Burlington Industries, Inc.

Jack Leach

Delbert A Davis

Jeffrey W Bruner

Herbert J Woods

Resin impregnated graphite materials used in the aerospace industry, such as to make wing, and empennage and fuselage panels, are constructed in such a way that there is a lower labor content, the probability of delamination is greatly reduced, and there is less chance for damage of the components since there is less handling during construction. A fabric is woven having a thickness in the range of about 0.25-1.0 inches. The fabric preferably has two face and two back warp ends, a plurality of stuffer warp ends between the face and back, and binder warp ends interconnecting the face and back warp ends. The binder warp ends are preferably aramid, and the other warp ends preferably graphite. Pure carbon fiber inclusions may be provided in the interior of the fabric, and even in the face and back, and are connected up to a source of electricity to heat the fabric from within to produce a uniform resin flow. One or more layers of the fabric are impregnated with resin and formed into a desired shape by placing one or more layers into a die, bending around a radius to form a curved portion without wrinkling, folding, or pleating of the fabric of the layers, and then the fabric is further treated. Further treatment includes heating and curing, heating being effected both from the exterior and from the interior due to the pure carbon fiber inclusions.

Multiple, thick graphite fabric production

Fiber reinforced plastic products are produced in such a way that there is uniform resin dispersion throughout the product. Fabric is woven on a loom, and the reed dents of the loom are varied from the center to the edges of the fabric so that when the strain in the wrap and weft yarns is released once the fabric is removed from the loom, the fabric has uniform porosity. After removal of the fabric from the loom it is impregnated with a resin, such as epoxy, phenolic, or polyester resins, dried, formed into a desired product shape (as by molding), and the resin is cured. The loom reed utilized to produce the fabric has parallel frame portions with parallel reed wires extending between the frame portions with the dent size larger at edge sections of the reed than at intermediate sections, and with the dent size at intermediate sections larger than the dent size at a central section.

Controlling fabric porosity

A geotextile fabric, method of manufacture and method of use, are provided. The composite geotextile fabric has a first group of uncrimped synthetic weft threads, a second group of uncrimped synthetic warp threads not interlaced with the first group, and a knit yarn stitch bonding the warp and weft threads loosely together. A nonwoven filtration fabric may also be included. The composite geotextile fabric may have a controlled extensibility, which preferably is equal to or less than the two to four percent extensibility of asphalt paving, making the fabric suitable for use in repairing cracked road surfaces and the like.

Geotextile fabric construction

A large water and air impervious textile panel suitable for use as a pond liner, tarpaulin, or the like, is constructed from a plurality of smaller panels. Each small panel comprises a weft inserted warp knit fabric having reinforcing substrate strips disposed at the selvedge edges thereof, and the strips spaced from each other along the width of the fabric. The small panels are chemically finished by first applying an adhesive system such as an isocyanate, and then a thermoset or thermoplastic polymer coating. The selvedge edges are prepared for attachment to each other by buffing and then applying an adhesive cement. The buffing does not extend along the width of each small panel any further than the width of the selvedge reinforcing substrate strip. Adjacent selvedge edges of the small panels are overlapped, and then attached to each other with the cement adhesive. Alternatively the overlapped small panel edges may be ultrasonically or thermally bonded to each other. The selvedge reinforcing substrate strips provide, irrespective of the manner of attachment of the small panels together, a greater resistance to tear, and longer life, for the large textile panel produced. Also such strips facilitate the chemical finishing of the small panels.

Weft inserted warp knit construction

A material suitable for fabricating chemical warfare protective garments comprises at least one layer of an activated woven carbon fabric plus a body-side high absorbency rayon layer interposed between said at least one woven carbon fabric layer and the wearer's body. An innermost body-side layer of a ribbed fabric such as corduroy underlays the carbon and rayon layers to channel vapor away from the material. Chemical warfare protective garments having extended use life can be fabricated from this material.

Sorbent internally ribbed carbon-containing material and protective

A bullet resistant vest is provided from a plurality of layers of double woven cloth of loosely-woven aramid fiber with nylon film or nylon fabric interposed between some of the layers of aramid fiber double woven cloth, bar tacking being provided for loosely maintaining the layers of double woven cloth and nylon film or fabric together so that shape and flexibility are maintained while not holding the aramid fiber too tightly. The cloth sheets in each layer of double woven cloth of aramid fiber are connected together at predetermined spaced intervals by selected yarns passing from one cloth sheet to the other. A plurality of densely woven material layers may be provided to maintain the vest configuration and prevent collapse over long periods of time, and the entire vest may be sealed in a water-tight envelope.

Ballistic vests

A process is described for avoiding static charge buildup in handling textile fibers which normally develop such buildup. The process involves blending a minor amount of conductive metallic fiber, e.g. copper fiber, with the textile fiber prior to yarn formation. Spun yarns and fabrics made from these blends are also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Greensboro, NC, United States of America

Jack Leach