Two-piece female swimsuit for competition swimming

Abstract

A female two-piece swimsuit (1) with a lower halfsuit (3) forming a tubular first trunk portion (5) having an upper slip-in aperture (6) and two tubular thigh portions (8) joining each other in a first crotch portion (9), and with an upper halfsuit (2) forming a second tubular trunk portion (11) having two leg apertures (12), a second crotch portion (13) extending between the two lower leg apertures (12), a neck opening (14) opposite the second crotch portion (13) and two lateral shoulder openings (15), wherein the upper halfsuit (2) is slipped over the lower halfsuit (3) so that the thigh portions (8) of the lower halfsuit portion (3) extend through the lower leg apertures (12) of the upper halfsuit (2) on the outside of the upper halfsuit (2) and, in an overlap region (15), the second trunk portion (11) externally wraps the first trunk portion (5) and the second crotch portion (13) externally wraps the first crotch portion (9), wherein the upper and lower halfsuits (2, 3) are in slidable contact to each other in said overlap region (15).

1 . A female two-piece swimsuit comprising an upper halfsuit and a lower halfsuit separate from the upper halfsuit and adapted to be combined together to make the swimsuit,
 the lower halfsuit comprising a first shell made of a flexible stretchable fabric and forming:
 a tubular first trunk portion intended to cover a lower region of the torso of the swimmer and having an upper slip-in aperture and a lower end opposite the slip-in aperture, 
 two tubular thigh portions intended to cover each an upper region of a respective thigh of the swimmer and extending from the lower end of the first trunk portion and joining each other in a first crotch portion extending between the thigh portions from an anterior side of the first trunk portion to a rear side of the first trunk portion, 
   the upper halfsuit comprising a second shell made of a flexible stretchable fabric and forming:
 a second tubular trunk portion intended to cover a region of the torso and the chest of the swimmer and having two lower leg apertures intended for the swimmers' legs to extend therethrough, 
 a second crotch portion extending between the two lower leg apertures from an anterior side of the second trunk portion to a rear side of the second trunk portion, 
 one neck opening on an upper side of the upper halfsuit opposite the second crotch portion and intended for a swimmer's neck to extend therethrough, and 
 two lateral shoulder openings formed on two opposite sides with respect to the neck opening and intended for the swimmers' shoulders to extend therethrough, 
   wherein the upper halfsuit is slipped over the lower halfsuit so that the thigh portions of the lower halfsuit portion extend through the lower leg apertures of the upper halfsuit on the outside of the upper halfsuit and, in an overlap region, the second trunk portion externally wraps the first trunk portion and the second crotch portion externally wraps the first crotch portion, wherein the upper and lower halfsuits are in slidable contact to each other in said overlap region.   
     
     
         2 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 1 , wherein a sliding interface between the upper and lower halfsuits in the overlap region decouple displacements and stretch deformations of the upper halfsuit from displacements and stretch deformations of the lower halfsuit. 
     
     
         3 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 1 , wherein in the overlap region the upper halfsuit the second shell has a stretch stiffness lower than a stretch stiffness of the first shell. 
     
     
         4 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 3 , wherein the second shell has, throughout its entire extension, a stretch stiffness lower than a stretch stiffness of the first shell. 
     
     
         5 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 4 , wherein in the overlap region both the upper halfsuit and the lower halfsuit have each a single layer fabric and form together a combined double layer shell with a sliding interface between the two single layer fabrics. 
     
     
         6 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 5 , wherein the first shell has carbon fibers woven into the fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 6 , wherein the first shell an anisotropic stretch stiffness and in at least one direction a non-linear tensile stress-strain curve with a base strain range in which the tensile strain of the fabric is smaller than a transition strain value, and an overstrain range in which the tensile strain of the fabric is greater than the transition strain value, wherein a tensile modulus of the fabric in the overstrain range is greater than a tensile modulus of the fabric in the base strain range. 
     
     
         8 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 6 , wherein the second shell has a weight per unit area less than a weight per unit area of the first shell. 
     
     
         9 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 8 , wherein the second shell has carbon fibers woven into the fabric, and wherein a carbon fibre content of the second shell is lower than a carbon fibre content of the first shell. 
     
     
         10 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 9 , wherein in the first and second shells a weft direction of the fabric is oriented in a circumferential direction of the first trunk portion and of the second trunk portion and of the thigh portions and a warp direction of the fabric is oriented in a longitudinal direction of the first trunk portion and second trunk portion and of the thigh portions,
 wherein at least one of the first and second shells comprises a greater amount of directional carbon fibre reinforcement in said weft direction than in said warp direction.   
     
     
         11 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 10 , wherein along the leg apertures the second trunk portion is tapered towards the second crotch portion with an angle of convergence selected in the group consisting of:
 less than 120°,   less than 90°,   from 60° to 75°,   
       thereby forming a triangular anterior sliding overlap area and a triangular rear sliding overlap area between the upper and lower halfsuits. 
     
     
         12 . A method of using the female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 1 , comprising the steps:
 selecting the lower halfsuit in accordance with lower body properties of the female swimmer,   selecting the upper halfsuit in accordance with upper body properties of the female swimmer,   putting on the lower halfsuit alone by slipping the swimmers' legs into the upper slip-in aperture and through the thigh portions of the lower halfsuit,   after putting on the lower halfsuit putting on the upper halfsuit by pulling the upper halfsuit over the lower halfsuit and slipping the swimmers' arms through the shoulder apertures and having the swimmers' neck extending through the neck aperture,   during swimming, bending the swimmers' body in a lower torso region thereof to make the upper halfsuit slide with respect to the lower halfsuit in the overlap region.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , comprising assembling the swimsuit from two separate parts with a sliding interface overlap and a sliding interface between the second trunk portion and the first trunk portion and the first and second crotch portions which decouple the displacements and stretch deformations of the upper and lower halfsuits by creating a multiple DOF sliding hinge. 
     
     
         14 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 1 , wherein the swimsuit is assembled from two separate parts with a sliding interface overlap and which can be put on in two separate steps. 
     
     
         15 . The female two-piece swimsuit according to  claim 1 , having a sliding interface between the second trunk portion and the first trunk portion and the first and second crotch portions which decouple the displacements and stretch deformations of the upper and lower halfsuits by creating a multiple DOF sliding hinge.