Firefighters are subjected to heat stress and noise pollution on the fireground.
When back in the truck, the goal is to help provide a cool, quiet cabin. Aearo Technologies can help. For more than 50 years, Aearo Technologies LLC, a 3M company, has been known for its high-performing, system solutions for controlling unwanted heat, noise, and vibration. After
successfully serving large commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers for more than 40 years, Aearo is now providing solutions to the fire, rescue, and emergency services segments. As Betty Carew, Aearo Technologies Business Development Director, explains: “Aearo
Technologies offers the most comprehensive service and insulation portfolio options to help our fire truck customers win in the marketplace.”
The focus, according to Carew, is to make apparatus cabins more comfortable for firefighters and other emergency personnel while improving efficiency of cooling systems. Aearo Technologies uses
a data-based approach to identify unwanted thermal and acoustic sources to create custom engineered insulation packages. These system solutions can help decrease operating and maintenance costs because the insulated cabin will reduce reliance on the heating-ventilation-air-conditioning (HVAC) unit, reducing energy needs. Let’s look at Aearo’s comprehensive engineered solutions in more detail.
CABIN COMFORT: LESS HEAT TRANSFER, LOWER TEMPERATURE
Aearo Technologies TUFshield™ thermal barrier and TUFCOTE™ aluminized polyester faced insulation reflect radiant engine heat and shield against convective heat, further enhancing firefighter comfort in the cabin. In effect, they reduce the transfer of heat from the engine into the cabin during stationary high-load operation.
Additionally, Aearo’s TK fiber insulation products provide a 10% on-average improvement in thermal flux through cabin walls. The combined improved cabin and engine compartment insulation reduces the time it takes for the HVAC to cool the cabin interior and helps to maintain a lower temperature for a longer period.
LESS NOISE
Aearo Technologies TUFCOTE™ foam and TK fiber insulation products improve articulation index (a speech intelligibility measure) by 10% within the cabin interior. For example, TUFCOTE™ XL acoustic foam has an 0.8 noise reduction coefficient in the one-inch thickness. This capability creates a quieter atmosphere, minimizing external noise and making communication in the cab easier.
QUALITY
Testing is a vital aspect of product quality protocol. To this end, Aearo Technologies engineering teams use a system approach to treat noise and heat sources in their advanced testing facilities, generating information through a variety of tests in their hemi-anechoic dynamometer room, hemi-anechoic room, or reverberant chambers. (See sidebar “State-of-the-Art Acoustic Technology Center.”)
It is easy to customize Aearo’s high-quality i