Duroplast
Encyclopedia
Thermosetting plastic
A thermosetting plastic, also known as a thermoset, is polymer material that irreversibly cures. The cure may be done through heat , through a chemical reaction , or irradiation such as electron beam processing.Thermoset materials are usually liquid or malleable prior to curing and designed to be...
, a close relative of formica
Formica (plastic)
Formica is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation now based in Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, a division of the New Zealand company Fletcher Building. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or...
and bakelite. It is a resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
reinforced with fibers (either cotton or wool) making it a fiber-reinforced plastic similar to glass-reinforced plastic
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
.
Uses
Duroplast was used by Central European automobile manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau to produce the body of the mass-produced TrabantTrabant
The Trabant is a car that was produced by former East German auto maker VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau in Zwickau, Sachsen. It was the most common vehicle in East Germany, and was also exported to countries both inside and outside the communist bloc...
motor car.
The product was first used in the body of the IFA
Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau
Industrieverband Fahrzeugbau , usually abbreviated as IFA, was a conglomerate and a union of companies for vehicle construction in the former East Germany ....
F8 and later also the AWZ
Zwickau (car)
The AWZ P70 "Zwickau" was a car made in East Germany by VEB Automobilwerke Zwickau between 1955 and 1958. After 1958 AWZ was united with the former Horch factory to the VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau and called Sachsenring P70....
P70 or Zwickau P70 and the Trabant. It was also used to make suitcase
Suitcase
A suitcase is a general term for a distinguishable form of luggage. It is often a somewhat flat, rectangular-shaped bag with rounded/square corners, either metal, hard plastic or made of cloth, vinyl or leather that more or less keeps its shape. It has a carrying handle on one side and is used...
s.
Properties
Duroplast is light, flexible, and strong. It is made of recycled material, cottonCotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
waste and phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
resins. Because it can be made in a press similar to shaping steel, it is more suitable for volume car production than fibreglass.
Disposal
Duroplast cannot be further recycled, and burning it produces toxic fumes, so disposing of the bodies of old Trabants is a problem. However, its components are edible, and there are stories of pigs, sheep or other farm animals consuming duroplast. This is depicted in the movie Black Cat White Cat and described in a song by the SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n band Atheist Rap
Atheist Rap
Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad.- 1980s :The idea of forming Atheist Rap came to vocalists Aleksandar Popov, also known as "Dr. Pop", and Vladimir Kozbašić, also known as "Pećinko" at the Rambo Amadeus concert, which took place on November 29, 1988 at the local club Mašinac,...
.
A Berlin biotechnology company claims that it has developed a solution to the duroplast problem: a bacterium that will eat a Trabant in 20 days and leave only compost.
The same Zwickau plant that started making the Trabant went on to find a solution for duroplast disposal in the 1990s. After removing the glass and engine, the duroplast was shredded and encased into cement blocks for pavement construction. This was featured in an episode of the program Scientific American Frontiers
Scientific American Frontiers
Scientific American Frontiers was an American television program primarily focused on informing the public about new technologies and discoveries in science and medicine. It was a companion program to the Scientific American magazine. The show was produced for PBS in the U.S...
on the American PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
TV channel.
Public perception
The use of duroplast in Trabants gave rise to an urban myth that Trabant is made of corrugated cardboard, as evidenced in numerous GDR jokesGDR jokes
Jokes in the German Democratic Republic frequently included political characters , the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and mundane life dealing with economic scarcity.-Structure of jokes:...
about Trabant.