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Nomex is a trademarked term for an inherently flame retardant fabric with meta-aramid chemistry widely used for industrial applications and fire protection equipment. It was developed in the early 1960s by DuPont and first marketed in 1967. (2026). 9783527306732 ISBN 9783527306732
Kevlar is often added to Nomex to increase its resistance to breakage or tear.
It is sold in both fiber and sheet forms and is used as a fabric where resistance from heat and flame is required. Nomex sheet is actually a calender and made in a similar fashion. Nomex Type 410 paper was the first Nomex paper developed and one of the higher volume grades made, mostly for electrical insulation purposes.
Wilfred Sweeny (1926–2011), the DuPont scientist responsible for discoveries leading to Nomex, earned a DuPont Lavoisier Medal in 2002 partly for this work.
A Nomex hood is a common piece of racing and fire fighting equipment. It is placed on the human head on top of a firefighter's face mask. The hood protects the portions of the head not covered by the helmet and face mask from the intense heat of the fire.
Wildland firefighters wear Nomex shirts and trousers as part of their personal protective equipment during wildfire suppression activities.
Auto racing wear Racing suit constructed of Nomex and or other fire retardant materials, along with Nomex gloves, long underwear, balaclavas, socks, racing helmet lining and shoes, to protect them in the event of a fire.
Armed forces aviator and aircrew wear made of over 92 percent Nomex to protect them from cockpit fires (previously issued flight suits were treated in Borax prior to the introduction). It is also worn as sailors' anti-flash gear. Troops riding in ground vehicles often wear Nomex for fire protection. Kevlar thread is often used to hold the fabric together at seams.
Military tank crews also typically use Nomex uniforms as protection against fire.
In the U.S. space program, Nomex has been used for the Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment on the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (in conjunction with Kevlar and Gore-Tex) and ACES pressure suit, both for fire and extreme environment (water immersion to near vacuum) protection, and as thermal blankets on the payload bay doors, fuselage, and upper wing surfaces of the Space Shuttle Orbiter. It has also been used for the airbags for the Mars Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover missions , the Galileo atmospheric probe, the Cassini-Huygens Titan probe, as an external covering on the AERCam Sprint, and is planned to be incorporated into NASA's upcoming Crew Exploration Vehicle.
Nomex has been used as an acoustic material in Troy, NY, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) main concert hall. A ceiling canopy of Nomex reflects high and mid frequency sound, providing reverberation, while letting lower frequency sound partially pass through the canopy. Immersive Art: Surrounded by Science, Art Flourishes by Michael Eddy, Stage Directions, February 1, 2009 According to RPI President Shirley Ann Jackson, EMPAC is the first venue in the world to use Nomex as an architectural material for acoustic reasons.
Nomex (like Kevlar) is also used in the production of loudspeaker drivers.
Honeycomb-structured Nomex paper is used as a spacer between layers of lead in the ATLAS experiment Liquid Argon Calorimeter, and as a laminate core for hull and deck construction in custom boats such as Stiletto Catamarans like the Stiletto 27. Boat Building: Process and Advances, How Core Materials Make Better Boats by Eric W. Sponberg, Naval Architect
Nomex is used in industrial applications as a filter in exhaust filtration systems, typically a baghouse, that deal with hot gas emissions found in asphalt plants, cement plants, steel smelting facilities, and non-ferrous metal production facilities.
Nomex is used in some classical guitar tops in order to create a 'composite' soundboard. When Nomex is laminated between 2 spruce or cedar 'skins', a rigid and lightweight plate is produced, which can improve the efficiency of the soundboard. While the 'laminated' technique was created by Matthias Dammann, the use of Nomex within was first employed by luthier Gernot Wagner.
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