JP7699995B2 - Flame retardant fabrics and textile products - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to flame-retardant fabrics and textile products that are not only flame-retardant but also have excellent abrasion resistance, and preferably also have excellent pilling resistance.

Fully aromatic polyamides produced from aromatic diamines and aromatic dicarboxylic acid dihalides have excellent heat resistance and flame retardancy. In addition, fully aromatic polyamides are soluble in amide-based polar solvents, and can be made into fibers from a polymer solution in which fully aromatic polyamides are dissolved in such a solvent by methods such as dry spinning, wet spinning, and semi-dry/semi-wet spinning.

Among fully aromatic polyamides, fibers made from meta-type fully aromatic polyamides (sometimes called "meta-aramids"), such as polymetaphenylene isophthalamide, are particularly useful as heat-resistant and flame-retardant fibers, and are used in industrial applications such as filters and electronic components, and in disaster prevention and safety clothing applications such as protective clothing, where heat resistance, flame retardancy, and flame resistance are important. Recently, applications have been expanding rapidly beyond industrial applications to fields that require aesthetics and visual appeal, such as bedding, clothing, and interior design.

In these fields, meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers are required to have higher and more stable flame retardancy from the viewpoints of fire prevention and protection of human lives.
In order to improve the flame retardancy of meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers, a method of adding an organic phosphorus compound, a phosphorus-containing phenolic resin, a halogen compound, etc. to the polymer has been proposed. Also, a method of improving the flame retardancy by blending an organic phosphorus compound containing a halogen atom has been proposed (Patent Document 1).
However, fabrics using meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers containing a flame retardant have a problem of low abrasion resistance.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 53-122817

The present invention has been made in view of the above background, and its object is to provide a flame-retardant fabric and textile product that is not only flame-retardant but also has excellent abrasion resistance, and preferably also has excellent pilling resistance.

As a result of extensive research into achieving the above object, the inventors discovered that by skillfully devising the fibers that make up the fabric, it is possible to obtain a flame-retardant fabric that is not only flame-retardant but also has excellent abrasion resistance. Further extensive research led to the completion of the present invention.

Thus, the present invention provides a flame-retardant fabric including a spun yarn containing meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber, the flame-retardant fabric being characterized in that the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber contains a flame retardant and has a breaking elongation of 40% or more.

In this case, the breaking strength of the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is preferably in the range of 3.0 to 4.0 cN/dtex.
Y=-20X+120±10
where X is the breaking strength, and Y is the breaking elongation.

The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is preferably contained in the spun yarn in an amount of 20% by weight or more relative to the weight of the spun yarn. In an abrasion test specified in ISO 12947-2 (Martindale), the number of times until two of the yarns constituting the fabric break is preferably 20,000 or more. In a pilling test specified in JIS L 1076 A method, the evaluation after 10 hours of testing is preferably grade 4 or higher. In a combustion test specified in ISO 15025 B method, the char length is preferably 50 mm or less.

The present invention also provides a textile product made of the flame-retardant fabric, selected from the group consisting of protective clothing, fire-resistant clothing for firefighters, clothing for firefighting, rescue clothing, workwear, police uniforms, clothing for the Self-Defense Forces, and military uniforms.

The present invention provides fabrics that are not only flame retardant but also have excellent abrasion resistance and pilling resistance.

The following is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention. First, the flame-retardant fabric of the present invention includes a spun yarn that contains a flame retardant and meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber (meta-aramid fiber) that has a breaking elongation of 40% or more (preferably 40 to 60%).

Here, it is preferable that the limit oxygen index (LOI) at flammability in such meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers is 30 or more. In addition, if such meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers do not contain a flame retardant, this is not preferable because the flame retardancy of the fabric may decrease.

Furthermore, if the breaking elongation is less than 40%, the degree of orientation of the polyamide molecules in the fiber increases, making it more likely to fibrillate, and there is a risk that good abrasion resistance will not be obtained. A higher breaking elongation is preferable, but on the other hand, if the breaking elongation exceeds 60%, pills that are generated during abrasion will be difficult to remove, and good pilling resistance may not be obtained.

Here, meta-type fully aromatic polyamide fibers are fibers made of a polymer in which 85 mol % or more of the repeating units are m-phenylene isophthalamide. Such meta-aramids (fully aromatic polyamides) may be copolymers containing a third component within the range of less than 15 mol %.

Such meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers can be produced by a conventionally known interfacial polymerization method, and the degree of polymerization of the polymer is preferably such that the intrinsic viscosity (I.V.) of the polymer measured in an N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone solution having a concentration of 0.5 g/100 ml is in the range of 1.3 to 1.9 dl/g.
As the flame retardant to be contained in the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber, a phosphorus-based flame retardant is preferred.

