Volume 8, Number 2     March/April 2000

Thermal Insulation Protects Drivers

Thermal insulation blankets developed for use aboard the Space Shuttle are now protecting race car drivers against excessive cockpit heating. BSR-TPS Products, Inc., of Mooresville, North Carolina, manufactures thermal protection system (TPS) materials for NASCAR drivers as a result of a Space Act Agreement with Boeing North America (formerly known as Rockwell Space Systems), participating

as a NASA Kennedy Space Center contractor. The BSR-TPS product is the first commercial use of Shuttle TPS insulation.

The blanket is made from advanced flexible reusable surface insulation (AFRSI), enclosed in glass cloth impregnated with polytetrafluoroethylene. AFRSI was chosen because of its lightweight design, nonflammable properties and ability to maintain a known thickness over a range of compressive loads.

The original insulation blankets tested at Daytona worked very well and were state of the art from a thermal standpoint, but were not durable enough to withstand the environment in which they were tested. BSR-TPS changed the materials to increase durability and reduce cost. The fundamental design was unchanged. The entire blanket is less than 0.5 inch thick, yet acts as a highly efficient thermal-radiation shield. To prevent the overheating of the exhaust pipes, the blanket is installed only over the top of the system, leaving the bottom exposed to airflow. It is made of metal, ceramic and glass and is nonflammable.

The blankets were originally designed to work with the Space Shuttle. NASA’s Space Shuttle orbiters are subject to reentry heat loads as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Developed by Rockwell Space Systems, the TPS tiles and thermal blankets safeguard the Shuttles from excessive heat upon reentry.

The original effort to test the blanket insulation kits on a NASCAR auto was brought about by a Space Act Agreement between Kennedy and Penske Racing, Inc. Rockwell Space Systems, participating as a NASA contractor, agreed to design and install a Penske race car with Space Shuttle orbiter TPS blanket material.

The idea of using TPS materials to insulate against excessive heating in the cockpit of a race car came about as a result of a Kennedy tour taken by NASCAR champion Bobby Allison. Former Kennedy Director Jay Honeycutt suggested that TPS insulation materials could shield drivers from the internal high temperature of race cars. Bobby Allison contacted Roger Penske, who provided a race car in which the TPS insulation was installed. The TPS material was found to significantly reduce cockpit temperatures and the chance of serious injury to drivers.

Tests conducted at Daytona International Speedway resulted in significant temperature decreases in locations where the kits were installed. The exhaust pipes of NASCAR autos are routed so close to the sheet metal of the floor pan and transmission tunnel that a large portion of the heat radiated by the exhaust system enters the cockpit. Drivers can sustain localized second- or third-degree burns from the heat. The insulating blanket kits manufactured by BSR-TPS lower temperatures by more than 40 degrees in the cockpit. The thermal protection blankets are available for installation under the floor and seat and in the rocker panel, driver’s side door, exhaust pipe and oil tank. The blankets are designed to be lightweight and to provide maximum thermal protection to the driver in the event of a collision or fire.

BSR-TPS states that more than 90 cars and trucks in three different NASCAR series are using the TPS insulation kits. They are now introducing the kits to the Sports Car Club of America, the Offroad series and airplane manufacturers. An expanded market is also being developed for the Experimental Aircraft Association. Insulation kits are manufactured for race car teams around the world.

For more information, contact Thomas Gould at Kennedy Space Center. 321/867-6238, Thomas.Gould1@kmail.ksc.nasa.gov Please mention you read about it in Innovation.