DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to fabric/garment/apparel that provide protection against the molten metal splashes and also a method of manufacturing such fabrics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Working conditions in metal industry are adverse due to high temperature environment. Welders and metal industry personnel get exposed to such environment and to molten metal splashes. Due to high temperature environment, body generates more heat and moisture. The melting temperature of the iron and its associate alloys is above 1200°C, and the splashing of such metals on the clothing can cause a rapid increase in the temperature of the fabric, that may cause harm to the wearer. Therefore, protective clothing against molten iron splashes is a necessary requirement for such personnel that works in adverse conditions.
The higher temperature and physical exertion at which such personnel work may thicken the blood, which can lead to harmful clots. Heavy weight fabrics are generally used in welding and metal industries operations. These fabrics are stiff having gsm ranging from 350 to 600. Such heavy weight fabrics obstruct the working of the personnel as well as are not much comfortable and breathable. Hence, a lighter weight fabric is desirable.
There are three performance levels classified for the protection of personnel against the molten iron metal splashes (E). The lowest resistance is characterised by E1 while the highest resistance is characterised by E3. In current state of art, the flame retardant cotton fabric with 450 gsm i.e., with higher gsm generally passes E3 while a flame retardant cotton fabric with 290 gsm generally passes E1. Thus, to satisfy the criteria E3, the fabric needs to have more weight i.e., 450 gsm.
Hence, there exists a need for flame protective fabric/garment/apparel that can provide better protection (E3) against molten iron metal splashes at a lower gsm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a molten metal protective fabric. The fabric comprises cotton fibres from about 50% to about 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric; regenerated cellulosic fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric; vinylon fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric; polyester fibres from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric; para-aramid fibres from about 5% to about 10 % by weight of the total weight of the fabric; and elastane fibre from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the total weight of the fabric. The fabric has a yarn count from about 14s to 20s Ne. The fabric is woven with textiles weaves includes plain, twill, dobby.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a molten protective fabric. In first step, the fabric having abovementioned composition is woven. In the next step, the protruding fibres are burnt through a gas singeing machine. In the next step, the de-sizing of fabric is carried out by removing sized material incorporated before weaving. In the next step, the desized fabric is washed. In the next step, the washed fabric undergoes bleaching to whiten the fabric and to remove the colour impurities from the fabric. In the next step, mercerisation of the bleached fabric is carried out to increase the dye uptake. In the next step, the mercerised fabric undergoes heat setting to provide dimensional stability to the fabric. In the next step, the fabric is dyed. In the next step the dyed fabric undergoes chemical finishing followed by a final finishing to provide permanent dimensions. In the last step, a flame retardant protective garments are prepared. The step of desizing includes oxidative desizing of the fabric. The step of dyeing includes dyeing the fabric with a vat dye using a pad dry pad steam, the padding of the fabric by the dye is followed by reduction and oxidation of the dye to impart the resultant shade. The step of finishing includes phosphonium salt and urea finish to the fabric. The fabric weighs = 200 gsm and < 300 gsm satisfying E3 test in accordance with EN ISO 9185: 2007 standard even after 100 washes and having MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate) > 2000 gm/m2/day in accordance with ASTM E-96-05.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, for purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these details.
One skilled in the art will recognize that various implementations of the present disclosure, some of which are described below, may be incorporated into a number of systems.
Further, structures and devices shown in the figures are illustrative of exemplary implementations of the present disclosure and are meant to avoid obscuring the present disclosure.
The present invention provides a fabric and/or flame-retardant protective garment/apparel that protects personnel against heat and flame. In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for the manufacturing of such fabric/garment/apparel. The protective wear protects against molten iron splashes are lighter and satisfy the level of category 3 (E3) without compromising on breathability and comfort. The protective wear protects against molten iron splashes of E3 level of category even after 50 and 100 washes. This also ensures the durability and functionality of the E3 protective wear.
In an embodiment, the fabric for a flame retardant personal protective wear includes cotton fibres from about 50% to about 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric; regenerated cellulosic fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, vinylon fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, polyester fibres from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, para-aramid fibres from about 5% to about 10 % by weight of the total weight of the fabric. Additionally, the flame retardant protective wear may also comprise elastane fibre from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the total weight of the fabric. However, it is understood that the weight % of the materials/ingredients may vary in alternative embodiments of the present invention.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the weight of the fabric is about 250 gsm to about 300 gsm and yarn count is from about 14s to 20s Ne. The fabric consists of a twill weave.
