Shulman, Jack M.

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 The Knowledge Bank at The Ohio State University Ohio State Engineer Title:  Uses Ad Infinitum Creators:  Shulman, Jack M. Issue Date:  Apr-1938 Publisher:  Ohio State University, College of Engineering Citation:  Ohio State Engineer, vol. 21, no. 5 (April, 1938), 8-11. URI:  http://hdl.handle.net/1811/35504 Appears in Collections: Ohio State Engineer: Volume 21, no. 5 (April, 1938)  USES AD INFINITUMBy J. M. SHULMANIN the story of the discovery of Bakelite it is relatedhow the discoverer, Dr. L. H. Baekeland, havingformed the elusive substance after a long andlaborious search, counted up a total of forty-three in-dustries where he thought it could be used. As is sooften the case with a preliminary survey of this nature,this one of Dr. Baekeland's was ultra-conservative.Today it would be a real task to count forty-threeindustries in which Bakelite in one or more of its formscould not be used. So widespread is its use today andfor such a multitude of purposes, that to follow it inall its forms into all the places where it has found andhas yet to find service would be an endless journey.First brought to light in a period of crying indus-trial need for something of its nature, when once dis-covered the applicability of Bakelite knew no bounds.It was quick to invade every field of science, manufac-ture, art, and commerce, and even now at this stageof its relatively brief period of existence there is muchreason to believe that a large part of the "invasion"is yet to come. An investigation of almost any modernhome, factory, office building, or transportation con-veyance will reveal Bakelite serving some practical orornamental purpose in a surprising number of places,Coffee Table with Top and Sides of Laminated Bakelite-Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.and what is even more significant, will reveal countlessfurther places for its possible application.In their primary state the original substances fromwhich Bakelite materials are made are similar in someof their physical characteristics to natural resins. How-ever, in most of their properties and in constitutionthere are distinct differences. For this reason theterm "resinoid" has been adopted and is applied whenreferring to the basic constituent of all Bakelite mate-rials. The industrial development of resinous mate-rials constitutes one of the most noteworthy achieve-ments of organic chemistry.Bakelite products can be classified into a numberof different forms, in each of which the desirableproperties of the basic resinoid are modified or ampli-fied to meet specialized requirements. The forms inmost general use commercially are cast resinoids intransparent, translucent, and opaque effects; moldedproducts; laminated products of which sheets, tubes,and rods are standard forms; and liquid products ofthe heat hardenable type—varnish, lacquer, enamel,and cement. The unique combination of desirableproperties possessed by Bakelite materials shows in astriking way the reason for the versatility and thewide adaptability of Bakelite products. Molded mate-rials are characterized by high heat resistance, hard-ness to any desired degree over a wide range, excel-lent dielectric properties, high tensile strength, chem-ical resistance, and lightness in weight. Laminatedmaterials are hard, water resistant, heat resistant,chemically inert, and good in dielectric strength.Liquid products based on Bakelite provide an unusualdegree of resistance to sunlight and weathering, mois-ture resistance, chemical resistance, retention of elas-ticity, and resistance to abrasion or chipping.Bakelite molded products wrere early recognized bythe electrical industry as the solution to many insula-tion problems. It is a significant fact and an interest-ing part of Bakelite's history that a prominent Ameri-can manufacturer of electrical instruments was thefirst to install molded Bakelite in electrical mechanismsfor commercial use, and that this manufacturer hasused it ever since, for the most delicate apparatus. Inthe fields of electric power and communications Bake-lite has assumed great importance, both in its con-structional functions as panels, frames and bases, andas insulation material for the working parts. Its abilityto hold its shape to extreme accuracy, its high gradeinsulating qualities, its finish, and its adaptability forprecision molding make it preferable to hard rubber inalmost all cases where the latter might be used.Automobiles use molded Bakelite in dozens ofPage 8 THE OHIO STATE ENGINEER—Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.Group of Bakelite Laminated Gears and Pinionsplaces, particularly in the ignition system. Distributorheads, horn button and switch assemblies, ignitioncoil cases, spark plug covers, button starter cases, andinsulation parts for switches and instruments all aremade of Bakelite. One of the recent innovations inautomobile accessories is a beautifully designed heaterof Bakelite, somewhat radical in shape and appear-ance as compared with the older forms of heaters butentirely in harmony with the modern trend of stream-line automobile styling. Mar-proof, rattle-proof, andrust-proof, the Bakelite heater is an attractive additionto the interior of a car, and the one-piece construc-tion of the molded housing permits an actual savingin assembly costs.Laminated Bakelite has broadened the applicationfield of Bakelite by so great an amount that the listof services performed by the