TEXTILE PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a textile product. In particular, the present invention relates to a multi-layer puncture-resistant textile product. In more detail, the present invention relates to a multi-layer puncture- resistant textile product validly usable in the production of safety shoes. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

In the field of products conceived for the prevention of occupational accidents, it is known to produce clothes incorporating puncture-resistant components to prevent a user from being injured while performing his/her activity, for example as a result of placing a foot on a sharp element, or of being hit by a body, e.g. a shard or a projectile, projected at high speed against him/her. In particular, in the field of safety shoes, it is known to produce shoes whose soles comprise a multi-layer textile structure able to resist the puncture of the respective sole by sharp bodies. It is important to note that the use of textile structures instead of more resistant protective elements, e.g. metal plates, is necessary to assure flexibility to the shoe and at the same time to ensure a sufficient aeration to the user's feet. In this regard, the patent US6368989 discloses a multi-layer textile structure for safety uses comprising layers of aramid yarn woven fabric coupled to each other by means of adhesive resins. The soles manufactured with said textile structures present high flexibility, which makes the ^: shoes that incorporate them very light and comfortable; on the other hand, these soles are very expensive, with the result that they are produced in very small lots, being dedicated to the manufacture of shoes for truly critical uses, and hence

reserved for a very small number of operators. In order to reduce the cost of the shoes that incorporate these soles, the company "Lenzi Egisto S. p.A." has conceived an insole produced alternating at least 4 layers of double-faced fabric, each of which is made of polyester, as described in the patent application W02006/040679. According to the teachings of this document, to assure that the insole have adequate stiffness for safety applications, each layer of fabric presents its own surface coated with a polyurethane and/or acrylic resin enriched with micronised ceramic materials in form of silicates. While on one hand this solution does enable to overcome the cost problems linked to the use of aramid fabrics by using the more economical polyester, on the other hand it is not able fully to meet the required specifications in terms of stiffness and wear resistance, which are essential in the field of safety shoes. In particular, the ability of the multi-layer textile to resist puncture and abrasion is not uniform, but is concentrated at the interfaces provided with resins enriched with abrasive materials; therefore, once any extraneous body overcomes said resin protection, it will be able to proceed further and easily damage the subsequent layer of fabric. Furthermore, if the shoes are produced with hot-melting or thermoplastic resins, they could not be used in professional situations, in which contact with material at high temperature can be frequent, such as in equipment for teams who operate in blast furnaces or are called upon to control or extinguish fires. Therefore, in view of the above description, the problem of having available a puncture-resistant textile product with minimal thickness, high flexibility and low cost is currently solved in an unsatisfactory manner, and represents an interesting challenge for the applicant.

Furthermore, it should be considered that, typically,

a user of safety shoes, such as a miner or a mason, wears such shoes daily and for time intervals of at least 10 hours. For such users, a proper aeration within their shoes is a necessary condition to prevent the onset of typical foot skin pathologies, such as blisters, rhagades or fungi, but also serious circulatory problems in the lower limbs. In particular, in this regard, all aforementioned patent documents present solutions that are characterised by limited water vapour permeability due either to the presence of aramid fabrics, which are typically poorly transpiring, or to the presence of protective resin layers, also substantially impermeable to water vapour. In more detail, hereinafter, the term "breathability" shall indicate the ability of a fabric or of a generic textile product to be freely traversed by air and, similarly, the term "water vapour permeability" shall indicate the ability of a fabric or of a textile product to be traversed by humidity, i.e. by water vapour.

Therefore by virtue of the above description, it would be desirable to have available a sole or an insole which, in addition to being provided with puncture resistance adequate to use in safety products, presents, at the same time, high breathability and significant water vapour permeability, to assure an adequate aeration of the interior of a respective shoe.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention relates to a textile product. In particular, the present invention relates to a multi-layer puncture-resistant textile product. In more detail, the present invention relates to a multi-layer puncture- resistant textile product validly usable in the production of safety shoes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a multi-layer textile product provided with at least a layer

fabric ennobled by the use of particularly hard and/or abrasive particles, but provided with high breathability .

A further object of the present invention is to provide a textile product that allows the disadvantages described above to be solved, and which is suitable to satisfy a plurality of requirements that to date have still not been addressed, and therefore, suitable to represent a new and original source of economic interest and capable of modifying the current market of textile products for special and safety-related applications.

