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US 11,118,026 B2Granted
Segmented flexible gel composites and rigid panels manufactured therefrom
AssigneeAspen Aerogels, Inc.
InventorsOwen R Evans, Irene Melnikova
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Abstract
The present invention describes various methods for manufacturing gel composite sheets using segmented fiber or foam reinforcements and gel precursors. Additionally, rigid panels manufactured from the resulting gel composites are also described. The gel composites are relatively flexible enough to be wound and when unwound, can be stretched flat and made into rigid panels using adhesives.
Claims19
A process comprising the steps of:
- providing a segmented reinforcement sheet comprising a segmented fiber reinforcement sheet or a segmented open-cell foam reinforcement sheet;
- the segmented reinforcement sheet having a length, a width shorter than the length, and a thickness;
- the segmented reinforcement sheet being segmented partially through the thickness continuously across the entire width and substantially perpendicular to the length;
- combining the segmented reinforcement sheet with a gel precursor;
- gelling the gel precursor in the segmented reinforcement sheet to make a segmented reinforced gel composite sheet;
- and
- drying the segmented reinforced gel composite sheet to make a reinforced aerogel composite sheet.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.