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US 7,297,218 B2Granted
Method of fabricating reusable surface insulation containing polybenzazole
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDaniel R. Bell, III, Duoc T. Tran
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lightweight, flexible, layered insulation composed of glass or ceramic fabric covered with a ceramic coating and overlying an insulating felt made from needled polybenzazole (PBZ) material which is preferably polybenzoxazole (PBO), and which optionally contains a poly(1,3-phenylene isophtalamide) felt material, commercially known as Nomex™, either combined with the PBZ felt or layered beneath the PBZ felt as a separate layer. The insulation is readily applied to a reusable launch vehicle via a silicone adhesive.
Claims4
A method of fabricating insulation, comprising
- needling polybenzazole (PBZ) fibers and poly(1,3-phenylene isophtalamide) fibers into a first felt layer, such felt having an outer mold line (OML) surface and an inner mold line (IML) surface, wherein the felt has a higher percentage of PBZ fibers in the region adjacent the OML surface of the felt than the region adjacent the IML surface of the felt;
- affixing a layer of fabric comprised of ceramic fibers to the OML surface of the felt;
- and
- applying a ceramic coating to the fibers of the fabric layer.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.