According to the present invention, a textile product is provided whose main characteristics are described in at least one of the appended claims.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a multi-layer puncture- resistant textile product usable for safety applications and provided with high breathability.

According to the present invention, a method is also provided for manufacturing a multi-layered puncture- resistant textile product usable for safety applications and provided with high breathability; the main characteristics of said method are described in at least one of the appended claims. The present invention further relates to uses of a multi-layer high-breathable textile product within the field of accident prevention.

A further object of the present invention is to illustrate a plurality of uses of a multi-layer high- breathable puncture-resistant textile product within the field of accident prevention. According to the present invention, a plurality of uses of a multi-layer high-breathable puncture-resistant textile product within the field of accident prevention are also described and the main characteristics of these uses are described in at least one of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the description below, set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate at least one non-limiting example of embodiment. In particular: figure 1 shows an insole manufactured with a textile product obtained according to the present invention; - figure 2 shows a side elevation view, in enlarged scale, of a construction detail of figure 1; figure 3 shows a plan view of a detail of figure

2 according to three different constructive configurations; figure 4 schematically shows a step of a method for manufacturing a textile product according to the present invention; and figure 5 shows a plurality of uses of a textile product according to figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION In figure 1, number 1 indicates, in its entirety, a textile product that is particularly suited to be used in the production of soles or insoles 41 for safety shoes.

The textile product 1 comprises at least one layer 10 made of fabric or, alternatively, of non-woven fabric or felt. Therefore, in the case of a fabric each layer 10 will comprise an orderly weave of yarn, whilst in the case of a non-woven fabric or of a felt, each layer 10 will present a plurality of textile fibres stably coupled to each other in substantially random fashion and orientation. From the terminology viewpoint, it may be worthwhile to specify that each yarn is intended as normally composed by a plurality of textile fibres, which are held together in braided fashion or in a substantially equivalent manner. Nevertheless, especially in the field of weaving synthetic

fibres, yarns comprising a single fibre, whose longitudinal extension is adequate for the intended use, are also utilised. Therefore, here and hereunder the two terms "fibre" and "yarn" are used indifferently based on the context and are indicated with the same number 11, since a fabric can be manufactured using indifferently single fibres or yarns, but above all because fibres and yarns can both be schematically represented as cylinders with thin section. In addition, without in any way limiting the present invention, each layer 10 is double-faced woven according to a known technique, which is thus not described herein; this kind of weaving provides each layer 10 with greater puncture-resistance than a single-face layer 10. Although in principle it is possible to use a single layer 10 to produce the textile product 1, figures 1 and 2 show that said textile product comprises a plurality of layers 10 mutually coupled in a given manner and in a quantity sufficient to present a mechanical puncture - resistance required by design specifications. Therefore, the textile product 1 presents a multi-layer structure which has in combination excellent flexibility, lightness and ability to resist puncture in order to be better suited for uses in the field of safety equipment. Without limiting the present invention, the textile product 1 is schematically shown in figure 2 with respective yarns 11 belonging to the weft and arranged transversely to the plane of figure 2 itself, and hence shown in section view, whilst the yarns 11 corresponding to the warp are arranged parallel to the plane of representation and, for the sake of simplicity of representation, they are schematically shown with continuous lines that reproduce their axis line. Again with reference to the yarns 11, it should be specified that these are non aramid high-tenacity and high-shrinkability yarns; furthermore, these yarns 11 are preferably, but

without limitation, made of polyester. The use of polyester enables, in fact, to produce at reduced cost layers 10, able to withstand high temperature, e.g. in the order of 150°C, and presenting an efficient water vapour permeability, markedly higher than most synthetic fabric and, in particular, than aramid fabrics.

