Waterproof fabric

Description

A textile that is impermeable to water. Waterproof fabrics were first patented by Charles Macintosh in 1823, for the production of raincoats. In 1884, Charles Goodyear patented a process for coating fabric with vulcanized rubber. The cravenette process, patented in 1888, made fabric water-repellent without changing its texture or weight. Currently, waterproof fabrics are coated with Silicone or laminated with films of microporous polymers (e.g. GORE-TEX®, Darlexx®, Permia®, Ultrex®).

Synonyms and Related Terms

cravenette; Gore-Tex®; Darlexx®; Permia®; Ultrex®;

Resources and Citations

• Fairchild's Dictionary of Textiles, Phyllis G.Tortora, Robert S. Merkel (eds.), Fairchild Publications, New York City, 7th edition, 1996

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998