The presence of cotton fibre, regenerated cellulosic fibre, and vinylon fibre provides breathability and comfort to the fabric. The presence of para-aramid fibre, from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total fabric weight, provides higher tensile strength to the fabric. The presence of elastane fibre, from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the total fabric weight, provides stretchability to the garment. The wearer can function effectively due to the stretch incorporated in the garment. The vat-dyed fabric will also provide better fastness properties.
The present invention further provides a method for manufacturing the fabric for flame retardant protective garment/apparel. The manufacturing steps comprise of spinning, weaving, wet processing, and garmenting.
In the process of spinning, yarn formation occurs from fibres. According to the end requirement, different types of polymers are blended to provide various properties. The blend consists of cotton fibres from about 50% to about 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, regenerated cellulosic fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, vinylon fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, polyester fibres from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric, para-aramid fibres from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric. Additionally, the flame retardant protective wear may also comprise elastane fibre from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the total weight of the fabric.
In the weaving process, the first step is the warping of yarns where warp sheets are prepared for processing at the loom. Sizing is done after warping to enhance the weavability. Starch, lubricants, and softeners are the ingredients used in sizing paste. Twill weave is subsequently formed on the air-jet loom after interlacement of warp and weft yarns.
Wet processing includes the following steps: singeing, desizing, washing, bleaching, mercerisation, heat-set, vat dyeing, and final finishing. In first step, the protruding fibres are burnt through a gas singeing machine. In the next step, the sized material incorporated before weaving is removed by the desizing step. In the next step, oxidative desizing is followed by washing. In next step, the bleaching of fabric is carried out to whiten the fabric and to remove the colour impurities from the fabric. In the next step, mercerisation is carried out to increase the dye uptake. In this step, heat setting of the mercerised fabric is done to provide dimensional stability to the fabric. In the next step, the fabric is dyed. In an embodiment, the fabric is dyed with vat dye using a pad dry pad steam. The padding of the fabric by the dye is followed by reduction and oxidation of the dye to impart the resultant shade. In the next step, the chemical finishing of the dyed fabric is done using various finishes that include phosphonium salts and urea finish to the fabric. In the last step, the fabric undergoes final finishing to provide permanent dimensions. The finished fabric is then used for preparing the flame retardant protective garments.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the fabric has a yarn count from about 14s to 20s Ne. The fabric is woven with textiles weaves includes plain, twill, dobby etc. In an exemplary of the present invention, the fabric is woven with twill weave having weight ranges from 250 to 300 GSM. The fabric is breathable and comfortable in nature. The protective fabric/garment/apparel is air permeable as well as moisture vapour permeable. The protective fabric/garment/apparel may reduce the perspiration and provide greater comfort to a user for longer period of time. The protective fabric has a MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate) of more than 2000 gm/m2/day when tested pursuant to ASTM E-96-05. The present invention satisfies the requirement of fabric for fire protective clothing so that heat can be dissipated easily. Further, the fabric is lighter.

Example 1:
The fabric for providing protection against molten iron metal was manufactured. The fabric had 60% cotton fibres by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 15% regenerated cellulosic fibres by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 15% vinylon fibres by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 5% polyester by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 4% para-aramid by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 1% elastane by weight of the total weight of the fabric. The fabric was woven to twill weave at 260 gsm which is lighter. Thus, the fabric having lower gsm passed E3 level of EN ISO 9185: 2007. The protective wear protects against molten iron splashes of E3 level of category even after 50 to 100 washes. This also ensures the durability and functionality of the E3 protective wear.
Performance testing of the fabric was done. The results are presented in Table 1.
Table 1: Results of performance test done on the fabric.
