 
serted into an outer wear resistant glove of any suitable 65 has a shell 18 which generally forms the desired config- 
type such as cotton fabric. uration of the glove G, including the palm side and the 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,302,851 to Adair discloses a high backside, and an opening for insertion of the wearer’s 
temperature protective mitt or glove of which the main hand, the opening being generally defined by an adjoin- 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
The prior art, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 50 
60 
elastomeric coating %.-The elastomeric coating 24, 
which generally will be from about 4 to about 5 mils in 
thickness, is preferably a neoprene elastomer, but can be 
any elastomeric material which has similar flexibility, 
and heat and flame-resistant properties as those of neo- 
prene and which therefore aid in preventing conductive 
heat penetration through glove G. 
In the preferred embodiment, the palm side of glove 
G is provided with a friction inducing surface to im- 
prove the gripping qualities. Such a surface, shown as 
26 in FIG. 1, can be provided by a roughened surface on 
coating 24, e.g. by waffling or dimpling, by incorporat- 
ing in coating 24 small particles of an insoluble material 
which will cause an irregular surface on coating 24, or 
similar such methods. 
It is also preferable that coating 24 contain a pigment- 
ing material which possesses heat reflecting qualities so 
as to provide better protection against radiant heat pen- 
etration. Accordingly, fire-resistant materials which can 
pigment the coating yellow, white or other light colors 
which tend to reflect heat are particularly desirable. 
Again referring to FIG. 2, secured to the shell 18 
inwardly thereof is a liner 28 which overlies the inner 
surface 20 of shell 18. In the preferred case, the liner 28 
comprises a felt fabric of a temperature-resistant aro- 
matic polyamide fiber, such as Kevlar. The felt fabric of 
liner 28 provides both puncture resistance and thermal 
insulation. It will be appreciated that liner 28 will gener- 
ally conform to and be secured to the shell 18 by well 
known methods such as sewing the liner 28 to shell 18 
at suitable strain locations in the glove construction. 
Reference is again made to co-pending application Se- 
rial No. 393,581, fded 6-30-82 noted above, which dis- 
closes a suitable method of construction of a glove 
having a shell such as shell 18 and a liner such as liner 
28. Although the felt fabric used in forming the liner 28 
can be of various weights per unit square area, it is 
preferred to use a Kevlar felt having a weight per unit 
square area of about 3.5 oz./sq.yd. 
Although optional, it is preferable that glove G be 
provided with the wristlet 16 which, as will be recog- 
nized, will be generally tubular in configuration, one 
end of which will be attached to glove G at seam 17 in 
generally encircling relation to the opening in glove G 
for insertion of the wearer’s hand. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, it can be seen that wristlet 
16 has an outermost layer 30 of a knitted fabric of a 
temperature-resistant aromatic polyamide fiber such as 
4,454,6 1 1 
3 4 
ing seam 17 between the body of glove G and wristlet Kevlar and an inner layer 32 of a fabric which is resis- 
16. While as shown in FIG. 2, shell 18 is of a single piece tant to strike-through or bleed of the elastomeric coat- 
construction, it will be understood that such is for pur- ing 24. Inner layer 32, since it is not generally exposed 
poses of illustration only and that shell 18 can be formed directly to flame or heat, does not have to be made from 
generally of two halves, one half forming a palm side, 5 heat-resistant fabrics such as 
the other half forming a backside, the two halves being similar material but, as noted, can be of any fabric 
joined along their peripherally extending edges by a which will prevent strike-through of the elastomeric 
suitable technique such as sewing. Such a configuration coating 24. A suitable such material is a knitted cotton 
is shown generally in co-pending application Ser. No. fabric, although other fabrics can be used as well. It is 
393,581, fded 6-30-82. Shell 18 is comprised of a fabric 10 preferred that both outermost layer 30 and inner layer 
of a temperature-resistant aromatic polyamide fiber, a 32 be of knit construction to permit and 
particularly desirable fiber being manufactured by the thereby act as a resilient seal around the wrist of the 
DuPont Company and sold under the trademark ‘‘Kev- wearer to prevent the ingress of water into the interior 
lar.” Shell 18 is also preferably comprised of a tight, of the glove G. Outermost layer 30 and h e r  layer 32 
twill weave fabric of the polyamide fiber, the twill 15 can be mured to one another and to the body of glove 
weave providing greater wear qualities than other G by suitable sewing &h&pes and it is 
forms of fabric construction such as knits, felts and the desirable to use heat and fire-resistant thread such 
like and being less susceptible to snagging. Kevlar thread in constructing the glove. 
