Foam Core Warmer

[FishDiver]

I'd like to experiment with making a drysuit undergarment vest out of some type of stiff, open cell foam. The idea is to ensure 1/4-1/2 inch of insulation at depth over the upper body core. My theory is open cell foam won't compress under pressure like closed cell, and a stiff material (polyurethane?) will minimize the compression of the foam due to suit squeeze. The foam should also soak up and condensation inside the suit, perhaps a mixed blessing.

Has anyone tried this successfully or not? Are there any flaws in my assumptions.

 

[fjpatrum]

Open cell foam would actually compress more under pressure than closed cell foam would, thus not being very good as an insulator. That said, a neoprene vest would be a good insulator that could accomplish this purpose.

EDIT: I suspect you'd find "stiff open cell foam" wouldn't be very practical or comfortable as a garment. Also, being open cell it may require a whole lot more lead to counteract the air trapping nature of the material.

 

[knotical]

If you don’t constantly keep ahead of suit squeeze by adding air to your dry-suit, stiff foam will be crushed and damaged. It wouldn’t matter if it were open- or closed-cell.

Any stiff material will reduce your flexibility/mobility, even if just around your core.

if someone doesn’t add air to their dry-suit, both open- and closed-cell foam will compress. Recalling that open-cell allows gas to pass throughout the material and closed-cell doesn’t, then as fjpatrum said, the open-cell will compress more. But upon adding air, flexible open-cell foam would return to its original size – closed cell would not, so standard closed-cell neoprene would be less effective as a dry-suit undergarment.

Why would any foam be better than other dry suit garment materials, which are designed specifically to insulate?

 

[FishDiver]

My thought was that an open cell material would not compress for the same reasons that Thinsulate and poly garments don't. The hypothetical advantage of foam vs other materials is greater resistance to compression and the possibility of greater thickness around the body core. Similar to using a a foam pad under a sleeping bag for warmth.

I realize that under any scenario you still have to add air to pressure the suit.

 

[spectrum]

I have some 6X9 Sotchbrite pads on the shelf that I want to line the chest of a a vest with. It's a fairly rigid reinforced fiber structure. It's 1/4 thick and I'm thinking maybe 2 layers. The idea is to have an incompressible material. Is this stuff rigid enough, I don't know but it will be fun trying.


I have also looked at the rubbery matrix stuff the use as router mats and motor home shelf liner but it's pretty soft.

 

[FishDiver]

I have some 6X9 Sotchbrite pads on the shelf that I want to line the chest of a a vest with. It's a fairly rigid reinforced fiber structure. It's 1/4 thick and I'm thinking maybe 2 layers. The idea is to have an incompressible material. Is this stuff rigid enough, I don't know but it will be fun trying.


I have also looked at the rubbery matrix stuff the use as router mats and motor home shelf liner but it's pretty soft.

Now that's thinking out of the box! I thought I was clever with semi-rigid packing foam. Maybe we can making something from foam packing peanuts.

 

[PhASe]

I have a fix!!! Take all those scotch brute pads and go down to you local harbor. Hold a sign that says, "hull cleaning $100!?!?!" Apply scotch brite to hulls, rinse, repeat until you have enough moneys for a suit heater


In all honesty, I love this thinking. You know what they say, ingenuity is the mother of all inventions, no wait, that not right. Ingeniousness is the.....no.... Engine are the.... CRAP!!!!! Anyway y'all get my drift, someone's mom helps us make things...... Keep up the good work.

---------- Post added January 15th, 2013 at 06:52 AM ----------

Necessity!!!!!!!!!!!