The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide may also contain an onium salt of alkylbenzenesulfonate. Preferred examples of the onium salt of alkylbenzenesulfonate include tetrabutyl phosphonium salt of hexylbenzenesulfonate, tributyl benzyl phosphonium salt of hexylbenzenesulfonate, tetraphenyl phosphonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate, tributyl tetradecyl phosphonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate, tetrabutyl phosphonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and tributyl benzyl ammonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate. Among these, tetrabutyl phosphonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate and tributyl benzyl ammonium salt of dodecylbenzenesulfonate are particularly preferred because they are easily available, have good thermal stability, and have high solubility in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone.

The content of the alkylbenzenesulfonate onium salt is preferably 2.5 mol % or more (preferably 3.0 to 7.0 mol %) relative to the poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide in order to obtain a sufficient effect of improving dyeability.

As a method for mixing poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide and an alkylbenzene sulfonate onium salt, any of the following methods may be used: mixing and dissolving poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide in a solvent, and then dissolving the alkylbenzene sulfonate onium salt in the solvent. The dope thus obtained is formed into fibers by a conventionally known method.

For the purpose of improving dyeability and resistance to fading, the polymer used for the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber may be copolymerized in an aromatic polyamide skeleton containing a repeating structural unit represented by the following formula (1) with an aromatic diamine component different from the main structural unit of the repeating structure or an aromatic dicarboxylic acid halide component as a third component in an amount of 1 to 10 mol % relative to the total amount of the repeating structural units of the aromatic polyamide.
-(NH-Ar1-NH-CO-Ar1-CO)-...Formula (1)
Here, Ar1 is a divalent aromatic group having a linking group in a meta-coordinated or parallel axial direction other than that.

It is also possible to copolymerize it as a third component. Specific examples of aromatic diamines shown in formulas (2) and (3) include p-phenylenediamine, chlorophenylenediamine, methylphenylenediamine, acetylphenylenediamine, aminoanisidine, benzidine, bis(aminophenyl)ether, bis(aminophenyl)sulfone, diaminobenzanilide, diaminoazobenzene, etc. Specific examples of aromatic dicarboxylic acid dichlorides shown in formulas (4) and (5) include terephthalic acid chloride, 1,4-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid chloride, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid chloride, 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid chloride, 5-chloroisophthalic acid chloride, 5-methoxyisophthalic acid chloride, bis(chlorocarbonylphenyl)ether, etc.

H ₂ N-Ar2-NH ₂ ...Formula (2)
H ₂ N-Ar2-Y-Ar2-NH ₂ ...Formula (3)
XOC-Ar3-COX...Formula (4)
XOC-Ar3-Y-Ar3-COX...Formula (5)
Here, Ar2 is a divalent aromatic group different from Ar1, Ar3 is a divalent aromatic group different from Ar1, Y is at least one atom or functional group selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and an alkylene group, and X represents a halogen atom.

The degree of crystallinity of meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers is preferably 5 to 35%, since it has good dye exhaustion properties and can be easily adjusted to the desired color with less dye or under weak dyeing conditions. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the degree of crystallinity is 15 to 25%, since it is less likely for the dye to be unevenly distributed on the surface, it has high resistance to discoloration, and it ensures the dimensional stability required for practical use.

The amount of residual solvent in meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers is preferably 0.1% by weight or less, since this does not impair the excellent flame retardant performance of meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers, and also makes it difficult for the dye to be unevenly distributed on the surface, resulting in high resistance to discoloration and fading.

The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers can be produced by the following method, and in particular, the crystallinity and the amount of remaining solvent can be adjusted to the above-mentioned ranges by the method described below.
The polymerization method for the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide polymer is not particularly limited, and for example, the solution polymerization method and interfacial polymerization method described in JP-B-35-14399, US Pat. No. 3,360,595, JP-B-47-10863, etc. may be used.

The spinning solution is not particularly limited, but may be an amide-based solvent solution containing an aromatic copolyamide polymer and a flame retardant obtained by the above-mentioned solution polymerization or interfacial polymerization, or the polymer isolated from the above-mentioned polymerization solution and dissolved in an amide-based solvent.

Examples of amide solvents used here include N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and dimethylsulfoxide, with N,N-dimethylacetamide being particularly preferred.

