Present NFPA approved designs for fabric suitable for fire fighting garments makes use of outer reflective surfaces attached to Kevlar insulations followed by vapor shield and additional batting insulation. These materials are effective in preventing the rapid and direct transfer of heat to the fire fighter. However, after some period of time, the internal heat buildup makes it necessary for the fire fighter to withdraw to avoid thermal overload. Composite Fabric Endothermic Material (CFEM), a patented technology, has been demonstrated in other applications as a successful means for delaying temperature rise. It is expected that a fire fighter«s fabric with a CFEM integration will greatly enhance the effectiveness of such garments and enhance the user«s performance in adverse thermal conditions. Phase I was necessary as a proof of concept. Phase II should resolve technical issues relative to manufacturing and NFPA specifications. If this product is specified by the military, it will be an effective best seller in the commercial world as well. In past military applications, CFEM was successfully applied and demonstrated as a LASER defensive shield for satellites and as a lightweight effective means of cooling TR modules and IMPATT diodes. Recent commercializations of the CFEM concept have resulted in food warmers licensed to Pizza Hut, Inc. and advanced low-cost thermal protection for flight recorder boxes licensed o Smiths Industries.
Keywords: Pcm Endothermic Enthalpy Composite Cfem Fusion Exothermic Fabric
