i&ec reports
Conference in a Rowboat
The finished crystal was dropped onto a conical pile of quartz sand in an annealing furnace. The sand prevents the incorporation of impurities into the plastic lower portion, which might cause differential cooling contraction. The an nealing furnace is held at 600° C. for 8 to 10 days and then cooled at about 0.5° C. per hour. Other salts, notably potassium chloride and sodium bro mide, were also processed in the same equipment but seemed to offer no advantages over inexpensive rock salt for the opti cal units desired. M.L.K.
TEXTILE CINDERELLAS
J I M : Yes, sir, this is the life! And I left everything under control at the office except just one problem — those heat exchangers for the new plant!
When chemists decide that a thing has to be beautified, almost anything can happen. We were startled some years ago when such a commonplace material as glass was spun into fibers and then woven as a soft, silken textile material with remarkable fire-resistant properties. Now you can have draperies and curtains of this noncombustible material in al most any color, thanks to new dyeing techniques. We never heard of anyone dyeing glass either, but the effect is achieved b y applying a thin gelatin type of protein film to the yarn during manufacture. This film is 1 to 2 % by weight of the finished yarn. As a result the coating will absorb the fast soluble vat dyes as well as the more brilliant acid, chrome, and direct colors. There are many other striking results of research shaping up in this ancient business of clothing people and beautifying their homes. The consumer usually does not learn of them, however, until the final result is in the shop window. I t took 20 years of unremitting work and study to apply the art of photography to textiles so t h a t it could be used for printing to replace the century-old screen and roller tech niques. There is nothing new about printing photos on silk or cotton immersed in a photosensitized emulsion, but the Photone method, as it is called, goes far beyond that. I t introduces various colors in subtle shadings to fabrics in place of just flat dyeings. Ammonia vapor is used to bring out the latent image. The emulsion is an unrevealed trade secret; in essence, the chemistry of the operation is somewhat similar to t h a t used in the Ozalid process. New fibers are not discovered every day; still there have been several outstanding contributions in this field since the close of the war. Like nylon and Vinyon, they are noncellulosic and processed from chemicals such as Terylene, a synthetic fiber of yet undisclosed composition derived essen tially from terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Strength and heat resistance are the outstanding characteristics, but like nylon, it does not dye too easily. The work of Robert B. Woodward in synthesizing such giant molecular proteins as the polypeptide polymers may open a door to an entirely new class of synthetic silks and woolens. Nonwoven fabrics represent man's third effort on this planet to provide himself with textiles. I t could conceivably take the place of weaving machinery much as the latter succeeded the hand weaver's frame, but we (Continued on page H A) gjflfP tW··
BILL: If that's your only worry, relax and enjoy your self. Whitlock can handle that job for you and do it right. J I M : So I hear, but they're way off in Hartford, Con necticut. I can hardly expect them to send a man to study our job. BILL: That's right — // their man had to come from Hartford! But don't forget that Whitlock has forty or fifty direct sales offices and representatives all over the country, working on jobs like yours. J I M : But some of my jobs are pretty complex, prob ably too difficult for most field engineers — what then? BILL: Very simple — the field engineer's recommenda tions are all mailed to Hartford and reviewed by their Thermal and Production Engineering Divisions imme diately. If necessary, a specialist from Hartford comes out to look the job over, J I M : Bill you're the guy who knows all the answers! That equipment has had me worried. I hadn't realized there was a local Whitlock man who could drop in to talk things over. Now, a phone call should settle m y problem.
There's an experienced Whitlock representa tive near you. Ask his advice on your heat transfer problems and follow his recom mendations.
THE WHITLOCK MANUFACTURING CO. 84 SOUTH ST., ELMWOOD, HARTFORD 1 , C O N N . New York · Chicago ·
Boston · Philadelphia
· Detroit ·
Richmond
Authorized representatives in other principal cities In Canada: Darling Bros., Ltd., Montreal
WHITLOCK ΠΈλΜ,^ΤΕΟΊΛ EQUIPMENT, AHEAD
OF
THE
Bends Heat
*
Coils
·
Exchangers
Pressure Vessels TIMES
FOR
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Condensers
·
·
*
Heaters Receivers
HALF
A
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Coolers Piping Reboilers CENTURY
12 A
