Technical Microscopy in the Rubber Industry

For supplying information not obtainable by the usual methods, the microscope is useful and often essential; not only will it disclose details which would otherwise be unseen, but by its unique methods of examination measurements of certain properties of materials can be readily secured which are not otherwise obtainable. When one considers the value of the microscope to the rubber industry specifically, the study of the size of particles is usually the first and frequently the only application which comes to mind, although other uses have been suggested and described. The present paper not only describes the importance of the microscope in determining particle size and shape, but also covers its applications in the solution of other problems which ordinarily are not considered to lie in the field of microscopy. [Chamot describes many interesting applications in different industries which indicate the unusual capabilities of microscopic methods.] In a well-organized industrial laboratory, the microscope is used to supplement and aid other methods for examination of raw materials, control of factory processing, correlation of physical properties with service performance, and solution of factory difficulties. The specific examples cited in this paper represent uses which have originated in connection with the manufacture of rubber goods, but they serve also to illustrate methods applicable to problems of the same type originating in other industries.