Project Gallery

ERG Materials and Aerospace has been providing solutions utilizing Duocel® foamed materials for over forty years, and is the world leader in Aluminum and Vitreous Carbon open celled foams. Here are some of the projects that have contributed to the success of our customers. Click on the thumbnail to reveal a full size image.

CO2 Scrubber

Aluminum foam is used as the heat exchange media and granulated chemical support matrix for the atmospheric carbon dioxide control system on the space shuttle. Amine powder granules can selectively absorb and desorb carbon dioxide at specific temperatures, but generate or require heat for the reaction. The high thermal conductivity foam matrix increases the response rate and efficiency of the system. The foam also electrically grounds the powder and disrupts its packing structure to improve gas flow and increase its lifetime.

Heat Pump

Aluminum foam is loaded with chemical powders in order to improve thermal management. Ammonia is selectively absorbed and released into and out of the powder. The foam thermally couples the powder to water tubes. The net result is a heat pump for a solar powered, non-polluting air conditioner.

Hydrogen Fuel Bus

Aluminum foam was used as the metal hydride powder support matrix in the hydrogen storage system for the H2Fuel Bus project. The project was sponsored by a coalition of academic, government, and private industry partners with the objective of building a prototype hydrogen-fueled electric-powered transit bus with near-zero emissions. The foam's interconnected porosity and excellent thermal conductivity was the critical link in the hydride tank storage system.

Messiah College

Messiah College's entry into the Sun Race Solar Powered Vehicle Competition in 1995 utilized aluminum foam as a core structure and heat transfer agent in the solar collectors.

LAM Discs

Duocel aluminum foam is compressed and machined into discs which are used to improve the lateral dispersion of gases in CVD and dry etch machines. Flow dispersion acts to stabilize the flow velocity profile by minimizing lateral fluid velocity to reduce upstream cross flow and turbulence. The diffuser disk additionally acts as a plasma stabilizer and flame arrestor to mitigate back arcing. ERG Materials and Aerospace manufactures these discs as OEM standard products for a number of semiconductor equipment manufacturers. These standard products are available off our shelves for your order.

Microphone Baffle

ERG has been working with NASA Glenn Research Center for a number of years to improve the performance of piezeoelectric wind tunnel microphones. Duocel aluminum foam acts as a microphone wind cover to reduce noise and act as a flow straightener. The device depicted is 40PPI, 6-8% aluminum foam epoxy bonded to a bored out 6061-T6 shell which houses the microphone.

Space Based Solid Cryogen Tank

Space based infrared optics using solid cryogenic coolers utilize aluminum foam as an isothermalizer and baffle structure. Keeping a solid cryogen at a uniform temperature gives the infrared optics a longer useful lifetime.

Liquid Nitrogen Tank

Duocel Aluminum foam is used as the structural core, heat exchanger, and anti-slosh baffle in a lightweight conformal pressure tank. The tank stores liquid nitrogen for an airborne infrared telescope system.

Missile Baffles

Aluminum foam is being used to provide environmental protection for the first stage rocket motors of submarine launched ballistic missiles. Truncated conical foam components are mounted in the throat of the rocket motor nozzle and protect the solid propellant grain from the underwater launch and seawater environments until the missile is above the ocean surface and is ready to ignite.

Rocket Nozzle

Silicon Carbide was chosen to be used as a prototype hot gas filter for missile programs because of its high temperature capabilities and strength. The exhaust gases from the missile's propulsion system pass through the SiC foam filters prior to the steering nozzles to remove particulate contamination and cool the exhaust. The picture on the right shows Duocel SiC Foam at 100 PPI and 10% density. These nozzles are 6.7" in diameter and 7.7" long.

Rocket Insert

Duocel aluminum foam has been used as the propellant reinforcement for a solid fuel rocket motor. The interconnected foam ligaments not only strengthen the propellant for high load applications, but also increases the burn rate via preheating and provides an electrostatic grounding grid.

Stage Separation Shrapnel Absorber

A solid rocket booster was adapted to launch scientific instruments into low earth orbit. However, it was found that the shape charges in the rocket that were used to release the payload generated dangerous amounts of shrapnel. An aluminum foam ring was designed by ERG and several were fabricated to contain the shrapnel and minimize launch weight in this rocket booster series. The assembled ring was gold alodined as the final fabrication step to provide additional corrosion resistance when the vehicles are launched from tropical sites.

Optical Bench

The aluminum composite optical bench on the right is fabricated for an airborne laser commmunication system and provides an extremely stable isothermalized platform.

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