A Lightweight, Structural Foam with Fire, Thermal, Noise and Impact Protection

NASA is interested in innovative manufacturing methods and materials that will significantly reduce the cost and weight of general aviation aircraft, while improving cabin comfort and crash-worthiness. Energy absorption, in the form of projectile impact and crash protection, and fire resistance are major safety benefits, and noise reduction is a serious comfort consideration. Several engineering materials offer very attractive specific mechanical properties (the ratio of properties to the density of the material). But a material being developed by Touchstone Research Laboratory, Ltd. of Triadelphia, WV, is unique in its combination of these properties with fire resistance, impact resistance/energy absorption, and the potential for large-scale, low-cost manufacture with relatively simple processing equipment. It is a lightweight foam made by the thermal decomposition of petroleum or coal precursors. Shown in the figures below, it can be fabricated in a variety of densities and cell structures to meet the weight, mechanical, and energy absorption requirements of a given application. Carbon foam offers the aviation industry a lightweight, structural material with superior energy and thermal-absorbing properties and enhanced fire protection.