laminated material aloneis almost endless. On the score of lightness and cer-tain other advantages this material has replaced metalitself in many functions and has given service in a waywhich has often put metals to shame. Gears made ofthe laminated canvas product have demonstrated theirability to outlast brass, bronze, and cast iron withtheir own inherent strength, and furthermore to dothe heavy work of these metals without the crashingracket which ordinarily accompanies the meshing ofmetal gears. Bakelite gears are used extensively inhigh speed drives. On motors ranging from a frac-tional horsepower to 100 horsepower pinions of Bake-lite laminated serve to drive practically every type ofindustrial equipment including lathes, boring mills,planers, punch-presses, milling machines, crane bridgemotors, shears, ball mills, and high pressure pumps.In automobiles they are found composing timing geartrains, and they have been found to provide what isprobably the most efficient type of front end drive forthe automobile.For electrical purposes where greater mechanicalstrength is required than that provided by moldedBakelite, the laminated form is ideally suited. Inpower stations this form is used in all types of circuitbreakers and switches, insulating bushings, and as in-sulation for bus bars. In the latter capacity Bakelitetubing is slipped over connector end leads, thus savingtape-winding time and offering the additional advan-tage of being easily demountable when repairs arenecessary. As a material for instrument panels it willnot crack or chip when drilled or when subjected tosudden impact.One of the more recent utilizations of laminatedBakelite is in the manufacture of furniture and inte-rior decoration design patterns. In this field the mate-rial presents the invaluable advantages of being un-affected by alcohol and other solvents and unmarrableby lighted cigarettes. These features have led to itsextensive use by manufacturers of bars, tables, desks,and other similar pieces of furniture, particularlywhere the furniture is subject to severe service as inrestaurants and hotels. The pleasing and modernisticappearance of Bakelite furniture is a factor which islikely to make this application more and more im-portant in the future.The color, texture, and waterproof characteristicsof laminated Bakelite make it ideally adaptable forwall surfaces in building construction and interiordecorating. It has also been successfully used fordoors, baseboards, kick plates, store fronts, picturemolding, counters, and partitions between rooms. Itsuse as a veneer or surface sheet on metal, wood, fibre,and other products makes it possible to obtain an ex-Radio Cabinets-Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.April, 1938 Page 9—Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.Translucent Printed Radio Dialtremely durable surface, the attractiveness of which isnot the least of its desirable qualities. The decorativeeffects possible by the combined use of highly polishedinlays of different metals and the rich, lustrous finishof laminated Bakelite in a wide range of colors arelimited only by the ingenuity of the designer.That the midget household radio receiver is un-doubtedly here to stay is evidenced by the ever-increasing number of small radio cabinets on the mar-ket. Many of the small sets sold today are housed inBakelite cabinets of attractive colors. Whether or notthe Bakelite cabinets are more pleasing than modern-istic wooden cabinets is a matter of personal taste, butit cannot be denied that the small Bakelite radios areobjects of beauty which go well with the interior styl-ing of any room in the modern home.Paints and varnishes based on Bakelite resins areresponsible for a high degree of success in the present-day attack on the age-old problem of protecting sur-faces. Time-honored materials have often proved in-adequate in meeting the increasingly severe require-ments demanded by industrial users of these products.The Bakelite resins, while not a complete solution toall surface protection problems, have neverthelessdefinitely established themselves as belonging in paintsand varnishes just as surely as do any of the othermaterials, because their properties coincide so exactlywith modern demands.In the manufacture of modern grinding machineryBakelite resinoids have provided a bonding materialbetter than anything previously known. The superi-ority of Bakelite wheels was recognized immediatelyafter they were first made available to industry, andsince then their commercial importance has rapidlyincreased. The statement was made a number ofyears ago by a prominent manufacturer of abrasivewheels that "Probably one of the most important for-ward strides in the industry was the introduction ofhigh-speed Bakelite bonded wheels." The high me-chanical strength of Bakelite wheels permits extremelyhigh grinding speeds along with corresponding increasein production efficiency where these wheels are used.In snagging castings and in rough grinding, wheelsbonded with Bakelite resinoids can be operated at9,500 surface feet per minute, whereas the wheels for-merly used were ordinarily operated at 6,500 feet perminute. Bakelite cut-off wheels are operated at a sur-face speed of more than three miles a minute.It is now recognized that the comparatively newhigh-speed wheels bonded with Bakelite resinoids areadapted to almost every type of grinding. Some ofthe more recent applications are their use in grindingvalve stems, sharpening or "gumming" saws, formingand sharpening high-speed tools and cutters, makinggears and cutlery, all types of disc grinding includingthe seats of coiled springs used in the "knee" actionon motor cars, and coping and molding granite andmarble. This is only a partial list and the uses arecontinually expanding.It is only natural that Bakelite, especially the lami-nated form, having the properties of high mechanicalstrength, light weight, and durability should find itsway into aircraft construction. It has been found anideal material for many parts of an airplane—cablepulleys, cable fair-leads, bearing spools for wingfittingattachment bolts, and shims for engine attachmentbolts. Being relatively non-absorbent and capable ofresisting corrosion, besides having a significant weightadvantage, Bakelite is far superior to metal for pulleysand fair-leads. Because it is uninjured by gasoline ormoisture it has been readily adopted for engine mountshims. Many of the newer passenger planes haveBakelite laminated sheet material for the interiorpaneling.Some of the new uses constantly being found forBakelite are so unusual and of such importance thatthey constitute a story in themselves. For example,there is the case of a certain railroad serving the mid-western and eastern United States, which constructeda roundhouse in a metropolitan area around which thecity grew with unforeseen rapidity. In time the prob-lem of smoke from the locomotives became a seriousone. It was attempted to solve the problem by plac-ing hoods over the smoke stacks of locomotives in theroundhouse so that the smoke could be drawn awayby suction and forced through a smoke-washing tun-Smokers' Pipes—Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.Page 10 T H E OHIO STATE ENGINEER—Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.Oil Circuit Breaker with Spindler and ExpulsionChamber Sleeves of Laminated Bakelitenel. Every material tried in constructing the tunnelwas attacked by the sulfurous acid fumes emitted fromthe coal-burning locomotives' smoke stacks and lastedonly a short time. A sample of Micarta, one manufac-turer's trade name for laminated Bakelite, was placedin the tunnel and kept there for six months. Whenremoved for inspection there was not the slightest signof corrosion or any evidence of deterioration by ero-sion. A new tunnel was constructed of Micarta andafter three years of continuous service the Bakelitematerial was still in excellent condition.Among the most beautiful of the Bakelite productsare articles made of the transparent molding materials.These materials make it possible to produce orna-mental objects having an unusually attractive depthof color and lustre in colors of amber, ruby, green, andtortoise-shell. Mottled and cloudy effects and alsosome opaque colors can be produced. One class ofthe transparent Bakelite has such a high index of re-fraction that it approaches that of the ruby. Moldedparts produced from it have a degree of reflected lightordinarily observed only when examining rare jewels.The introduction of transparent molding materials hasopened up a complete new field for the application ofplastics. These materials now find use as automobiletail and dome light lenses, elevator signal indicators,traffic light signals, instrument housings, transparentliquid containers, furniture drawer pulls, knobs andhandles, gauge glasses, lamp shades, buttons, chemicalgraduates, novelty items, and sales demonstrators.The most recent development in the field of Bake-lite research is a new plastic called Bakelite poly-styrene, which possesses several properties long soughtin other types of molding materials. Because of itsunusually desirable electrical characteristics, this newmaterial is of special interest for its possibilities asthey affect the electrical industry. Bakelite poly-styrene has a power factor of less than .0002 at fre-quencies extending from those used in power trans-mission to the radio broadcast frequencies, and a di-electric constant of 2.60 for the same range of fre-quencies. Its dielectric strength is high, more than500 volts per mil; its resistivity over ten million meg-ohm centimeters. Besides these remarkable electricalproperties, this material provides the important meritscharacteristic of other bakelite products such as uni-formity in molding, high resistance to water andchemicals, high durability and toughness.Bakelite polystyrene in its pure state is colorlessand possesses a transparency approaching that ofglass. It is not yet available in colors, nor for opticaluse, since it was initially produced to meet demandsfor electrical insulating and chemical resisting prop-erties. However, it is very easily colored and willprobably be produced in a full range of colors within ashort time. Unlike many of its predecessors, Bake-lite polystyrene is thermoplastic, retaining an abilityto be softened and distorted at fairly high tempera-tures, thus adapting it to certain uses where ordinarymolding materials could not be used. Parts of theordinary type made of polystyrene will withstand tem-peratures up to 176 degrees F. without distortionwhen the load involved is simply their own weight.With the announcement of Bakelite polystyrene thefield for the plastics industry is once again broadened.\Control Panel of Laminated Bakelite withAluminum Printing.—Courtesy of The Bakelite Corp.April, 1938 Page 11

Uses Ad Infinitum

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Uses Ad Infinitum

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