ESST 2002

Maastricht, NL

Introduction

The History of Nylon

Presentation on the development of man made
fibres especially nylon 6-6

Presentation by Gne TAVMEN & Stefan SCHINZEL

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

Table of Contents

Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Reflections of the Nylon 6-6 History
3. Outcome
4. Conclusion
5. Questions & Discussion

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

1 Research Questions

Research questions:
Do documents on history shape the perceptions of certain
subjects?
Can history be seen from an objective perspective ?
Is there a general objective perspective at all ?

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

1.1 Why Nylon 6-6 ?

Why Nylon 6-6 (Polyamide 6-6) ?

A black box embodied in our lives

Wide influence on society
Change of relation between lab and commercial industry
More recent innovation
very well documented

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

1.2 Utilization of Nylon 6-6

The utilization of Nylon 6-6:

Textile industry (wash and wear)
Musical instruments
Toothbrush
Carpets
Outdoor clothing (inc. tents, backpacks etc)
Tires, etc

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

1.3 Properties of Nylon 6-6

Chemical & mechanical properties of Nylon 6-6:

High tensile strength (stretchable without deformation)
Excellent chemical resistance
High mechanical strength and heat resistance
Easy to process
Can be dyed easily

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

2 Methodology

Methodology:
Brief introduction to the three different views on history:
The inventor (W. Carothers)
The company where he conducted the research in his

lab (Du Pont)

The global perspective

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

2.1 History 1

Wallace H. Carothers (1896-1938)

Genius chemist, several degrees
Conducted research at industrial company (Du Pont)
Conducted research to find a molecule as large as possible
In the beginning he was free to chose his topic, later on he was
oriented by Du Pont
His colleague realized that nylon could be drawn into fibre (1934)
Suffered from depression and committed suicide
Science and Corporate Strategy Du Pont R&D (1992)
Polymers The Origins & Growth of a Science (1995)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://www.mit.edu (2002)
Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

2.2 History 2

Du Pont (established 1802)

Wanted to have a research lab as their commitment to
scientific discovery as the key to future success
Lured away Carothers from Harvard university
Carothers was free to do pure basic research
Du Pont wanted to develop a synthetic fibre that could
replace silk
Nylon invented by Carothers in 1935
In 1938, public announcement of nylon as the first manmade organic textile fabric prepared entirely from new
materials from the mineral kingdom

Du Pont Corporate Information http://www.dupont.com (2002)

Du Pont History Archive http://www.heritage.dupont.com (2002)
Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
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2.3 History 3

The Global View

Despite the Great Depression, Carothers Labs funding
was never reduced
By 1931 silk was getting expensive and harder to find
due to political and trade troubles with Japan
Du Pont was urged by the US government to make Nylon
a reality as quick as possible
Nylon was a potential as a vital war material
During war Nylon replaced Asian silk and supplanted
cotton

Inventing Polymer Science (1998)

Science and Corporate Strategy Du Pont R&D (1992)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology http://www.mit.edu (2002)
Information pool on the development of Chemistry http://www.chemheritage.org (2002)
Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
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3.1 Outcome - Diagram I

Politics

Government
Du Pont

War

The Lab

Great Depression

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

Economic Issues

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

3.2 Outcome - Diagram II

Du Pont
The Lab

Funding

Carothers
Chemists

Obligations
Instruments

Technicians

Ready made
science
Production
Technology

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
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4 Conclusion

Conclusion:
Documents on history do shape the perceptions on
subject:
Depending on the material used, it will lead (more or

less) to a certain perception

Focused on a certain belief, proof in documents on

history can always be found

By the usage of as various sources as possible, a
perspective close to objectivity can be achieved
BUT an ultimate objectivity can never be achieved as it
will always depend on peoples (authors, researchers,)
interpretations

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

4.1 Additional Remarks

Additional Remarks:
Esp. for Du Pont their advertisement had great impact
Big impact of nylon on society (e.g..women started to
shave their legs)
Interesting further development of Nylon & Du Pont

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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ESST 2002
Maastricht, NL

5 Questions & Discussion

Thank you for your attention!

- Any Questions?
- Time for Discussion!!!

Presentation by G. Tavmen & S. Schinzel

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