Anisotropic fibrous thermal insulator of relatively thick cross section and method for making same

Patent · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:6053106

Reynolds, C D; Ardary, Z L

An anisotropic thermal insulator formed of carbon-bonded organic or inorganic fibers has a thickness or cross section greater than about 3 centimeters. Delaminations and deleterious internal stresses generated during binder curing and carbonizing operations employed in the fabrication of thick fibrous insulation of thicknesses greater than 3 centimeters are essentially obviated by the method of the present invention. A slurry of fibers, thermosetting resin binder and water is vacuum molded into the selected insulator configuration with the total thickness of the molded slurry being less than about 3 centimeters, the binder is thermoset to join the fibers together at their nexaes, and then the binder is carbonized to form the carbon bond. A second slurry of the fibers, binder and water is then applied over the carbonized body with the vacuum molding binder thermosetting and carbonizing steps are repeated to form a layered insulator with the binder providing a carbon bond between the layers. The molding thermosetting and carbonizing steps may be repeated with additional slurries until the thermal insulator is of the desired final thickness. Incorporating opacifying materials in any of the desired layers provides different insulating properties at various temperatures. Concentration and/or type of additive can be varied from layer-to-layer.

• Assignee: Dept. of Energy
• Patent Number(s): US 4152482
• OSTI ID: 6053106
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360301* -- Composite Materials-- Preparation & Fabrication-- (-1987)
BINDERS
BONDING
CARBON
CARBONIZATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DIMENSIONS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
FIBERS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
JOINING
LAYERS
MIXTURES
NONMETALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
SLURRIES
SUSPENSIONS
THERMAL INSULATION
THICKNESS
WATER