USRE6708E - Improvement in processes for forming artificial caoutchouc - Google Patents

Description

UNITED "STATES PATENT omen.

AUSTIN c. DAY, or sEwYoRK, n. r.

IMPROVEMENT m PRQCESSES 'FoR FORMING A RTIE lC-IAL oAouTcHouc.

Bpeclflcationflormingpart of Letters Patent No. 58,615, dated October 9, was; antedated September 29, 1886;

reissue m. 0,705, dated October 19, 1815; application and September 6,1816.

DIvIsIon B.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Aus'rm G. DAY, of the State, county, and city of New York, have invented a process of making a compound which I term Artificial Oaoutchouc, and which is adupted'to be used for some purposes wholly, and for other purposes partly, as substitute for natural indie-rubber; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my said process.

The great and increasing cost of crude rubber renders it of 'much importance to obtain some substance which is suitable to either wholly or partly take the place of it in the arts; and the-object of my invention is to provide a composition-for this purpose which can be produced, readily and at a reasonable price.

It has long been known that certain oils can be vulcanized; but the vulcanization of an oil is not by itself of any great value. To make it of practical use, it must be combined with some resinous substance-such as liquid coal-tar, asphaltum bitumen,raw turpentine, due in order that the mixture may have body and character. For several years my efforts have been directed to rendering compounds of this nature serviceable as a substitute for india-rubber, and I have at last been able to successfully vulcanize vegetable and mineral ,oils in combination with resinous substances. I thereby, from materials which are abundant and cheap, obtain a composition which-possesses to a certain extent an elasticity and flexibility, as well as other qualities, which adapt it to be used more or less in place of rubber.

This invention, therefore, consists in a pro cess of making a new compound or product by combining vegetable and'minera l oils with gum resins or other resinous bodies and sulphurat a temperature suflicient to produce vulcanization of the mass.

' The oil or oils and the resinous body or bodies should be first mixed together under heat, and then the sulphur should be added and the temperature increased until the vulcanization is eifected.

In several respects, chemically speaking, the vegetableand mineral oils and the resinous bodies which I employ are like each other,

and'have characteristics in common; but for the purpose ofv this invention I treat theoils as one class of ingredients and the resinous bodies-as another class.

As examples of vegetable and mineral oils which may be used in my process, there may be mentioned cotton-seed oil, linseed-oil, hemp and rape seed oils, peanut-oil, cantor-oil, 850., and suitable examples of resinous bodies are coal-tar, asphaltum, bitumen, tnrpentine,-rosin, copal, Sac. Either of these members of these respective classes of articles, as well as most,

if not all, theother members of them known to chemists, will, when combined with each other and with sulphur and, ,vulcanized, embody to a greater or less degree the process which I have invented.

The practical method of preparing any of them respectively to be mixed together, and the treatment under which they can be made to combine and become. vulcanized, so as to produce the desired result is, also, substantially the same in all cases, although the natural condition of some of the articles is different from that of others, and the temperature at which some of them will enter into the combination will not answer for others.

Thus, some of the materials, such as petroleum, spirits of turpentine, coal-tar, &c., are naturally in a liquid state. Others, such as rosin, parafline, &c., can be made liquid at. a slight elevation of temperature. Others again, such as asphaltum, bitumen, copal, 8130., rerequire a high heat to bring them into aliquid condition. 'Again, the temperature to which the combined oils and resinofls bodies must be raised to unite withthe sulphur will be very different in diii'erentcases. Thus, linseed-oil readi ly combines with sulphur at the moderate heat of 288 Fahrenheit, while castor-oil will require a heat of 320 Fahrenheit. The lengths of heating time requisite to produce vulc'ani- 'zation will also vary under difl'erent circumstances; but,'as'a general rule, it will be found, as in the case of natural indie-rubber compounds, that the lower the temperature employed the greater the time which will be required to efl'ect a complete vulcanization, and the higher the temperature .the less the time. In short, each material or combination treatment.

r v sures of materials will require a more or less dell-- nite and a diflerent heat-higher or lower, according to its or their character-and a longer or shorter time of heating, according to the varying circumstances or purposes of the These general remarks are all which can be conveniently stated in a specification upon 'these points, but if they are kept in mind, and if attention bepaid to the description of the manipulation employed in the-following example of combinations with which I have successfully carried out my process, the practical chemist will have no difliculty in producing a substantially-similar result with any members of the respective classes of ingredients mentioned, whether such members are or are not specially named herein.