With particular reference to figure 2, with at least one layer 10 are associated particles 20 of a given nature, which are preferably characterised by high hardness and/or marked abrasive properties in such a way as to improve mechanical properties of puncture - resistance and friction wear-resistance of each respective layer 10. These particles 20 are positioned internally and/or externally to each respective layer 10 and can have any shape and size, although they typically appear as rigid bodies with substantially spherical shape and nanometric size, preferably ranging between 1 μm and 0.5 nm, stably coupled to respective fibres 11. In particular, as shall become more readily apparent from the description below, the reduction in the dimension of the particles 20 on nanometric scale entails a series of advantages, foremost among them the economical availability of particles 20 presenting properties of hardness and abrasion resistance that are typically exhibited exclusively by costly materials or alloys for special applications. In more detail, the particles 20 can be fixed between adjacent fibres 11, which may belong to a same yarn 11 or to contiguous yarns 11, and/or be substantially set in the respective fibres 11 and thereby retained exploiting superficial interactions of a substantially mechanical nature. In any case, the particles 20 can preferably, but without limitation, be coupled to the respective fibres 11 using a method that has more than one analogy with the manufacturing method described in the Italian patent

application no. RA2006A000063 by the same Applicant, and which should be referred to for the sake of practicality with reference to the following.

In view of the above description, the coupling between these particles 20 and the respective layer 10 of fabric does not require the use of adhesive substances of any kind. In addition, it should be noted that the particles 20 are distributed in a substantially uniform manner on the outer surface of each respective fibre 11, in such a way that the density of particles 20 is substantially constant in each portion of the respective layer 10.

At this point, it is worth noting that the particles 20 serve a plurality of functions, which are globally able to protect the respective fibres 11 and to increase the puncture-resistance and stiffness of the respective layers 10 of fabric. In particular, each fibre 11 is substantially coated by a cladding of particles 20 which are able to serve as shield for the respective fibres 11, enabling to prevent any direct contact between an extraneous body and the fibres 11 themselves; in fact, such extraneous body, even if it not pointed or sharp, may nonetheless damage or fray fibres 11 simply by friction against its own rough surface. In other words, the particles 20, interposing themselves between the surface of at least one respective layer 10 and the extraneous body, are able to prevent said body from exercising a direct friction on the layer 10 providing the textile product 1 with high abrasive wear resistance. Furthermore, the particles 20, externally coating the respective fibres 11, provide them with high surface roughness, which is able to dissipate as heat a portion of the mechanical energy exchanged with each respective layer 10 and hence allows to brake by friction any penetration into the textile product 1 by an extraneous body. Similarly, the high roughness of the outer surfaces

of the fibres 11 is able to reduce the relative movement of adjacent fibres 11, hence it limits their sliding relative to one another with the consequence of significantly increasing the stiffness of each layer 10. Therefore, in view of the above description, the set of all the particles 20 coupled to a respective fibre 11 can be interpreted as a protective sheath 25 for such fibre 11 made of abrasive material. Naturally, the effectiveness of this protective sheath 25 will be the greater, the higher the superficial density of particles 20 present on the outer surface of each fibre 11. In some cases, it could be useful to provide for the particles 20 to be so numerous that they touch each other peripherally in such a way that each sheath 25 coats the respective fibre 11 in substantially continuous fashion. In any case, it should be noted that, because of its nature of agglomerates of rigid, non - deformable particles, each sheath 25 will always present a substantially porous structure, which allows the free exchange of air and of water vapour through the sheath 25 itself and hence along the interface regions between adjacent fibres 11. This characteristic of each protective sheath 25 is of fundamental importance, because it enables to maintain substantially unchanged the breathability and the water vapour permeability of a layer 10 whereto an even extremely large number of respective particles 20 are coupled, following, for example, the aforementioned method for manufacturing a textile product.

The particles 20 are produced with high hardness materials and, in particular, they may comprise, alternatively or in combination, zirconium oxide, with chemical formula ZrO ₂ , silicon carbide, with chemical formula Sic, tungsten carbide, with chemical formula WC, polycrystalline diamond, glass or material of a ceramic nature, without representing a limit for the present

invention. Furthermore, as described above, the average size of said particles 20 will preferably be modulated on nanometric scale, because nanometric particles tend to couple to the respective fibres 11 in more stable fashion than larger-sized particles. In particles of nanometric dimensions, in fact, the number of atoms present on the surface of each particle is comparable to the number of atoms that occupy the internal volume of the particle itself and therefore every superficial interaction force, e.g. friction, acting between a fibre 11 and a respective nanometric particle 20, exercises its action on an important fraction of the atoms that make up this particle 20 and hence such interaction force, whilst superficial, is able stably to secure the particle 20 within the respective fibre 11. Furthermore, for equal type and quantity of material utilised for the production of the particles 20, the use of a higher number of smaller particles enables to coat the fibres 11 more densely, thus providing the protective sheaths 25 with greater continuity and effectiveness. Lastly, nanometrisation processes are able to increase the hardness of a wide range of materials and hence allow both to produce hard particles 20 using economical materials that usually can also be malleable, e.g. copper, and to produce extra-hard particles 20 using special materials or alloys that usually already present good mechanical strength properties .