The copolymerized aromatic polyamide polymer solution obtained as described above is stabilized by further containing an alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt, which allows use at a higher concentration and at a lower temperature, and is preferably used in an amount of 1% by weight or less (more preferably 0.1% by weight or less) based on the total weight of the polymer solution.
In the spinning and coagulation step, the spinning solution obtained above (a meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide polymer solution containing a flame retardant) is spun into a coagulation solution and coagulated.

The spinning device is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known wet spinning device can be used. In addition, the number of spinning holes, the arrangement state, the hole shape, etc. of the spinneret do not need to be particularly limited as long as it can perform stable wet spinning. For example, a multi-hole spinneret for staple fibers (short fibers) having 1,000 to 30,000 holes and a spinning hole diameter of 0.05 to 0.2 mm may be used.
The temperature of the spinning solution (meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide polymer solution) when it is spun out from the spinneret is suitably in the range of 20 to 90°C.

The coagulation bath used to obtain the fibers is an aqueous solution of an amide solvent, preferably NMP, substantially free of inorganic salts, with a concentration of 45 to 60% by weight, with the bath temperature in the range of 10 to 50°C. If the concentration of the amide solvent (preferably NMP) is less than 45% by weight, the skin will be thick, which may reduce the cleaning efficiency in the cleaning process and make it difficult to reduce the amount of solvent remaining in the fibers. On the other hand, if the concentration of the amide solvent (preferably NMP) exceeds 60% by weight, uniform coagulation cannot be achieved all the way to the inside of the fibers, and therefore, it may also be difficult to reduce the amount of solvent remaining in the fibers. The appropriate immersion time for the fibers in the coagulation bath is in the range of 0.1 to 30 seconds.

Subsequently, the fiber is stretched at a stretch ratio of 3 to 4 in a plastic stretching bath containing an amide solvent, preferably an aqueous solution of NMP having a concentration of 45 to 60% by weight, and the bath temperature is set in the range of 10 to 50° C. After stretching, the fiber is thoroughly washed by passing it through an aqueous solution of NMP having a concentration of 20 to 40% by weight at 10 to 30° C., and then through a warm water bath at 50 to 70° C. By changing this stretch ratio, the breaking elongation of the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber can be changed.
The washed fibers are then subjected to a dry heat treatment at a temperature of 270 to 290° C. to obtain meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers that satisfy the above ranges of crystallinity and residual solvent amount.

The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber may be in the form of a long fiber (multifilament) or a short fiber. In particular, short fibers having a fiber length of 25 to 200 mm are preferred for blending with other fibers. The single fiber fineness is preferably in the range of 1 to 5 dtex.
Examples of commercially available meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers include Conex (registered trademark), Conex (registered trademark) Neo, and Nomex (registered trademark).

The breaking strength of the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is preferably in the range of 3.0 to 4.0 cN/dtex (more preferably 3.2 to 3.8 cN/dtex). If the breaking strength is less than 3.0 cN/dtex, the abrasion resistance is not good. The higher the breaking strength, the more preferable the characteristic value for improving abrasion resistance. On the other hand, if the breaking strength exceeds 4.0 cN/dtex, it is difficult to achieve a breaking elongation of 40% or more, and the object of the present invention may not be achieved.

In order to have not only flame retardancy but also excellent abrasion resistance and pilling resistance, it is preferable that the breaking strength and breaking elongation of the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber have the following relationship: When Y is smaller than -20X+120±10, the abrasion resistance may decrease. When Y is larger than -20X+120±10, the pilling resistance may decrease.
Y = -20X + 120 ± 10 (where X: breaking strength, Y: breaking elongation)
When Y is smaller than −20X+110 or larger than −20X+130, it may be impossible to achieve both wear resistance and pilling resistance.

The flame-retardant fabric of the present invention includes a spun yarn containing the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber. In this case, it is preferable that the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is contained in the spun yarn in an amount of 20% by weight or more (more preferably 90% by weight or more) relative to the weight of the spun yarn.

In the present invention, the fabric may be composed of only the meta-type wholly aromatic aramid fiber, but may also contain flame-retardant fibers such as para-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber, wholly aromatic polyester fiber, polybenzoxazole (PBO) fiber, polybenzimidazole (PBI) fiber, polybenzothiazole (PBTZ) fiber, polyimide (PI) fiber, polysulfonamide (PSA) fiber, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) fiber, polyetherimide (PEI) fiber, polyarylate (PAr) fiber, melamine fiber, phenol fiber, fluorine-based fiber, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) fiber, cellulose fiber (preferably flame-retardant rayon fiber), polyolefin fiber, acrylic fiber, cotton fiber, animal hair fiber, polyurethane fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, polyvinylidene chloride fiber, acetate fiber, polycarbonate fiber, conductive fiber, etc. Here, it is preferable that these fibers are blended.

