There is a need for high efficiency radiators in liquid cooled military vehicles. It is obvious that the new system should be better than the current Al radiators in terms of thermal performance, military robustness, size, weight and easiness of mass production.
For the last ten to fifteen years, a search for new materials has been ongoing. One of the best current candidates is a pitch-based carbon foam that exhibits a superior thermal performance, but with inferior mechanical performance.
While developing carbon foam systems, with the intent of overcoming its seriously low mechanical strength, it was also discovered that another serious concern emerged, namely the difficulty in joining, bonding and sealing the carbon foam to the same, or dissimilar material, such as metal or ceramic.
This paper presents results of our first stage effort in strengthening carbon foam under an SBIR program funded by the National Automotive Center (NAC) at TACOM, Warren, MI.