At this point it may be appropriate to underline that the layers 10 are mutually coupled in such a way that air and water vapour can circulate freely not only within each individual layer 10, but also through the entire structure of the textile product 1 in a direction that is substantially transverse to each layer 10. In particular, each layer 10 is delimited by a pair of mutually parallel surfaces 12 and it is connected to at least one additional

adjacent layer 10 by means of a chemical or mechanical coupling 30. More in particular, the coupling between layers 10/surfaces 12 that face each other can be obtained, in non limiting way, by means of an adhesive substance 31 positioned at the interface between two mutually facing surfaces 12. Such adhesive substance 31 may, preferably but without limitation to the present invention, comprise reactive polyurethane that, hereinafter, shall be indicated with the acronym PUR. PUR is typically interposed between two respective surfaces 12 by means of a technique that provides for the use of extrusion nozzles to deposit given quantities of PUR made fluid by heating at an operating temperature between 90 ⁰ C and 130 ⁰ C. Once it is extruded and placed at the interface between two mutually opposite layers 10, PUR penetrates among the fibres 11 of said layers 10 and, cooling to ambient temperature, solidifies to produce a stable coupling between the layers 10. Furthermore, with this solidification process is associated a process of reticulation of the PUR that reacts chemically with the water vapour contained in the atmosphere and in the fabric layers 10; this chemical reticulation process is irreversible and it transforms the PUR from a hot-melting to a thermosetting material. For this reason, PUR is particularly suited to mutually glue textile layers 10 because the coupling that is generated is rigid, resistant to water and to most solvents commonly used in the textile field, and it cannot be dissolved even if the textile product 1 is heated to high temperatures, e.g. temperatures in the order of 150 ⁰ C. With particular reference to the coupling between adjacent layers 10, figure 3 shows examples of how the adhesive substance 31/the PUR can be distributed on a surface 12 to couple two respective layers 10 facing each other. In any case it should be stressed that, in order to

make the coupling between layers 10 that face each other particularly stable and strong, the adhesive substance 31 should be distributed in a substantially uniform manner on the respective surfaces 12. For example, with particular reference to figures 3a) -3c), the adhesive substance 31 can be distributed uniformly to constitute a holed film 15, as shown in figure 3a) , or in substantially point-like manner on a respective surface 12 at the nodes of a regular grid as in figure 3b) ; alternatively, the adhesive substance 31 may be distributed at a plurality of strips 17, as shown in figure 3c) . As is clearly shown, the adhesive substance 31 is distributed in such a way as to present areas 13 of discontinuity able to allow the free passage of air and water vapour transversely to the respective layer 10. In particular, these discontinuity areas 13 can be shaped in concave manner, as shown in figures 3b) and 3c) , in order to maximise the flow of air exchanged transversely through the respective layers 10, or, alternatively, it can be shaped in convex manner, as shown in figure 3a) , in order to locate the exchange of air and/or water vapour at least at one aeration channel 16. Clearly, if the textile product 1 presents more than two layers 10, each transverse aeration channel 16 traversing multiple layers 10 will comprise more than one discontinuity area 13 and it will present maximum capacity if these discontinuity areas 13 are substantially aligned. In any case, regardless of the distribution of the adhesive substance 31, the textile product 1 and the respective layers 10 are so shaped that the exchange of air and water vapour transverse to each layer 10 is substantially bi-directional; as will be better described below, this characteristic enables to use the textile product 1 to manufacture soles or insoles able to allow a continuous exchange of air and water vapour between the interior of a respective shoe and the outside

environment.

