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For|the musician|Styrofoam (musician) Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell sectionlink|polystyrene|extruded polystyrene foam currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene. Led by Ray McIntire , they "rediscovered" a method first discovered by Sweden|Swedish inventor Carl Georg Munters .cite book | last = Boundy | first = Ray H. | coauthors = Amos, J. Lawrence | title = A History of the Dow Chemical Physics Lab | publisher = Marcel Dekker, Inc. | year = 1990 | location = New York | pages = 117–128 | isbn = 0-8247-8097-3 Dow acquired exclusive rights to use Munters' patents and found ways to make large quantities of extruded polystyrene as a closed cell foam that resists moisture.
Because of its insulating properties and buoyancy, it was adopted in 1942 by the United States Coast Guard for use in a six-person life raft .
Styrofoam has since found an immense variety of uses. Dow produces Styrofoam building materials, including insulated sheathing and pipe insulation. The claimed R-value (insulation)|R-value of Styrofoam insulation is five per inch. http://building.dow.com/media/news/2007/20071205a.htm Dow Announces New Technology for STYROFOAM Insulation
Dow also produces Styrofoam as a structural material for use by florist s and in craft products.cite web|url= http://craft.dow.com|title=STYROFOAM Brand Foam Crafts|accessdate=2010-12-31 Dow insulation Styrofoam has a distinctive blue color; Styrofoam for craft applications is available in white and green.
Styrofoam can be used under roads and other structures to prevent soil disturbances due to freezing and thawing.cite web|url= http://building.dow.com/na/en/applications/geotech/index.htm|title=Geotechnical applications of Styrofoam|publisher = Dow Chemical|accessdate=2009-10-28cite web|url= http://www.alaskool.org/resources/regional/nw_reg_pro/permafrost.html|title=Engineering considerations when building on permafrost|accessdate=2007-08-30
In the United States and Canada , the word styrofoam is often incorrectly used as a Genericized trademark|generic term for expanded (not extruded) polystyrene foam, such as disposable coffee cups, coolers, or cushioning material in packaging, which are typically white and are made of expanded Polystyrene|polystyrene beads. This is a different material from the extruded polystyrene used for Styrofoam insulation. The polystyrene foam used for craft applications, which can be identified by its roughness and by the fact that it "crunches" when cut, is moderately soluble in many organic solvents, super glue|cyanoacrylate , and the propellants and solvents of spray paint , and is not specifically identified as expanded or extruded. Another tradename for expanded polystyrene is Polystyrene|thermacol , originated by BASF .
See also
List of generic and genericized trademarks
Polystyrene
Structural insulated panel
Resin identification code
Building insulation
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Styrophone
References
Reflist
External links
Commons category
http://web.archive.org/web/20080324134328/ http://building.dow.com/styrofoam/what.htm Dow Chemical Company Styrofoam page
HealthIssuesOfPlastics Category:Dow Chemical Company Category:Plastic brands Category:Packaging materials Category:Household chemicals Category:Building insulation materials Category:Organic polymers Category:Brand name materials Category:Foams Category:Swedish inventions
