Touchstone Research Laboratory, Ltd.

Rick D Lucas

Thomas M Matviya

Janusz Wladyslaw Plucinski

Brian E Joseph

Douglas J Merriman

Jesse M Blacker

Brian Louis Gordon

Dwayne R Morgan

Gregg W Wolfe

Susan C Chang

Harry E Danford

An infiltrated carbon foam composite and method for making the composite is described. The infiltrated carbon foam composite may include a carbonized carbon aerogel in cells of a carbon foam body and a resin is infiltrated into the carbon foam body filling the cells of the carbon foam body and spaces around the carbonized carbon aerogel. The infiltrated carbon foam composites may be useful for mid-density ablative thermal protection systems.

Infiltrated carbon foam composites

A blast energy mitigating composite useful for protecting a surface or an object from a blast, shock waves, or stress waves caused by a sudden, violent release of energy is described. Certain configurations of the blast energy mitigating composite may include energy mitigating units contained in an energy mitigating matrix. If desired, various reinforcement layers may be incorporated on or within the energy mitigating composite. The energy mitigating units may comprise a porous energy mitigating material such as carbon foam.

Blast energy mitigating composite

A composite exhaust flue which may be used to shield an area or object from convective, conductive, or radiated heat transfer from hot exhaust combustion gases is described. In certain embodiments, the composite exhaust flue may be used to protect structures from hot exhaust gases and particles such as those produced by cars, trucks, ships, boats, jets, rockets, as well as other vehicles with internal combustion engines, turbines, or rocket motors. In some embodiments, a composite exhaust flue may comprise a ceramic fiber reinforced ceramic composite high temperature face sheet positioned over an insulating layer and a structural support layer comprising a rigid, porous foam material.

Composite exhaust flue

A high density carbon material produced from coal is described. The carbon material may have a density ranging from about 1.0 g/cc to about 1.6 g/cc and may have a crush strength of up to about 20,000 psi. The high density carbon material is produced by slowly heating comminuted swelling bituminous coal particles under pressures of 400 psi to about 500 psi to a first temperature at about the initial plastic temperature of the coal. The material is held at this temperature for a period of time sufficient to provide for a uniform temperature throughout the coal. The material is then heated to a second temperature for a period of time sufficient to provide for the coal achieving an essentially uniform temperature. The resulting product is a three-dimensional, self-supporting carbon that has a substantially continuous carbon matrix defining grain boundaries within the carbon matrix. The characteristics of the carbon material may be altered by further heating to carbonize or graphitize the high density carbon material.

High density carbon from coal

A method for increasing the yield of carbon foam is described. The method includes placing a foaming sheet over the top surface of the material to be foamed. In certain embodiments, the foaming sheet is placed over the top surface of particulate coal prior to and during the foaming process. In some embodiments the foaming sheet is a smooth, continuous sheet, such as aluminum foil or the like. The resulting carbon product includes an increased amount of usable carbon foam.

Method of increasing carbon foam yield

Radar emission absorbing materials that are moldable or that may be coated on a surface are described. A moldable radar emission absorbing material may include commuted carbon foam particles blended with a moldable matrix. In other embodiments, a radar emission absorbing surface coating material may include comminuted carbon foam particles blended with a solvent-solid system.

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St. Clairsville, OH, United States of America

Rick D Lucas