Low thermal signature camouflage garnish

Abstract

The invention uses a garnish of tufts of filaments or strips attached to camouflage material, particularly camouflage material for use on mobile equipment, vehicles and personnel. The garnish or tuft is formed from a sheet of flexible, low emissivity material that has been cut into filaments or strips adhesively attached along one uncut longitudinal strip edge portion of the sheet. The tuft is formed by rolling the strip edge portion longitudinally around one part of a tuft retaining anchor, to form a rolled, adhesive-bound segment attached to the tuft part. When the rolled strips or filaments are so bound about the tuft retaining anchor part, a tuft is formed therefrom. When all the tuft retaining anchor parts are assembled, the tuft retaining anchor and tuft together constitute the garnish. A plurality of garnishes is attached to a base camouflage material on, e.g., mobile equipment, vehicles and personnel. The garnishes are preferably removably attached, to enable the color and other properties of the tuft to be varied in accordance with the surroundings in which the camouflage is to be effected. The tuft effectively absorbs and then dissipates heat by inducing air currents around the camouflaged object. The heat absorbed and dissipated otherwise would have been absorbed either by the base camouflage material or the device sought to be camouflaged, with a concomitant increase in the infrared signature of that device. This absorption and dissipation of heat is particularly effective when conditions of bright sunshine and calm or still conditions exist, especially in the early morning hours.