Carbon Foam Exhaust to Reduce Ground Vehicle Observables

Touchstone Research Laboratory has developed a novel material, CFOAM®, with the ability to reduce the thermal signature of exhaust ducting. The primary enabling carbon foam characteristic is tailorable specific thermal conductivity while providing better structural properties at elevated temperatures than traditional insulation materials. Carbon foams also resist chemical and environmental corrosion without the need for additional coatings or treatments, making them well suited to abusive environments. This durability offers a competitive advantage in life-cycle cost savings when compared to metallic systems exposed to these operating conditions of elevated temperature and environmental attack. In Phase I, Touchstone developed the concept of using carbon foam as a thermal insulator to lower the observable surface temperature of an exhaust duct. A full-scale exhaust section will be fabricated in Phase II for on-vehicle testing. A Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 will be achieved with demonstrations of a system integrated on the current vehicle.