Aerogel Jacket

wacki

Senior member
Oct 30, 2001
881
0
76
Not really highly technical, but I think the people here will appreciate it.

http://www.burton.com/gear/products.asp...uctID=139&shortMaterialNumber=B6312102

"Built for days when Ma Nature?s had one too many bean burritos, the fully taped Maximus? Jacket, with Spaceloft® insulation zones, shelters you from the shittiest conditions."

I found this jacket and instantly decided I had to buy it. Then I went in and actually had a look at it. There is only a few tiny patches of aerogel on the back. Aerogel is good, but I have extreme doubt it's that good. If anyone has proof otherwise, please let me know.
 

Spike

Diamond Member
Aug 27, 2001
6,770
1
81
Originally posted by: wacki
Not really highly technical, but I think the people here will appreciate it.

http://www.burton.com/gear/products.asp...uctID=139&shortMaterialNumber=B6312102

"Built for days when Ma Nature?s had one too many bean burritos, the fully taped Maximus? Jacket, with Spaceloft® insulation zones, shelters you from the shittiest conditions."

I found this jacket and instantly decided I had to buy it. Then I went in and actually had a look at it. There is only a few tiny patches of aerogel on the back. Aerogel is good, but I have extreme doubt it's that good. If anyone has proof otherwise, please let me know.

Is that even a word?
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
6
71
Out of curiosity, how well does aerogel maintain it's (lack of) density? Is the material compressible? Seeing how it is being used in clothing and footwear the answer seems to be no but I still wonder if anyone here knows just how durable it really is.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,491
1,109
126
it did spend a few years in space and cought some commet dust not too long ago.
 

Soccerman06

Diamond Member
Jul 29, 2004
5,830
5
81
Well, air is a good insulator of heat/cold, and since aerogel is 99.9% air iirc, it should be decent. Anyone remember that jacket (could still be around) that you could blow into it and it would inflate and keep you quite warm? I tried it on at the local ski shop and it was actually very warm. So I would come to think that it would be decent.
 

Armitage

Banned
Feb 23, 2001
8,086
0
0
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Out of curiosity, how well does aerogel maintain it's (lack of) density? Is the material compressible? Seeing how it is being used in clothing and footwear the answer seems to be no but I still wonder if anyone here knows just how durable it really is.

Yep, I was wondering about that also - won't do you much good if it turns to dust.

And it's enourmously expensive judging by the samples for sale from NASA
 

Soccerman06

Diamond Member
Jul 29, 2004
5,830
5
81
Originally posted by: Armitage
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Out of curiosity, how well does aerogel maintain it's (lack of) density? Is the material compressible? Seeing how it is being used in clothing and footwear the answer seems to be no but I still wonder if anyone here knows just how durable it really is.

Yep, I was wondering about that also - won't do you much good if it turns to dust.

And it's enourmously expensive judging by the samples for sale from NASA

If your talking about the stuff in their gift shop, Im sure that they are just trying to make a little profit. My bio chem teacher says its neither cheap, but not expensive to make aerogel
 

Armitage

Banned
Feb 23, 2001
8,086
0
0
Originally posted by: Soccerman06
Originally posted by: Armitage
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Out of curiosity, how well does aerogel maintain it's (lack of) density? Is the material compressible? Seeing how it is being used in clothing and footwear the answer seems to be no but I still wonder if anyone here knows just how durable it really is.

Yep, I was wondering about that also - won't do you much good if it turns to dust.

And it's enourmously expensive judging by the samples for sale from NASA

If your talking about the stuff in their gift shop, Im sure that they are just trying to make a little profit. My bio chem teacher says its neither cheap, but not expensive to make aerogel

The samples I saw were about $65/in^3 I'm sure there is a significant markup wrt industrial quantities, but even so, it isn't cheap.
 

GhostDoggy

Senior member
Dec 9, 2005
208
0
0
I want Aerogel in my house. 3.5" for R35 walls. Who needs HVAC with that kind of starting insulation?
 

Mark R

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,513
16
81
Just thought I'd show off the heating system in my apartment.

Heater
Aerogel insulation mat
Heat storage bricks

The aerogel mat is about 1/4 inch thick and encased in woven glass fibre. It doesn't look much like the NASA stuff - it's a sort of dusty gray granular material. It feels really crumbly and isn't soft at all. Oh, and loads of dust and grit fell out of the mat when I took it out. Definitely, not something to fiddle with on a regular basis.

The heaters aren't particularly expensive - but as you can see in the 3rd picture they've made sparing use of the aerogel - and used fibreglass for those bits where thickness doesn't really matter.