Insulating material and method of making same

摘要

An insulating material is provided comprising an air tight enclosure maintained under vacuum and containing a plurality of alternate, successive layers of thin reflective foil and thin insulating sheeting. These layers are tightly packed together and are arranged generally perpendicular to the heat flow. The enclosure walls are thin and sufficiently ductile or resilient so that when air is pumped from inside the enclosure, the walls deform in response to atmospheric pressure and transmit this load to the layers of foil and sheeting thereby compressing them tightly together. A method of making such an insulating material is also provided, by wrapping multiple layers of laminated insulating components around a thin inner wall of the enclosure, covering and enclosing the layers and inner wall with thin outer walls of the enclosure, and subjecting the enclosure to a vacuum causing the thin enclosure walls to deform under atmospheric pressure and compress the insulating components together to thereby form a consolidated, rigid structural member having high performance insulating qualities.