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Thread: Aerogel

  1. #1
    slowhike's Avatar
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    Aerogel

    oh ya ..... and just while daydreaming.....

    If I ever manage to have Gates or Oprah run me over....

    I'll blow the high 6 figure cost and get a bag made entirely of Aerogel.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

    For those not familiar... only known solid that is lighter than air. And the
    insulating properties are crazy. A sleeping bag would only weigh whatever
    fabric you used to contain the aerogel + a zipper.


    no wait ... screw that..... I'd get an Aerogel Pea-pod for the hammock! ...Turk
    Last edited by slowhike; 10-05-2007 at 17:52.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  2. #2
    slowhike's Avatar
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    i'm thinking that's the stuff that was used in a pair of boot insoles that i have.
    or at least that's what i was told. i bought them at trail days year before last.
    there has been talk about that stuff being used for hammock insulation, but the cost is the main problem. ...tim
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  3. #3
    slowhike's Avatar
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    I wrote to them about a year ago trying to get a sample, and weasle my way
    into enough to make a pad. Having no knowledge of how the stuff was manufactured
    or anything. Just decided what the hell... lets see if I can find a way to get some scrap.
    Well ...they did get back to me eventually and at 1/4" thick, 24"x60" (I think this is what
    I was quoted .. might still have the email somewhere.) It was going to be around $6000 USD!

    so ya... I um ... was a bit short. ...Turk
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  4. #4
    slowhike's Avatar
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    The real down side is that it's be completely unusable as an insulation material in a sleeping bag or mat because its very rigid. Its used as a structural component in extremely light weight composite structures...

    Somehow I don't think you want to sleep on a plank, no matter how warm or light it is... Otherwise we'd all be using extruded styrofoam insulation boards instead of CCF pads. ...Rapt
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  5. #5
    slowhike's Avatar
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    if it's the same stuff i'm thinking of, it's also being used in a powder form.
    it has to be enclosed so that it can't escape... as in the foot beds.
    I too will something make and joy in it's making

  6. #6
    Senior Member pure_mahem's Avatar
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    What if you mixed small pieces in with the ccf pad durring its manufactureing process you could then probably use a pad 1/64" thick with probably 10 X the R value. Price??????????????????? probably close to that 6000 dollars but I wouldn't want to pay for the experimentation needed to get the mix profected.LOL

  7. #7
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    Hey all, if you read the wiki article, flexible insulation is really not the right application. "Pressing softly on an aerogel typically does not leave a mark; pressing more firmly will leave a permanent dimple. Pressing firmly enough will cause a catastrophic breakdown in the sparse structure, causing it to shatter like glass—a property known as friability."



    ---Amy

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    here's the scoop, a company called aspen areogels makes a product that is a lightweight fabric that is impregnated with areogel to make a blanket material.

    it is supposed to be flexible, one pic looks like it might be close to a super thin ccf in stiffness. from the graphs, it looks like it's twice or 3 times as warm as pu foam, so a 2mm or 3mm areogel blanket might go to winter temps, i'm hoping it's softer and more flexible than 1/8" ccf, (which isn't bad to begin with) and should have the warmth of 1/4"-3/8" ccf, maybe even better.

    it's also supposed to be waterproof and breathable, how breathable who knows?

    a few outdoor companies have made stuff out of it. jackets and insoles were made. they were all made out of the 2mm pyrogel for some reason.

    a 30" x 70" piece of the 3mm should weigh 1.5 oz according to my possibly flawed math.

    the lady i talked to couldn't answer several other questions i had, but a sales rep is supposed to eventually contact me about getting some samples. she also could not tell me price, or what the difference was between their different products.

    they supposedly came out with a faster cheaper way to make the stuff, so who knows, i wouldn't be surprised if it's too expensive to use though. eventually the price may come down as it gets used in lots of new things. dunlop has a tennis racket made with areogel, they are looking at using it in refrigerators, and it supposedly can be made out of other elements beside silica. one kind soaks up oil spills apparently. aspen areogels sells most of their blankets to industry i think.

    i'll let you know when i get a sample and find out about prices.

    .
    Last edited by warbonnetguy; 10-05-2007 at 23:17.

  9. #9
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    by the way, one company sells aerogel footbeds, and they sell for 9$, about the same as regular ones, i thought that was promising, price wise.

  10. #10
    Senior Member pure_mahem's Avatar
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    If this new fabric has good strength possibilities it might be used for hammocks eliminating underquilts and pads ad a blanket and ropes and the heaviest part of putting up a hammock wood be the suspension under 1/2 lb possabilities.

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