In 1906, Dr. Leo Bakeland experimented with
the polymerization of phenolic resins. He found
that by adding formaldehyde and heat, a chemical
cross linkage took place; thermoset plastics were
born. Soon after, it was discovered that cotton
cloth and paper...
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In 1906, Dr. Leo Bakeland experimented with
the polymerization of phenolic resins. He found
that by adding formaldehyde and heat, a chemical
cross linkage took place; thermoset plastics were
born. Soon after, it was discovered that cotton
cloth and paper materials could be impregnated
with this same mixture, semicured and then made
into a stack of sheets or wrapped around a mandrel and subsequently put into a hydraulic press
where heat and pressure could be applied. Full
polymerization took place rendering hard, dense,
reinforced thermoset plastics which today are
known as industrial laminates.
Simply put, thermoset plastics can be compared to cement, once cured they’re set, hence the
name thermoset. Thermoplastics can be compared
more to wax in-as-much as they can be remelted
and reshaped upon the reapplication of heat.
However, one key resulting difference is that thermoplastics lack the rigidity of thermoset laminates, as the tensile modulus of the following
materials indicate:
Grap
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