Use of the textile product 1 is easily understood from the above description, and requires no further explanations; however, it is appropriate to note some advantages with respect to the prior art, resulting from the structural characteristics of the textile product 1. First of all, the use of hard and/or abrasive particles 20 stably set onto the fibres 11 provides each layer 10 with greater stiffness and a higher puncture- and abrasion - resistance than a textile product lacking said particles 20; hence, the use of the particles 20 enables to manufacture a textile product 1 that, for equal such characteristics, comprises a reduced number of layers 10, typically two or three. Consequently, this textile product 1 can combine low thickness and high flexibility and hence it can be suitable for the production of clothes and/or shoes. Furthermore, the use of hard particles 20 provides the multi-layer textile product 1 with the properties of mechanical strength that are necessary to pass the reliability tests required by current safety rules, among which, by way of non-limiting example, are known the standard EN 12568 pertaining to "Foot and leg protectors - requirements and test methods for toecaps and metal penetration resistant inserts" and the standard EN ISO 20344 that defines the test methods to verify the conformity with the requirements of shoes for professional use (DPI) . On the other hand, thanks to the presence of discontinuity areas 13 of the adhesive substance 31 and of the aeration channels 16, the textile product 1 presents high breathability and water vapour permeability; furthermore, use of PUR makes the coupling between mutually facing layers 10 rigid and stable over time. The high breathability of each layer 10 and of the textile product 1 is also assured by the exclusive use of polyester fabrics

and by the absence of resins or glue substances that couple the particles 20 to the respective fibres 11, as is the case in the prior art.

Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the textile product 1 described and illustrated herein without however departing from the protective scope of the present invention.

At this point, it may be appropriate to provide some additional information on the method for manufacturing the multi-layer textile product 1 described above. In particular, the subject manufacturing method comprises first of all a step of manufacturing each layer 10 starting, in the case of a fabric, from a series of yarns 11 both in warp and in weft, in particular in warp at high reduction, and in weft at high density and compactness. Preferably, each layer 10 is manufactured starting from a single series of yarns 11, both in warp and in weft, alternating a "light" stroke and a "heavy" stroke, in order to make the density of the wefts very compact. Alternating wefts with "light" and "heavy" stroke achieves, in fact, a sort of armour effect, and hence makes the weft yarns set very closely to each other, in such a way as to obtain a highly resistant, closed barrier structure, hence with characteristics of high puncture-resistance. At this point, a step is provided of stably coupling the particles 20 to respective yarns 11 of at least one layer 10 to provide said layer with high stiffness and abrasion wear resistance, but leaving all of its transpiration properties substantially unchanged. This step of stably coupling the particles 20 is schematically shown in figure 4 and it comprises in turn a plurality of steps: first of all, a mixture 26 is prepared that comprises a liquid 26 ^λ in which given particles 20 were dispersed according to a given concentration and then at least one

textile layer 10 is immersed in the mixture 26. In this immersing step, at least one layer 10 must be completely immersed in the mixture 26 for a period of at least 20 seconds and this immersing step is associated with a step of impregnating each respective layer 10 that thereby absorbs at least partially the mixture 26 in such a way that the particles 20 are deposited on the outer surface of each yarn 11. Clearly, for this impregnating step to be carried out effectively, the mixture 26 must be liquid and homogeneous and the particles 20 must be distributed uniformly within a liquid 26' whose use is compatible with the yarns 11 and thus does not deteriorate them. Normally, for reasons both of simplicity and economy, the liquid 26' is composed of water or glycol. The step of impregnating a layer 10 further comprises a step of softening yarns 11 imbued with the liquid 26' in order to increase their volume and induce their expansion in a substantially longitudinal direction. Through the step of softening the yarns 11, these yarns are prepared to couple stably with the particles 20 which, when a respective layer 10 is immersed in the mixture 26, are still simply set down on the outer surface of the yarns 11 themselves. The step of softening yarns 11 can be associated with a step of heating a layer 10 to an adequate softening temperature in such a way as to increase the ductility of the yarns 11.

At this point, it is appropriate to apply on the particles 20 a force able to allow their penetration into the softened yarns 11; this is possible, by way of non limiting example, through a step of squeezing each layer 10 impregnated with the mixture 26 at a pressure definable at will. This step enables to set particles 20 within respective yarns 11 and simultaneously to evacuate the liquid 26' that the yarns 11 have absorbed. Alternatively,

the particles 20 can initially be inserted inside the respective yarns 11 when each respective layer 10 is immersed in the mixture 26 exerting such pressure definable at will under the free surface of the liquid 26' ; in this case, the subsequent step of squeezing a layer 10 will prevalently serve the function of evacuating the liquid 26' . In any case, this step of squeezing a layer 10 is typically, but without limitation, carried out by means of specific cylinders able to exert on each respective layer 10 a pressure typically in the order of some bars. The penetration of the particles 20 in the yarns 11 is made easy by the softening of the yarns, which deform to receive the particles 20.