EN ISO 11612:2008- Test results for example 1
Clause Test Method Requirement and Performance levels Results Pass
Heat Resistance (at 180° C) ISO 17493: 2016 Should not ignite, melt or shrink > 5% Did not ignite or melt,
Shrinkage
Warp = 0.2%
Weft = 0.5% Pass
Tensile Strength EN ISO 13934-1:2013 Class 1 & Class 2: Min of 300 N in the warp and weft direction Warp: 1153 N
Weft: 530 N Class 1 & Class 2
Tear Strength EN ISO 13937-2:2000 Class 1 & Class 2: Min of 10 N in the warp and weft direction Warp: 29 N
Weft: 35 N Class 1 & Class 2
Dimensional Change EN ISO 5077: 2008 Class 1 & Class 2: Max ± 3% Warp: -2%
Weft: -2% Pass
Limited Flame spread EN ISO 15025: 2016 (Procedure A and B) No specimen must ignite towards the top or towards the edge
No specimen should give hole formation of 5 mm or greater in any direction
No specimen shall give flaming or molten debris
After flame time = 2 sec
After glow time = 2 sec No flaming to the top or side edge
No hole formation
No flaming or molten debris
No after flame
No after glow Class 1 & Class 2
Convective Heat (Code Letter B) ISO 9151: 2016 Level HTI24
B1 = 4 sec
B2 = 10 sec
B3 = 20 sec Specimen HTI24
1 6.6
2 6.8
3 7.0
Average 6.8 Level B1
Radiant Heat (Code Letter C) EN ISO 6942: 2002 Level HTI24
C1 = 7 sec
C2 = 20 sec
C3 = 50 sec
C4 = 95 sec Specimen HTI24
1 15.3
2 15
3 15.1
Average 15.1 Level C1
Molten Iron Splash (Code Letter E) EN ISO 9185: 2007 Level Fe
E1 = 60 g
E2 = 120 g
E3 = 200 g Spec. g Skin stimulant
1 202 Undamaged
2 202 Undamaged
3 202 Undamaged
4 202 Undamaged Level E3
Contact Heat (Code Letter F) EN ISO 12127-1: 2015 (TC = 260° C) Level t1
F1 = 5 sec
F2 = 10 sec
F3 = 15 sec Specimen t1
1 7.88
2 7.78
3 7.72
Average 7.8 Level F1

Example 2:
The fabric for providing protection against molten iron metal was manufactured with the procedure as claimed. The fabric had 75% cotton fibres by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 14% vinylon fibres by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 6% polyester by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 4% para-aramid by weight of the total weight of the fabric, 1% elastane by weight of the total weight of the fabric. The fabric was woven to twill weave at 260 gsm. The fabricwas lighter because of lower gsm.
Performance testing of the fabric was done whose results are presented in Table 2.
Table 2: Results of performance test done on the fabric.
EN ISO 11612:2008- Test results for example 2
Clause Test Method Requirement and Performance levels Results Pass
Heat Resistance (at 180° C) ISO 17493: 2016 Shall not ignite, melt or shrink > 5% Did not ignite or melt,
Shrinkage
Warp = - 0.7%
Weft = - 0.7% Pass
Tensile Strength EN ISO 13934-1:2013 Class 1 & Class 2: Min of 300 N in the warp and weft direction Warp: 1100 N
Weft: 510 N Class 1 & Class 2
Tear Strength EN ISO 13937-2:2000 Class 1 & Class 2: Min of 10 N in the warp and weft direction Warp: 27 N
Weft: 30 N Class 1 & Class 2
Dimensional Change EN ISO 5077: 2008 Class 1 & Class 2: Max ± 3% Warp: -2%
Weft: -2% Pass
Limited Flame spread EN ISO 15025: 2016 (Procedure A and B) No specimen must ignite towards the top or towards the edge
No specimen shall give hole formation of 5 mm or greater in any direction
No specimen shall give flaming or molten debris
After flame time = 2 sec
After glow time = 2 sec No flaming to the top or side edge
No hole formation
No flaming or molten debris
No after flame
No after glow Class 1 & Class 2
Convective Heat (Code Letter B) ISO 9151: 2016 Level HTI24
B1 = 4 sec
B2 = 10 sec
B3 = 20 sec Specimen HTI24
1 7.4
2 7.5
3 7.5
Average 7.5 Level B1
Radiant Heat (Code Letter C) EN ISO 6942: 2002 Level HTI24
C1 = 7 sec
C2 = 20 sec
C3 = 50 sec
C4 = 95 sec Specimen HTI24
1 15.5
2 15.1
3 14.8
Average 15.1 Level C1
Molten Iron Splash (Code Letter E) EN ISO 9185: 2007 Level Fe
E1 = 60 g
E2 = 120 g
E3 = 200 g Spec. g Skin stimulant
1 202 Undamaged
2 202 Undamaged
3 202 Undamaged
4 202 Undamaged Level E3
Contact Heat (Code Letter F) EN ISO 12127-1: 2015 (TC = 260° C) Level t1
F1 = 5 sec
F2 = 10 sec
F3 = 15 sec Specimen t1
1 1 7.93
2 2 8.14
3 3 8.09
Average 8.1 Level F1

Example 3:
The fabric of example 1 or 2 providing protection against molten iron metal was also tested for Molten iron metal splash test as per EN ISO 9185:2007 standard after 50 and 100 washes. 50 and 100 washing was carried out as per industrial laundering according to EN ISO 15797 standard and confirmed that the fabric passed E3 test.
