Enhanced Aerogels for Multi-Functional Asset Protection

Aspen Aerogels, Inc proposes to develop and demonstrate a novel Aerogel based multifunctional material with the capability to provide improved shipboard damage control (blast mitigation and fire containment), as well as the ability to provide enhancedthermal insulation and IR signature reduction. Events of the past year have driven home the need for non-traditional technologies and solutions to address terrorist threats. This design utilizes aerogels, a new class of extremely low density materialsthat offer highly unusual physical, mechanical and thermal properties. The combination of nanometer scale pore structure and very low density have already demonstrated excellent thermal and fire protection performance and appear be ideally suited for blastattenuation in weight sensitive applications. Initial blast tests of aerogel materials by one of the leading US munitions producers are extremely promising. Successfully developed under this program, the resulting aerogel product would be an idealretrofit solution (developed as field installable kit in Phase II) for field installation on existing platforms, and an enabling technology for future ship design. Practical and effective design concepts suitable for protection of Navy assets will havebeen developed and documented. Such blast-attenuation designs shall be suitable not only for next-generation Navy platforms such as DDX, but also for retrofit to current Navy assets including port and harbor facilities. In addition, blast-response andmitigation data for aerogel materials will have been developed to better characterize how these unique materials perform in a blast environment. This information can lead directly to a better understanding of the physical principles at work and how tooptimize blast-attenuation seat designs for optimum protection and minimum weight. Large commercial markets for these designs and materials are waiting to be served. This includes military and civilian vehicles, many aircraft applications as well asblast-mitigation in the oil and gas industry.