The Chemical World Today

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The Chemical World Today inexpensive knitted paper is its launderability. After 10 washings, prototype T-shirts m a d e from tissue p a p e r (12-pound basis) show only slight fading a n d shrinkage which can be compensated for in t h e treating process. M a r k s h a s a lady's overcoat which still retains its shape after more t h a n 30 launderings. And women's hats w o n ' t get weak a n d soggy in t h e rain. O n e of t h e factors in this water-resistance, of course, is m e l a m i n e t r e a t m e n t for the p a p e r — A m e r i c a n C y a n a m i d ' s Parez Resin 607, for example, accomplishes this purpose. T h e knitted fabric withstands dry cleaning, too—a dress, already cleaned 14 times, is so far unaffected. Biggest Field:

Reinforced Plastics

But w h a t M a r k s foresees as t h e biggest potential area for his knit materials lies in t h e fast-growing field of reinforced plastics a n d resins. K n i t t e d p a p e r c a n be a cheap a n d strong core material for t h e r m o setting resins a n d a wide variety of thermoplastics. H e figures it c a n r e d u c e costs of some glass-reinforced laminates, without lowering strength, by replacing as m u c h as 8 0 % of t h e glass fiber. I t c a n be combined

iff) O u r fashion model wee "Brim S w a g g e r , " a p a p e r h a t which d r a p e s like sculptor's clay, a n d is lightweight a n d knitted

(Right) Three o f the many types o f knitted p a p e r materials a r e shown here

with other more expensive fibers, like asbestos o r nylon, t o vary properties a n d reduce costs in textiles for resin impregnation. A n d for supported plastic films, stretch factors of knitted papers c a n b e tailored to m a t c h those of the plastic. At t h e recent National Paper Week exhibits in N e w York, dozens of other possible uses were brought u p for serious consideration, a n d major paper companies—on t h e

lookout for logical diversification t o u p g r a d e their products—began t o prick u p their ears. A m o n g t h e poss'bilities: seamless cartons for virtually u n b r e a k a b l e packaging, wire-reinforced p a p e r pipe, draperies a n d decorative wall papers, parachutes, a n d even heat-shielding m a terials for missile nose cones. M o r e a n d more, M a r k s feels h e has a bear by the tail. H e ' s getting ready for a n exciting ride. D.G.W.

Modern "Igloos" Offer Low Cost Shelter Fuller geodesic design available in build-it-yourself kits for low-cost temporary housing and storage

I H E LEGENDARY difficulty of selling

iceboxes to Eskimos eventually gave way t o progress, a n d m a n y of this continent's northern natives today demand refrigerators—and even home freezers—along with t h e rest of us w h o seek the better life. W i t h that hurdle over, it won't be long now before someone starts trying to sell igloos to o u r Arctic friends. As a m a t t e r of fact, t h e C a n a d i a n government for several years h a s actually been experimenting with thick foam-plastic blocks which the Eskimo could use t o replace snow in forming his conventional type of shelter. T h e idea here is t h a t it would last all year long—even through t h e summer's perpetual daylight in t h e relatively w a r m lower-arctic latitudes—so that a tupek wouldn't have t o be built every year t o replace a melted igloo. But nomadic Eskimos d o n ' t seem to stay in one place long enough to want a p e r m a n e n t abode.

M o d e r n Look:

Geodesic Domes

Leaving the land of t u n d r a a n d permafrost, t h e basic principle of igloo engineering h a s been freed from its septentrional origins. As developed commercially by inventor R . Buckminster Fuller, it is being applied i n broader a n d more practical directions: inexpensive a n d sturdy shelters for world-wide, yearr o u n d use. Fuller's famous geodesic-dome design, increasingly popular these days a m o n g architects a n d builders for large a n d unusual structures, h a s been scaled d o w n t o small " G e o space" units. These c a n be assembled quickly a n d easily for weatherproof emergency housing, e q u i p m e n t o r bulk-material storage for industry a n d farm, job-site warehousing, a n d as a n expendable military item.

F o a m S a n d w i c h Units

M o n s a n t o Chemical C o . , through its Filtered Resin Products C o . subsidiary, is marketing these domes in t h e form of ready-to-assemble Fomecor board panels. M a d e by Fome-Cor Corp., jointly owned b y VOL. 53, NO. 4 • APRIL 1961

33 A

I/EC

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INTERPRETS

The Geospace utility shelter comes in a compact, 350-pound package. It can be assembled by three men in less than one working day

Monsanto and St. Regis P a p e r Co., these arc triangular panels of lightweight, rigid resin foam, 0.5 inch thick, sandwiched between 69-pound kraft paper, and dip-coated with alkyd-based paint for weather resistance. F u t u r e modifications can include lamination with plastic film, treated fabric, or metal foil, according to Monsanto.

T h e panels, cemented together at the site, form a self-supporting geodesic d o m e 22 feet in diameter. This shape reportedly provides maxim u m strength and contained volu m e , with the m i n i m u m a m o u n t of construction material. Fifty panels are needed to form the d o m e ; total weight (including base ring, stakes, and eyebolts) comes to a b o u t 350

A Rucksack Full of N e w Ideas Research is popping in a London suburb I HE very n a m e of T c d d i n g t o n , England, has an air of serenity and tranquility about it. But things are popping in this L o n d o n s u b u r b — at the National Chemical L a b o r a tory. Dr. I. Berkovitch has furnished I / E C with a potpourri of projects now u n d e r w a y at N C L . Beryllium Rucksack First off is the rucksack, a sort of piggyback knapsack for beryllium prospectors. This metal, gaining importance because of its use in nuclear reactors as a moderator, has d r a w n m a n y new searchers for beryl deposits. T h e diversity of these deposit locations makes prospecting portability a must—they m a y be found in such places as Brazil, Rhodesia, Kenya, or Portugal. T h e 34 A

N C L beryllium kit allows detection of small amounts of the element at the surface, indicating deposits beneath the soil. W e a t h e r i n g causes dispersion of traces of the ore, so that field testing can provide a good indication. Results, of course, are only semiquantitative, a n d must be correlated with w h a t is known of geological rock formation of the area. And everything necessary can be neatly packed in the rucksack. Anaerobe Probe T h e Corrosion Section of N C L has been busy trying to get more concise information on the activities of anaerobic sulphate-reducing bacteria. Past work has l u m p e d these several strains together; consequently, the differences in attack

INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY

pounds. T h r e e m e n can assemble a unit in 8 hours. I n the standard kit, selling for $300 (this a m o u n t s to only 85^ per square foot of floor space), two of the panels can be hinged to make a man-size door. F u t u r e kits will include ceiling vents, as well as preframed doors a n d windows, as optional equipment. D.G.W.

a m o n g the various types has led to spotty and variable results. N C L has now shown how these strains can be isolated, preserved, a n d maintained. T o determine the mechanism of the corrosion process, the researchers are studying the electrical behavior of steel in p u r e cultures of the bacteria while the effect on the corrosion rate of the separate strains of organisms is being determined by weight-loss experiments in semicontinuous culture conditions. Pulp Purified—Solvent Saved N C L ' s Extraction of Metals G r o u p has been working on a new type of contactor for conserving solvent used in u r a n i u m extraction. After being leached from ore, u r a n i u m is further concentrated by solvent extraction from the sulfuric acid slurry. Existing contactors suffer the disadvantage of solvent loss from removal with slurry solids. Each of N C L ' s con[Continued on page 36 A)