STRONG AS CAST IRON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 January 1942, Page 4

STRONG AS CAST IRON

BRITAIN'S DISCOVERY FOR WAR INDUSTRIES.

After two years’ continuous research, Great Britain is today able to introduce pottery into many new fields of British industry to take the place of metals, alloys, glass, rubber and wood on the use of which restrictions have inevitably been placed in war time. High grade chemical stoneware comparable with grey cast iron in mechanical strength can now be used in

place of metal for pipe lines and also for packing purposes either in relatively small units or in bulk. These novel ceramic wares have certain advantages over* the materials in former use. They resist rust and contamination; they can be turned into an almost unlimited number of shapes and sizes, and they are proof against all corrosive chemicals except hydrofluoric acid and hot, strong caustic alkalis. The new pottery is, morever, prepared with such scientific thoroughness, and fired in the kilns at such a high temperature, 1250 degrees Centigrade or more, that, in compression strength it resembles metals rather than the fragile china or earthenware ornaments of the home. New applications of ceramic materials have also been introduced in recent months to textiles, rayon, papermaking, printing, soap, perfumery, cosmetics, brewing and food manufacture industries and to many branches of the chemical, metallurgical and electral industries.