Yarn, textile material, and garment comprising the same

Abstract

A yarn comprises: (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber; and (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers. A textile material, such as a fabric, comprises a plurality of these yarns. A garment, such as a shirt or a pant, comprises such a textile material. A method for protecting an individual from infrared radiation that can be generated during an arc flash utilizes such a textile material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A yarn comprising:
 (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber, wherein the flame retardant compound is a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound produced by reacting (i) a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, a condensate of a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, or a mixture thereof and (ii) a cross-linking agent; and   (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.   
     
     
         2 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers and the para-aramid fibers are staple fibers and are intimately blended in the yarn. 
     
     
         3 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers have a wet tenacity of about 20 cN/tex or more. 
     
     
         4 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers are selected from the group consisting of rayon fibers, lyocell fibers, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers are lyocell fibers. 
     
     
         6 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers comprise about 65% to about 85% by weight of the yarns. 
     
     
         7 . The yarn of  claim 1 , wherein the para-aramid fibers comprise about 15% to about 25% by weight of the yarn. 
     
     
         8 . A textile material comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising:
 (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber, wherein the flame retardant compound is a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound produced by reacting (i) a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, a condensate of a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, or a mixture thereof and (ii) a cross-linking agent; and   (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.   
     
     
         9 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers and the para-aramid fibers are staple fibers and are intimately blended in the yarns. 
     
     
         10 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers have a wet tenacity of about 20 cN/tex or more. 
     
     
         11 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers are selected from the group consisting of rayon fibers, lyocell fibers, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers are lyocell fibers. 
     
     
         13 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the regenerated cellulose fibers comprise about 65% to about 85% by weight of the yarns. 
     
     
         14 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the para-aramid fibers comprise about 15% to about 25% by weight of the yarns. 
     
     
         15 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the additional synthetic fibers comprise about 0.1% to about 30% by weight of the yarns and wherein the synthetic fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyamide fibers, polyester fibers, meta-aramid fibers, modacrylic fibers, polyoxadiazole fibers, acrylic fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The textile material of  claim 15 , wherein the additional synthetic fibers comprise about 0.1% to about 30% by weight of the yarns. 
     
     
         17 . The textile material of  claim 8 , wherein the textile material has a weight of about 135 g/m 2  to about 305 g/m 2 . 
     
     
         18 . A garment comprising one or more fabric panels, at least one of the fabric panels comprising the yarn of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         19 . A method for protecting an individual from infrared radiation that can be generated during an arc flash, the method comprising the step of positioning a textile material between an individual and an apparatus capable of producing an arc flash, the textile material comprising a plurality of yarns, the yarns comprising:
 (a) about 45% to about 85% by weight of regenerated cellulose fibers, the regenerated cellulose fibers having a dry tenacity of about 27 cN/tex or more, the regenerated cellulose fibers comprising a flame retardant compound within the fiber, wherein the flame retardant compound is a phosphorous-containing flame retardant compound produced by reacting (i) a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, a condensate of a tetrahydroxymethyl phosphonium salt, or a mixture thereof and (ii) a cross-linking agent; and   (b) about 5% to about 25% by weight of para-aramid fibers.