Cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant protective fabric and lightweight shaped knit garment made therefrom having improved appearance and cut resistance

Abstract

A cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant shaped knit garment having both high cut resistance and preferably light fabric weight, a cut resistance of at least 4, preferably at least 5 (as measured by ASTM-F1790-97) and preferably a fabric weight of no more than 27.9 ounces/square yard (OPSY).

1 . A shaped knit garment, comprising:
 one or more fabric panels prepared from at least one cut, slash and/or abrasion resistant composite yarn, wherein the composite yarn comprises a core yarn and one or more wrapped yarn layers, wherein when more than one wrap layer is present, each wrap layer is wrapped in a direction opposite any adjacent wrap layer, wherein the shaped knit garment has a cut resistance of at least 5 (as measured by ASTM-F1790-97).   
     
     
         2 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric weight is no more than 27.9 OPSY. 
     
     
         3 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein the core yarn is a high performance yarn. 
     
     
         4 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 3 , wherein the core yarn is a member selected from the group consisting of aramid yarns, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene yarns, and fiberglass. 
     
     
         5 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 3 , wherein the core yarn is a single end of the high performance yarn. 
     
     
         6 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 3 , wherein the core yarn is a plurality of ends of the high performance yarn. 
     
     
         7 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 3 , wherein the core yarn has been coated with a polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         8 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 7 , wherein the core yarn has been formed by coating individual fibers with the polyurethane coating, and combining the coated fibers into a single end. 
     
     
         9 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 7 , wherein the core yarn has been formed by coating individual fibers with the polyurethane coating, and combining the coated fibers into a plurality of ends. 
     
     
         10 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 7 , wherein the core yarn comprises a single end, and the end is coated with the polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         11 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 7 , wherein the core yarn comprises a plurality of ends, and each of the plurality of ends is coated with the polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         12 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein the garment is a member selected from the group consisting of shirts, socks, sweaters, jackets, vests, undergarments, pants, jumpsuits, dickeys, and head coverings. 
     
     
         13 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein the shaped knit garment is a sweater or jacket. 
     
     
         14 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 13 , wherein the garment is a jacket having a zipper from neck to waist. 
     
     
         15 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 14 , wherein the zipper is on a front portion of the jacket. 
     
     
         16 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 14 , wherein the zipper is on a back portion of the jacket. 
     
     
         17 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein each of the core and wrap layers are dyed. 
     
     
         18 . The shaped knit garment of  claim 1 , wherein each of the wrap layers is wrapped at from 7 to 32 turns per inch (tpi). 
     
     
         19 . A composite yarn comprising:
 a core yarn and one or more wrapped yarn layers, wherein when more than one wrap layer is present, each wrap layer is wrapped in a direction opposite any adjacent wrap layer, wherein the composite yarn has a cut resistance of at least 5 (as measured by ASTM-F1790-97).   
     
     
         20 . The composite yarn of  claim 19 , wherein the core yarn is a high performance yarn. 
     
     
         21 . The composite yarn of  claim 19 , wherein the core yarn is a member selected from the group consisting of aramid yarns, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene yarns, and fiberglass. 
     
     
         22 . The composite yarn of  claim 20 , wherein the core yarn is a single end of the high performance yarn. 
     
     
         23 . The composite yarn of  claim 20 , wherein the core yarn is a plurality of ends of the high performance yarn. 
     
     
         24 . The composite yarn of  claim 19 , wherein the core yarn has been coated with a polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         25 . The composite yarn of  claim 24 , wherein the core yarn has been formed by coating individual fibers with the polyurethane coating, and combining the coated fibers into a single end. 
     
     
         26 . The composite yarn of  claim 24 , wherein the core yarn has been formed by coating individual fibers with the polyurethane coating, and combining the coated fibers into a plurality of ends. 
     
     
         27 . The composite yarn of  claim 24 , wherein the core yarn comprises a single end, and the end is coated with the polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         28 . The composite yarn of  claim 24 , wherein the core yarn comprises a plurality of ends, and each of the plurality of ends is coated with the polyurethane coating. 
     
     
         29 . The composite yarn of  claim 19 , wherein each of the core and wrap layers are dyed. 
     
     
         30 . The composite yarn of  claim 19 , wherein each of the wrap layers is wrapped at from 7 to 32 turns per inch (tpi).