Rebreather World - View Single Post

Westwinds · 31st March 2006, 04:30

Your question peaked my interest for two reasons. First I am quite familiar with the properties of thinsulate and hollofil. And second because I have never heard of this material. I did some quick research and found the following two sites with seemly credible information regarding Flectalon. The first is regarding the manufacturer and the second is from a health care journal.

Westwinds.

---

http://www.theascentgroup.co.uk/about/index.html

The Ascent Group was established in 1984 to develop Flectalon, a high-performance insulating material made from shredded metallised film, conceived as a result of research carried out by NASA into the ability of aluminised surfaces to reflect up to 95% of radiant heat. In clinical trials, Flectalon has been shown to give significantly better insulation then either Thinsulate or Hollofil and it can be specifically engineered for applications as diverse as survival equipment, cool insulation and stealth applications such as thermal camouflage.

The Ascent Group recognised that new product development was the key to securing sustainable competitive advantage and in 1993 the company decided to harness its experience in technical textiles to identify new product opportunities in related markets.

http://adc.bmjjournals.com/

http://adc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/60/1/47?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fullte xt=flectalon&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIR STINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT

Flectalon, web of aluminised polyvinylchloride fibres, has been formulated to minimise radiant heat losses and to provide conventional insulation. Critical temperature determinations were used to assess the insulating efficacy of this and other swaddling materials in infants. The critical temperature for a baby 2 to 10 days old was 31 degrees C when naked and 23 degrees C when wrapped in a Silver Swaddler or a sheet and two blankets. The use of a quilt made with Thinsulate or Hollofil with a mass per unit area of 160 to 180 g/m2 reduced the critical temperature to 19.5 degrees C, while Flectalon of comparable weight reduced the critical temperature to 13.8 degrees C: Flectalon is thus an efficient insulator. The risk of overheating was studied by monitoring swaddled babies, rectal temperatures at various ambient temperatures. Some forms of swaddling caused increases in rectal temperatures at "normal' hospital temperatures, implying risks from warmer environments and assessments of swaddling materials should, therefore, include medical evaluation of efficiency and safety. Flectalon merits assessment in other groups at risk from hypothermia.

31st March 2006, 04:30	#4 (permalink)
Westwinds Supporting Member Current Rebreather/s: Inspiration Classic Evolution Other Rebreather/s: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 89	Re: Flectalon versus Thinsulate When Wet Your question peaked my interest for two reasons. First I am quite familiar with the properties of thinsulate and hollofil. And second because I have never heard of this material. I did some quick research and found the following two sites with seemly credible information regarding Flectalon. The first is regarding the manufacturer and the second is from a health care journal. Westwinds. --- http://www.theascentgroup.co.uk/about/index.html The Ascent Group was established in 1984 to develop Flectalon, a high-performance insulating material made from shredded metallised film, conceived as a result of research carried out by NASA into the ability of aluminised surfaces to reflect up to 95% of radiant heat. In clinical trials, Flectalon has been shown to give significantly better insulation then either Thinsulate or Hollofil and it can be specifically engineered for applications as diverse as survival equipment, cool insulation and stealth applications such as thermal camouflage. The Ascent Group recognised that new product development was the key to securing sustainable competitive advantage and in 1993 the company decided to harness its experience in technical textiles to identify new product opportunities in related markets. http://adc.bmjjournals.com/ http://adc.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/60/1/47?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fullte xt=flectalon&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIR STINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT Flectalon, web of aluminised polyvinylchloride fibres, has been formulated to minimise radiant heat losses and to provide conventional insulation. Critical temperature determinations were used to assess the insulating efficacy of this and other swaddling materials in infants. The critical temperature for a baby 2 to 10 days old was 31 degrees C when naked and 23 degrees C when wrapped in a Silver Swaddler or a sheet and two blankets. The use of a quilt made with Thinsulate or Hollofil with a mass per unit area of 160 to 180 g/m2 reduced the critical temperature to 19.5 degrees C, while Flectalon of comparable weight reduced the critical temperature to 13.8 degrees C: Flectalon is thus an efficient insulator. The risk of overheating was studied by monitoring swaddled babies, rectal temperatures at various ambient temperatures. Some forms of swaddling caused increases in rectal temperatures at "normal' hospital temperatures, implying risks from warmer environments and assessments of swaddling materials should, therefore, include medical evaluation of efficiency and safety. Flectalon merits assessment in other groups at risk from hypothermia. __________________ Located in Canada Last edited by Westwinds : 31st March 2006 at 04:33.
(Offline)