In the present invention, the method for producing the fabric is not particularly limited, and any known method can be used. For example, it is preferable to obtain a spun yarn by blending the spun yarn of the above-mentioned fiber, and then weave the spun yarn into a twill weave, plain weave, or other structure using a rapier loom or the like with a single yarn or two-ply yarn.
The fabric thus obtained has not only flame retardancy but also excellent abrasion resistance and, more preferably, pilling resistance.

In terms of such abrasion resistance, in an abrasion test specified in ISO 12947-2 (Martindale), it is preferable that the number of times until two of the threads that make up the fabric break is 20,000 or more. In addition, in a pilling test specified in JIS L 1076, it is preferable that the evaluation after 10 hours of testing is grade 4 or higher. In a combustion test specified in ISO 15025 Method B, it is preferable that the char length is 50 mm or less.

Next, the textile product of the present invention is any textile product selected from the group consisting of protective clothing, firefighting clothing, firefighting clothing, rescue clothing, workwear, police uniforms, Self-Defense Force clothing, and military uniforms, which uses the flame-retardant fabric. Since such textile products use the flame-retardant fabric, they are excellent not only in flame retardancy, but also in abrasion resistance and, more preferably, in pilling resistance.

Next, examples and comparative examples of the present invention will be described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to these.

(1) Breaking strength and breaking elongation: Measurements were carried out using a tensile tester (Instron Corporation, model: 5565) under the following conditions based on JIS-L-1015.
(Measurement conditions)
Grip distance: 20 mm
Initial load: 0.044cN (1/20g/dtex)
Tensile speed: 20 mm/min

(2) Abrasion Resistance Abrasion tests were carried out according to ISO 12947-2 (Martindale).

(3) Pilling Resistance A pilling test according to JIS L 1076 Method A was carried out.

(4) Char length A combustion test was carried out according to ISO 15025 Method B. The char length is the distance passing through the center of the charred part from the edge of the test piece when exposed to flame to the tear edge formed in the longitudinal direction of the test piece.

[Example 1]
A meta-aramid polymer powder having a weight average molecular weight of 470,000, which was synthesized by solution polymerization and purified by washing with water, and calcium chloride powder were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to obtain a transparent polymer solution. At this time, the mass concentration of the meta-aramid polymer was adjusted to 25% and that of calcium chloride to 2.5% relative to the polymer solution. Tris(chloropropyl)phosphate was added as a flame retardant to the polymer component so that the phosphorus content was 0.47% by weight.

This polymer solution was heated to 80°C and used as a spinning stock solution, which was then discharged from a circular spinneret with 100 discharge holes, each with a diameter of 0.1 mm, into a coagulation bath at 80°C for spinning. The composition of this coagulation bath was 35% by weight calcium chloride, 3% by weight NMP, and the remaining 62% by weight water. The yarn was passed through an immersion length (effective coagulation bath length) of 120 cm at a yarn speed of 7.5 m/min, and then drawn out into the air.

The coagulated yarn was washed in the first and second water washing baths for a total immersion time of 250 seconds. The temperatures of the first and second aqueous washing baths were 20 and 30°C, respectively. Next, the washed yarn was stretched 2.4 times in boiling water at 90°C, and then immersed in warm water at 90°C for 40 seconds and washed.

The fiber was then wound around a roller having a surface temperature of 170° C. for dry heat treatment, and then stretched 1.4 times using a hot plate having a surface temperature of 340° C. to obtain meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers.
The obtained fiber had a fineness of 2.3 dtex, a breaking strength of 3.6 cN/dtex and a breaking elongation of 52.0%.
The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber and paraphenylene terephthalamide fiber (Twaron (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Limited) were mixed in a mixing ratio of 95:5 to obtain a spun yarn (English yarn count: 36/2).

Next, a 2/1 twill weave with a fabric density of 100 threads/inch (2.54 cm) warp and 55 threads/inch (2.54 cm) weft was woven to obtain a fabric with a basis weight of 210 g/m ^2. The Martindale abrasion resistance was more than 20,000 times, the pilling resistance was grade 4, and the char length was 44 mm warp and 43 mm weft.

[Example 2]
The same procedure as in Example 1 was repeated, except that the yarn was passed through an immersion length (effective coagulation bath length) of 120 cm at a yarn speed of 6.3 m/min and stretched 1.7 times using a hot plate.
The resulting fiber had a fineness of 2.3 dtex, a breaking strength of 4.11 cN/dtex and a breaking elongation of 42.6%.
The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber and paraphenylene terephthalamide fiber (Twaron (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Limited) were mixed in a mixing ratio of 95:5 to obtain a spun yarn (English yarn count: 36/2).

