I have done exhaustive searching here on VAF about the RV-10 tunnel heat issue, but it is difficult to figure out how it will (or won't) affect my new RV-10 that I'm building. This is because a lot of the information is fairly old and it's difficult to determine what has changed.
Here is a summary:
If I'm going to insulate the inside of my tunnel, I think the following are important criteria:
Here is a summary:
- Per the plans, there is no insulation on the firewall. I have seen people insulate the firewall which should obviously keep some heat out of the tunnel. I plan to insulate the hot side of my firewall.
- It also seems that heat can enter from the bottom since the exhaust is directly under the tunnel. But it also seems that Van's modified the exhaust kit at some point that might mitigate this issue.
- I have also seen people put a stainless steel plate on the outside of the airplane to protect the fuselage from the exhaust heat. How necessary is this?
- As I said above, insulate the hot side of the firewall
- To protect against exhaust heat, insulate the floor of the forward tunnel
- Since it will be a trivial additional effort, insulate the forward wall of the tunnel (the cold side of the firewall)
If I'm going to insulate the inside of my tunnel, I think the following are important criteria:
- Must provide effective heat insulation
- Must not be flammable or generate smoke
- Must not harm the aluminum (e.g. attracting moisture)
- Bonus: fire resistance (as an extra layer of protection, since the fuel lines are in there)
- A lot of products out there provide protection from radiant heat, but I don't think that will be helpful inside the tunnel. I think I need insulation.
- Heatshield Armor: I saw some other people used Lava Shield, which again is for radiant heat. But the same company makes this product that I think might be useful for insulation
- SealTech: It looks like it provides insulation and doesn't attract moisture
- Silicone Sponge: Or a similar type of product