Shell 18 has an inner surface 20 and an outer surface Secured to the inner layer 32 of wristlet 16 is a patch 
22, outer surface 22 being coated with a flame-resistant 20 34 of a felt fabric of a temperatureresistant aromatic 
polyamide fiber such as Kevlar, patch 34 being posi- 
tioned generally on the palm side of glove G (See FIG. 
1). Patch 34, being temperature resistant, provides fur- 
ther protection for the wearer’s wrists against heat, 
To demonstrate the utility of the glove of the present 
invention, it was subjected to appropriate NIOSH test 
procedures. The results are shown in the table below. 
25 puncture or cutting. 
30 TABLE 
NIOSH* Test 
Cut Resistance 
35 Puncture Resistance 
Resistance to Conductive 
Heat Penetration 
Resistance to Radiant 
Heat Penetration 
40 Resistance to Flame 
Dexterity 
NIOSH Criteria 
No surface cut @ 16 lbs 
13.2 Ibs minimum 
Not to exceed injury 
threshold temperature 
for 5 seconds 
Not to exceed injury 
threshold temperature 
for 10 minutes 
After-flame <2 sec 
Visible char < 1 in 
meter X 1.6 in long 
steel pin between 
After-glow <2 s e ~  
Pick UP 0.20 in dia- 
Pa- 
formance 
-I? 
PaSS 
25 Ibs 
>5  sec 
1-1 min 
PaSS 
PaSS 
45 thumb and each finger 
‘National Institute for Occupational Saffzty and Health 
As‘the results of the table above show, the coated 
gloves of the present invention are ideally suited for use 
50 as frre fighters’ gloves. It should also be recognized that 
the gloves are equally suited for use by other workers 
such as foundry workers and the like whose hands are 
subjected to excessive temperatures and may also come 
in contact with objects or workpieces which can punc- 
55 ture or cut the hand of the wearer. 
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the 
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous 
modifications and changes will readily occur to those 
skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention 
60 to the exact construction and operation shown and 
described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications 
and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the 
scope of the invention. 
We claim: 
1. A heat-resistant, protective glove comprising: 
a shell having an inner surface and an outer surface 
and generally defining a palm side, a backside, and 
an opening for insertion of a wearer’s hand, said 
65 
4,454,6 1 1 
5 6 ' shell being made of a fabric of a temperature-resist- 
ant aromatic polyamide fiber; 
of a flme-rakmt elastomer subsmaly 
covering the outer surface of said shell; and 
said liner overlying said inner surfpce of said shell 
and comprising a felt fabric of a temperature-resist- 
ant aromatic polyamide fiber. 
6. The glove of claim 1 including a generally tubular 
wristlet having one end secured to said shell and in 
generally encircling relation to said opening for inser- 
tion of said hand. 
7. The glove of claim 6 wherein said wristlet com- 
ature-raktant wowtic polyamide tiber, an inner layer 
of a fabric resistant to strike-through of said coating, 
said inner layer being secured to said outermost layer 
2. The glove of claim 1 wherein said poly&& fiber 10 and a patch of a felt fabric of a mwra tu re - r ean t  
aromatic polyamide fiber inwardly of and secured to 
on the palm side of said glove, 
said polyamide fiber 
a 
5 
a h e r  generally conforming and secured to said shell, pri=s an outermost layer of a ~ t M  of a temper- 
comprises Kevlar. 
elastomer comprises neoprene. 
4. The glove of claim 1 wherein said coati 
mented with a material having a heat reflecting color. 
5. The glove of claim 
liner has a weight per uni 
3. ne glove of claim 1 wherein &d flame-resismt said h e r  layers Patch bekg Positioned generally 
30 
40 
45 
50 
55 
65 


Heat resistant protective hand covering

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