2. Description of the Related Art Clothing to protect a wearer from the environment is a generally well established art.

There have been known, since earliest times, the use of clothing to protect the wearer from the effects of cold, of insects, from the sun and, more recently, especially in the worlcplace, from contaminating the environment, such as in clean rooms and other areas where contact of the human skin with the environment is undesirable.

There is also known the protection of the skin of the wearer against toxic agents, such as chemicals, e. g., acids, bases, common solvents, etc., which could cause injury to the skin and other deleterious effects to the health of the workers in such fields. It is to this latter field where the invention is primarily directed, though it is to be understood that it is with the scope of the invention to apply this invention to any form of protective clothing which a wearer may don.

Summary of the Invention Protective clothing, especially elastic, chemical resistant, snug fit, protective gloves are formed of a multilayer construction so as to provide not only protection of the skin of the wearer from the environment, but also to maintain flexibility in the protective garment such that tactile senses are not obliterated.

A process for making such protective clothing, especially by a dipping or coating process of various liquid layers on a form or mandrel is also disclosed.

Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of protective clothing according to the invention in the form of a protective glove.

Fig. 2 is a cross section along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 illustrating, in schematic representation, the layered construction of the protective clothing.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments The protective clothing according to the invention can be represented by the protective glove 10 of Fig. 1. However, it should be expressly understood that although the following description is made with regard to the protective glove, it also applies to other protective clothing such as a jacket, pants, jumpsuit, hoods, shoes, leggings, gaiters and waders and other such clothing.

As shown in Fig. 1, the protective glove 10 is formed on a form or mandrel 12 and, thus, is a thin, stretch fit glove. Forming can take place by sequentially dipping form 12 into one or more baths (not shown) of liquid to form all, or a portion, of each layer 20,21 and, optionally, 22 which will be described in more detail in connection with Fig. 2.

The purpose of the sequential dipping is primarily to form at least two layers of disparate chemical composition. For example, according to the invention, layer 20 is formed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) by dipping form 12 into a bath of PVOH, removing the form 12 with a layer of PVOH thereon and dipping it into a coagulating or gelling agent, such as boric acid or borate (zinc, calcium or barium) borate solutions. It should be understood that the forming of layer 20 can be achieved by a single dipping and coagulation or by repeating the dipping and coagulation a number of times until the desired thickness is attained. Multi-dipping is preferred insofar as it assures that there will be no pin holes or other channels through layer 20 as might occur by a single dipping. Because PVOH can only form a solution in low concentration with water, multiple dippings are preferred. Additionally, multiple dips permit the build-up of any desired thickness, a a single dipping does not permit formation of a thick layer. However, in some circumstances, it is acceptable to form layer 20 from a single dip process.

A plasticizer is preferably added to the PVOH bath. Suitable plasticizers include glycerine, glycols, sugars and starches. The concentration of plasticizer is an amount sufficient to reduce the PVOH layer with greater than 300% tensile elongation (ASTM). In some circumstances, it is desirable to add a pre-coagulant/stabilizer to the PVOH bath, such as boric acid.

Subsequent to the forming of layer 20, a coagulant is applied before an outmost layer 21 can be formed which layer 21 has highly resistant properties to the environment in which glove 10 is to be used.

We have found that latex rubbers, especially nitrile, neoprene, chloroprene, butyl or bromobutyl rubbers are best for outmost layer 21. Carboxylated nitrile is preferred. A caustic solution is suitable for use as a coagulant for the latex rubber. Sodum hydroxide (NaOH) is suitable for use with the carboxylated nitrile layer. This outmost layer 21 can also be formed by dipping mandrel or form 12 into a liquid bath of the latex rubber followed by coagulation of the same. As with layer 20, the layer 21 can be formed by a single dipping, though multiple dips are preferred.

On occasion, it is desirable to also provide an interior layer 22 which can be formed or molded mandrel or form 12 by dipping it into a liquid bath, followed by coagulation, before the formation of layer 20. As with layers 20,21 the dipping to form layer 22 may be a single or multiple dips into the liquid bath.

Layer 22 can be formed of any suitable material which is not irritative to the skin of the wearer, and we have found many suitable materials including the same materials which form layer 21.

As an alterative embodiment to the dipping described in the formation of glove 10, the protective clothing can also be formed by spraying a mandrel or form 12 with the liquids which form and/or cause coagulation of the various layers. It is also within the scope of the invention to combine the dipping and spraying steps, e. g., dipping the PVOH and spraying the coagulant, or vice versa.

The composite layers can be cured on the form by applying heat to dry and cure the coating, prior to stripping the glove 10 from form 12.

According to the invention, we are able to provide seamless, elastic, snug fit gloves which are also chemical resistant to common solvents, acidic and basic solutions or other aqueous irritants.