Lightweight Fabrics for Resistance from High-Velocity Projectiles

Abstract

A ripstop fabric made with ribs consisting of one or more continuous multi-filament yarns of made of para-aramid or UHMWPE is designed to protect from blast debris in buried blast events is described. The ribs or other supports can be made, for example, from a single multi-filament yarn or a pair of continuous filament yarns. The ribs may be woven and spaced at regular intervals with intervening staple body yarns in a woven ripstop fabric. The ripstop fabric may include an array of continuous filament yarns and staple yarns. The ripstop fabric may be used alone or may be integrated with one or more layers of backing fabric to form a garment that is lightweight, flexible, unbulky, and cost-effective and able to resist tearing and/or other damage from blast debris.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric comprising:
 staple body yarns; and   reinforcing ribs comprising continuous multi-filament yarns, wherein the reinforcing ribs are spaced at regular intervals along weft and warp directions of the reinforced flame-resistant fabric.   
     
     
         2 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the continuous multi-filament yarns comprise para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         3 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 2 , wherein the continuous multi-filament yarns comprise para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in the range of two hundred to eight hundred Denier yarns, most preferably in the range of about four hundred to six hundred Denier yarns. 
     
     
         4 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 1 , wherein each reinforcing rib comprises one continuous multi-filament yarn. 
     
     
         5 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 1 , wherein each reinforcing rib comprises a pair of adjacent continuous multi-filament yarns. 
     
     
         6 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the staple yarns are configured as body yarns between the reinforcing ribs of the reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 6 , comprising nineteen staple yarns between each reinforcing rib in the warp direction and ten staple yarns between each reinforcing rib in the weft direction. 
     
     
         8 . The reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric of  claim 6 , comprising ten staple yarns between each reinforcing rib in the warp direction and five staple yarns between each reinforcing rib in the weft direction. 
     
     
         9 . A clothing item comprising:
 a flame-resistant ripstop fabric comprising:
 staple yarns; and 
 reinforcing ripstop ribs comprising continuous multi-filament yarns, wherein the reinforcing ripstop ribs are spaced at regular intervals along weft and warp directions of the reinforced flame-resistant fabric. 
   
     
     
         10 . The clothing item  claim 9 , wherein the continuous multi-filament yarn comprises para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         11 . The clothing item of  claim 9 , wherein each of the reinforcing ribs comprises one continuous multi-filament yarn. 
     
     
         12 . The clothing item of  claim 9 , wherein each of the reinforcing ribs comprises a pair of adjacent continuous multi-filament yarns. 
     
     
         13 . The clothing item of  claim 9 , wherein the staple yarns are configured as body yarns between the reinforcing ribs of the reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric. 
     
     
         14 . The clothing item of  claim 13 , wherein the first plurality of staple yarns comprises nineteen staple yarns and the second plurality of staple yarns comprises ten staple yarns. 
     
     
         15 . The clothing item of  claim 13 , wherein the first plurality of staple yarns comprises ten staple yarns and the second plurality of staple yarns comprises five staple yarns. 
     
     
         16 . A clothing item comprising:
 a reinforced flame-resistant ripstop fabric comprising:
 staple yarns; 
 reinforcing ribs comprising continuous multi-filament yarns, wherein the reinforcing ribs are spaced at regular intervals along weft and warp directions of the reinforced flame-resistant fabric; and 
 a backing layer of fabric attached to the reinforced flame-resistant fabric. 
   
     
     
         17 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein the backing layer of fabric is a woven, knit, or non-woven fabric. 
     
     
         18 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein the backing layer of fabric comprises para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). 
     
     
         19 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein the ripstop fabric and secondary layer of fabric are attached together via sewing or stitching. 
     
     
         20 . The clothing item  claim 16 , wherein the continuous multi-filament yarn comprises para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         21 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein each of the reinforcing ribs comprises one continuous multi-filament yarn. 
     
     
         22 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein each of the reinforcing ribs comprises a pair of adjacent continuous multi-filament yarns. 
     
     
         23 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of staple yarns comprises nineteen staple yarns and the second plurality of staple yarns comprises ten staple yarns. 
     
     
         24 . The clothing item of  claim 16 , wherein the first plurality of staple yarns comprises ten staple yarns and the second plurality of staple yarns comprises five staple yarns.