Patent ID: 8877661

Claim:
Energy-absorbing textile structure comprised of an elongated braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) having a longitudinal extent and comprising braiding yarns ( 2 ) and standing yarns ( 3 ) extending in angular relation to one another, the standing yarns ( 3 ) being of a selected tensile strength, the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) having: a longitudinally extending main body region ( 1 ) occupying the predominant portion of the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ), wherein the standing yarns ( 3 ) are selectively oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) and the braiding yarns ( 2 ) are selectively oriented angularly to the standing yarns ( 3 ) and to the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ), and at least one localized region ( 4 ) occupying only one or more relatively smaller portions of the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) at one or more selected locations longitudinally adjacent the main body region ( 1 ) along the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ), wherein both the standing yarns ( 3 ) and the braiding yarns ( 2 ) are selectively oriented angularly to each other and to the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) only within the one or more localized regions, the longitudinally parallel orientation of the standing yarns ( 3 ) within the main body region ( 1 ) imparting selective strengthening in the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) within the main body region ( 1 ) relative to the at least one localized region ( 4 ) to selectively render the main body region ( 1 ) as a relatively stronger region of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ), and the angular orientation of both the standing yarns ( 3 ) and the braided yarns ( 2 ) in relation to the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) within the one or more localized regions ( 4 ) imparting selective weakening in the longitudinal extent of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ) only within the one or more localized regions ( 4 ) relative to the main body region ( 1 ) to selectively render only the one or more localized regions ( 4 ) as one or more relatively weaker regions of the braided fabric structure ( 2 , 3 ).