Therefore, in view of the above description, the step of squeezing a layer 10 comprises a step of setting particles 20 in the respective yarns 11. At the end of the step of squeezing each layer 10, a step follows of drying these layers 10 by at least one heat cycle that causes the definitive fastening of the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11. In this regard, it should be noted that, during the step of drying each layer 10, the respective yarns 11 return to exhibit their own normal consistency and size and resume the volume they had before being immersed into the mixture 26. Therefore, with the step of drying a layer 10 is associated a step of contracting the respective yarns 11 in a substantially longitudinal manner, so that the yarns exert a shearing force able to retain the particles 20 stably.

After completing the step of coupling stably the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11, each layer 10 is appropriately subjected to a heat treatment, preferably at high temperature, that generates a pronounced shrinking effect of the layer 10; this effect causes a shrinking of the yarns 11 both in weft and in warp to increase the

ability of the respective layer 10 to resist puncture. In particular, the shrinking of the yarns 11 in warp is in the order of 10-15% of the extension of the yarns 11 and hence it is such as to enable to cause a closure of the yarns both in the warp direction and in the weft direction. In this regard, it should be noted that the step of stably coupling the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11 can be performed both before and after the step of subjecting each layer 10 to a heat treatment. On the other hand, if this latter step is performed after the step of stably coupling particles 20 to the respective yarns 11, the shrinking effect caused by said heat treatment would enable to fasten the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11 in a more stable manner. Therefore, operatively, it is preferred to couple the particles 20 to the textile layers 10 before subjecting these layers to the heat treatment aimed at causing the contraction of the yarns 11.

This manufacturing method lastly comprises a step of stably coupling to each other at least two layers 10 facing each other; this step comprises a step of laying an adhesive substance 31 in the interface between two mutually facing layers 10, followed by a step of solidifying this adhesive substance 31 in such a way as to couple irreversibly the two mutually facing layers 10. The use of the manufacturing method according to the present invention is easily understood in view of the above description, and requires no further explanation. However, it may be appropriate to point out some advantages of the present method that make it markedly different from the manufacturing methods known in the current state of the art. First of all, the step of stably coupling the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11 does not entail use of glues and can be applied substantially to any textile layer 10, whether it contains natural, synthetic or

artificial fibres. For this purpose it is sufficient to obtain a mixture 26 that is chemically compatible with the layer 10 and, since the present manufacturing method comprises a treatment in liquid phase, it is necessary for the particles 20 to be coupled to the yarns 11 not to be soluble in the liquid 26' . A further advantage of the present method is that it does not leave in the textile product 1 any extraneous substances due to the processing of the layers 10 because the liquid 26' of the mixture 26, be it water or any other liquid, is completely evacuated from each layer 10. A further advantage of the present manufacturing method consist of being able to obtain a given density of the particles 20 within the textile product 1 simply by adjusting the initial concentration of particles 20 in the mixture 26; this characteristic of the present method thus enables to vary, in a manner that is simple and can be adjusted at will, the efficiency of the sheaths 25 and hence the puncture- and abrasion-resistance of the multi-layer textile product 1. Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the manufacturing method described and illustrated herein without however departing from the protective scope of the present invention. For example, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention, it will be possible to replace the procedure described above for executing the step of stably coupling the particles 20 to the respective yarns 11 with any other procedure that allows to couple the particles to the respective yarns 11 directly without the interposition of glue substances of any kind. Lastly, observing figure 5, it is readily understandable that the textile product 1 is susceptible of being used in the manufacture of shoes 40 to produce soles 41 or insoles 41 characterised by high strength and breathability. Furthermore, every textile

product 1 provided with an adequate puncture-resistance can be used in accident-prevention applications and, in particular, in the manufacture of inserts 46 for protective clothing 45 and/or puncture-resistant shoes 40. Therefore, it is possible to state that the textile product 1 and the respective manufacturing method are able to solve the technical problem of producing a sole or an insole provided with high puncture-resistance, and hence adequate for use in safety products; also in view of the above description, the textile product 1 presents, at the same time, high breathability, to assure adequate aeration of the interior of a respective shoe, and hence to provide this shoe with particular comfort.