Thermal acoustical blankets protect war fighters

[ Ehmke Manufacturing Co. Inc. ] Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A.

Thermal acoustical blankets designed, fabricated and installed by Ehmke Manufacturing are used in the Boeing Ch-47 Chinook, H-47 Combat Search and Rescue, HMX-1 CH-46 Presidential Chase Helicopter and V-22 Osprey Tiltrotor aircraft. The primary functions of these blankets are to protect war fighters against harsh environmental conditions and deaden the noise generated by the engine turbines. The materials used to construct the blankets comprise three layers. The facing layer is a flame-resistant, vinyl-coated fiberglass (nonporous). The insulation layer is a ½-inch to 1-1/2-inch thick fiberglass batting, and the backing layer is a lightweight elastomer-coated polyvinyl fluoride film. These materials are quilted in a uniform diamond configuration, and trimmings such as hook and pile tapes, reinforcements, nylon binding tape and hardware fasteners are added to the blanket for attachment to be aligned exactly to a helicopter’s internal airframe. Ehmke is conducting ballistic testing to incorporate an anti-ballistic barrier into the blanket design.