Performance testing of the fabric after 50 and 100 washes was done whose results are presented in Table 3.
Table 3: Results of performance test done on the fabric after 50 and 100 washes.
EN ISO 11612:2008- Test results for example 3
Clause Test Method Requirement and Performance levels Results Pass
Molten Iron Splash (Code Letter E)- After 50 washes EN ISO 9185: 2007 Level Fe
E1 = 60 g
E2 = 120 g
E3 = 200 g Spec. g Skin stimulant
1 203 Undamaged
2 214 Undamaged
3 216 Undamaged
4 217 Undamaged Level E3
Molten Iron Splash (Code Letter E)- After 100 washes EN ISO 9185: 2007 Level Fe
E1 = 60 g
E2 = 120 g
E3 = 200 g Spec. g Skin stimulant
1 219 Undamaged
2 220 Undamaged
3 223 Undamaged
4 224 Undamaged Level E3

The foregoing description of the invention has been set merely to illustrate the invention and is not intended to be limiting. Since modifications of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to person skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the disclosure.
,CLAIMS:
1. A molten metal protective fabric, the fabric comprising:
cotton fibres from about 50% to about 60% by weight of the total weight of the fabric;
regenerated cellulosic fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric;
vinylon fibres from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the total weight of the fabric;
polyester fibres from about 5% to about 10% by weight of the total weight of the fabric;
para-aramid fibres from about 5% to about 10 % by weight of the total weight of the fabric; and
elastane fibre from about 0.5% to about 2% by weight of the total weight of the fabric;
the fabric weighs = 200 gsm and < 300 gsm satisfying E3 test in accordance with EN ISO 9185: 2007 standard even after 100 washes and having MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate) > 2000 gm/m2/day in accordance with ASTM E-96-05.
2. The fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fabric has a yarn count from about 14s to 20s Ne.
3. The fabric as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein the fabric is woven with textiles weaves includes plain, twill, dobby.
4. A garment manufactured by the fabric as claimed in claims 1-3, the fabric weighs = 200 gsm and < 300 gsm satisfying E3 test in accordance with EN ISO 9185: 2007 standard and has MVTR > 2000 gm/m2/day when tested pursuant to ASTM E-96-05.
5. A method for manufacturing a molten metal protective fabric, the method comprising the steps of:
weaving the fabric having composition as claimed in claim 1;
burning the protruding fibres through a gas singeing machine;
desizing the fabric by removing sized material incorporated before weaving;
washing the desized fabric;
bleaching the washed fabric to whiten the fabric and to remove the colour impurities from the fabric;
mercerisation the bleached fabric to increase the dye uptake;
heat setting the mercerised fabric to provide dimensional stability to the fabric;
dyeing the fabric; and
chemical finishing of the dyed fabric followed by a final finishing a flame retardant molten metal protective fabric that weighs = 200 gsm and < 300 gsm satisfying E3 test in accordance with EN ISO 9185: 2007 standard even after 100 washes and having MVTR (Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate) > 2000 gm/m2/day when tested pursuant to ASTM E-96-05.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of desizing includes oxidative desizing of the fabric.
7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of dyeing includes dyeing the fabric with a vat dye using a pad dry pad steam, the padding of the fabric by the dye is followed by reduction and oxidation of the dye to impart the resultant shade.
8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of finishing includes phosphonium salt and urea finish to the fabric.
9. A garment manufactured by the fabric prepared by the method as claimed in claims 5-8, the fabric weighs = 200 gsm and < 300 gsm satisfying E3 test in accordance with EN ISO 9185: 2007 standard even after 100 washes and has MVTR > 2000 gm/m2/day when tested pursuant to ASTM E-96-05.