Next, a 2/1 twill weave with a warp density of 100 threads/inch (2.54 cm) and a weft density of 55 threads/inch (2.54 cm) was woven to obtain a fabric with a basis weight of 210 g/m ^2. The Martindale abrasion resistance was less than 20,000 times, the pilling resistance was grade 4, and the char length was 46 mm in the vertical direction and 42 mm in the horizontal direction.

[Comparative Example 1]
The same procedure as in Example 2 was carried out except that no flame retardant was used, to obtain meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers.
The resulting fiber had a fineness of 2.3 dtex, a breaking strength of 4.62 cN/dtex and a breaking elongation of 43.9%.
The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber and paraphenylene terephthalamide fiber (Twaron (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Limited) were mixed in a mixing ratio of 95:5 to obtain a spun yarn (English yarn count: 36/2).

Next, a 2/1 twill weave with a warp density of 100 threads/inch (2.54 cm) and a weft density of 55 threads/inch (2.54 cm) was woven to obtain a fabric with a basis weight of 210 g/m ^2. The Martindale abrasion resistance was more than 20,000 times, the pilling resistance was grade 4, and the char length was 57 mm in the vertical direction and 53 mm in the horizontal direction.

[Comparative Example 2]
A meta-aramid polymer powder having a weight average molecular weight of 470,000, which was synthesized by solution polymerization and purified by washing with water, and calcium chloride powder were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) to obtain a transparent polymer solution. At this time, the mass concentration of the meta-aramid polymer was adjusted to 25% and that of calcium chloride to 2.5% relative to the polymer solution. Tris(chloropropyl)phosphate was added as a flame retardant to the polymer component so that the phosphorus content was 0.47% by weight.

This polymer solution was heated to 80°C and used as a spinning stock solution, which was then discharged from a circular spinneret with 100 discharge holes, each with a diameter of 0.1 mm, into a coagulation bath at 80°C for spinning. The composition of this coagulation bath was 35% by weight calcium chloride, 3% by weight NMP, and the remaining 62% by weight water. The yarn was passed through an immersion length (effective coagulation bath length) of 120 cm at a yarn speed of 5.5 m/min, and then drawn out into the air.

The coagulated yarn was washed in the first and second water washing baths for a total immersion time of 250 seconds. The temperatures of the first and second aqueous washing baths were 20 and 30°C, respectively. Next, the washed yarn was stretched 2.8 times in boiling water at 90°C, and then immersed in warm water at 90°C for 40 seconds and washed.

The fiber was then wound around a roller having a surface temperature of 170° C. for dry heat treatment, and then stretched 1.7 times using a hot plate having a surface temperature of 340° C. to obtain meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fibers.
The resulting fiber had a fineness of 2.3 dtex, a breaking strength of 4.7 cN/dtex and a breaking elongation of 32.3%.
The meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber and paraphenylene terephthalamide fiber (Twaron (registered trademark) manufactured by Teijin Limited) were mixed in a mixing ratio of 95:5 to obtain a spun yarn (English yarn count: 36/2).

Next, a 2/1 twill weave with a fabric density of 100 threads/inch (2.54 cm) warp and 55 threads/inch (2.54 cm) weft was woven to obtain a fabric with a basis weight of 210 g/m ^2. The Martindale abrasion resistance was less than 20,000 times, the pilling resistance was grade 4, and the char length was 45 mm warp and 42 mm weft.

The present invention provides flame-retardant fabrics and textile products that are not only flame-retardant but also abrasion-resistant and, more preferably, pilling-resistant, and are of great industrial value.

Claims (2)

A flame-retardant fabric comprising a spun yarn containing a meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber and a para-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber, wherein the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber contains a flame retardant, and the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber has a breaking elongation of 52.0% or more, and in an abrasion test specified in ISO12947-2 (Martindale), the number of times until two of the yarns constituting the fabric are broken is 20,000 or more, the breaking strength of the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is in the range of 3.0 to 4.0 cN/dtex, the meta-type wholly aromatic polyamide fiber is contained in the spun yarn at a content of 20% by weight or more relative to the weight of the spun yarn, and in a pilling test specified in JIS L1076 Method A, the evaluation after 10 hours of testing is grade 4 or higher, and in a combustion test specified in ISO15025 Method B, the char length is 50 mm or less . 13. A textile product comprising the fabric according to claim 1 , selected from the group consisting of protective clothing, fire-retardant clothing, fire-fighting clothing, rescue clothing, workwear, police uniforms, clothing for the Self-Defense Forces, and military uniforms.