An illustrative example which will embody my invention, may be one pound cotton-seed oil, one pound coal-tar, and one pound sulphur. These ingredients I mix together by stirring, and heat themup to a temperature of about 260 Fahrenheit, and when they are well .mixed, 1 increase the temperature until vulcanization takes place.

' A compound thus formed will require about an hour, and at the end of that time will become thick and pasty, and on being removed from the vessel and cooled, will be soft and elastic.

To make a good medium product, I- may sometimes take two parts by measure or weight of linseed-oil, two parts cottou-seed'oil, two parts petroleum, two parts raw turpentine, and two parts-sulphur ;,or I may use two parts linseed-oil, one part cotton-seed oil, two parts heavy petroleum, two partslight coal-tar, onehalf part raw turpentine, one part spirits of turpentine, one-sixth part caou'tchonc or guttapercha, and two parts sulphur. Each of these examplesjwill require about an hour.

'Other examples may be two partslinseedoil, one part castoroil, one part petroleum, two parts liquid coal-tar,'two parts raw turpeiitine, and two parts sulphur" or two parts linseed oil, one part cotton-seed oil, one part peanut-oil, one part petroleum, three parts light coal-tar,-"one half part raw turpentine, one

part spirits of turpentine, and four parts snl-- phur. I 1

These compounds will require from thi ty to thirty-five minutes each.

I prefertoflrst heat and mix togethertheoils by themselves in a suitable vessel, raisingthem for this purpose to the required temperature,

which will generally be about 3009 Fahrenheit,

The mixture maythen becooled down to-about 240 to 250.Fahrenheit, at whiclrtempe'rmture I add the turpentine, coal;tar, or other ,resinous body or bodies, and if, as they unite with the oils, any carbon separates tothe bottom, I prefer to pour off the liquid portion of the mixture before-the sulphur is added. Fi-

nally, when the mixture has become homogeneous, I put in the'sulphur and carry the heat up to 300, or thereabout, or higher, if necessary, until vulcanization takes product may then be cooled for use.

In these examples the proportions stated are in ounces; but other weights or measures-of parts may be adopted. It must, however, be borne in mind that the times of heating will be longer if the quantities given in the examples are increased.

It will, in most cases, be found preferable,

when the oils or resinous bodies are not already in a liquid state, to bring them to that condition, and to do this in separate vessels, so as tobetter insure homogeneity in the pro duct before commencing to mix them to make .my compound.

I also usually obtain better results when. I employ together more than one member of each of the above-mentioned respective classes of elements instead of only one member alonethat is to say, two or more oils instead of one, and two or more resinous bodies instead of one-and, if a light-oil be used,'I- prefer that it should be counterbalanced by a heavy resinous body, such as heavy coal-tar, asphaltum,

or bitumen; of, if a' heavy oil be used, lighter resinous bodies should be combined with it.-

The consistency of the product may be varied when desired by varying the prqportions of the coal-tar, when that is employed, or of the oils, and also by varying the time and intensity of the heat. 1.

The new compound produced by this prooess is both cheap and easily made, and it not only possesses to a useful extent the importaut properties of elasticity and flexibility peearlier to natural caontchouc,'bnt alsoother properties of value, as it is more impervious to water, and resists cold, heat, and sunlight,

as well as: decomposing agents, better'than f natural rubber. Hence, for many articles, especially those which require a large weight of raw material, my new compdund may be substituted for natural caoutchouc and will elect a large saving in their cost.

Having thos -made known my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby. Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described process of forming a new product adapted to be used as a.sub-- stitute for indie-rubber, the same consisting in mixing and treating by means-of, heat, vegetable, or mineral oils, gum resins, or other resinous bodies, and sulphur, substantially as setforth.

- 2.. Th'e-herein-described process of combining vegetable or mineral oils, gum resins, or other resinous bodies, and sulphur, with indiarubber or guttapercha, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

' AUSTIN G. DAY.

Witnesses:

T. -J. Ksm, L J- DILLOY.

place. The