Truscon Laboratories was a research and development chemical laboratory of the Trussed Concrete Steel Company ("Truscon") of Detroit, Michigan. [1] It made waterproofing liquid chemical products that went into or on cement and plaster. The products goals were to provide damp-proofing and waterproofing finishing for concrete and Truscon steel to guard against disintegrating action of water and air. [2]
From Truscon laboratories viewpoint waterproofing was considered methods and means of protecting underground construction like foundations and footings. It also pertains to structures intended for retaining water like water tanks and containing water under hydrostatic conditions like in water pipes, tunnels, reservoirs, and cisterns. Damp-proofing was considered the methods of keeping dampness out of the main part of concrete buildings. It involves the methods of treating exposed walls above ground level to avoid the entrance of moisture into the building. These definitions then qualified their various products as servicing particular needs. [3]
From the initial idea of protecting against water damage developed the science of integral waterproofing—the introduction of some element into the wet cement during the process of making causing a high degree of impermeability and imperviousness. Water in masonry does harm structurally because of its solvent properties and because it expands when frozen breaking concrete. Water is observed into concrete walls like a sponge absorbs water through capillary action. A wet wall produces damp and clammy conditions that promote and spread disease. While structural damp-proofing and waterproofing to prevent decay was a motive of the Truscon laboratories chemicals, the side benefit was that it provided better hygienic conditions. [3]
Some of the products developed for damp-proofing was Por-Seal, Stone-Tex, Stone-Backing, and Plaster Bond. [4] Water Proofing Paste, an ingredient used in the making of stucco cement and plaster, [5] was developed for waterproofing. [4] Another waterproofing product was named Water Proofed Cement Stucco. [6]
Truscon laboratories waterproofing protection products were for residential housing, apartment buildings, office buildings, hotels, hospitals, and manufacturing plants. [7] They involved enamels and interior finishes. [8] The products were coatings to provide a dustless waterproof washable surface for cement floors and walls. [9] The Truscon laboratories slogan was Waterproof is Weatherproof. [10] Some of the brand names of these specialized products were Asepticote, Sno-Wite, Industrial Enamel, Hospital Enamel, Dairy Enamel, Floor Finish, Edelweiss and Alkali-Proof Wall Size. [11] Its Asepticote waterproofing product was used in houses, hospitals, and hotels for its eye-soothing finish. [12] Truscon's "Waterproofing Paste" was an integral part of cement and used in floors, plaster, and stucco to waterproof walls and floors. [13] "Industrial White" was used in the interiors of mills and factories because of its white brightness qualities. [8] Truscon's "Granatex Floor Varnish", a stain-resistant product, was a transparent waterproofing agent that was used on concrete and wood floors. [8]
Truscon's Agatex was a chemical that hardened cement floors that was popular. It was a wet liquid that was applied on the surface of concrete like a paint or varnish. The product interacted with concrete and its dust chemically to resemble that of agate resulting in a hardened dustless surface when dry. The company claimed that the resultant treated surface was so hard that it would ring under a hammer like an anvil. [14]
Truscon's "Stone-Tex" product was used on all kinds of masonry building exterior walls as a water-resistant protective coating. It was used on concrete blocks, cement walls, stucco and brick. [15] It was also used for making the building more attractive looking. [16]
Some of the thousands of Truscon laboratories product users were The Cincinnati Enquirer, American Tobacco Company, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Atlantic Petroleum, Haynes Automobile Company, Pennsylvania Railroad, E. W. Bliss Company, United States Military Academy, United States Marine Barracks, United States Shipping Board, Ferry-Morse Seed Company, Lowell Mills, Arlington Mills, H. J. Heinz Company, Dow Chemical laboratories, Winterhaven Citrus Growers' Association, Savage Arms, Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, Liggett-Myers Tobacco Company and Sinclair Oil Corporation. [17] St Johns County School District on Fullerwood Grade School building.
Buildings that used Truscon's products were the Packard automobile factory plant building number 10, Highland Park Ford Plant, Fisher Building, Fisher Body, Frederick Stearns Building, Youth's Companion Building, Midland Packing Building, Majestic Theater (Detroit, Michigan), Beech-Nut, Waco High School, Kalamazoo Paper, Detroit Crosstown Garage, Pennsylvania Rubber Company building, Minneapolis High School, Detroit Athletic Club, Detroit News building, and Milton Bradley building. [18]
Truscon laboratories iron and steel protection products were for priming structural steel like in structures iron industrial building frames, factories, bridges, viaducts, stacks, and boilers. [19] They were also used with brewing coils, ice making coils, fireproofing, and acid-proofing. [20] These paint on products were waterproofing and rust preventing agents. [21] [22] Many of these products went under the brand name of Bar-Ox and were given numbers that related to specific applications. [23] Examples were Bar-Ox No. 7 for coating on exposed structural steel, Bar-Ox No. I4 for brine and condenser pipes, Bar-Ox 21 for stack enamel and boiler front enamel, Bar-Ox No. 28 for acid-proofing, Bar-Ox No. 35 for guarding against alkaline conditions, Bar-Ox No. 42 for conduit coating, and Bar-Ox No. 49 for gas holder tanks. [24]
The Detroit operation's employees were organized by District 50 of the United Mine Workers. [25]
Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC), is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are counteracted by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ductility. The reinforcement is usually, though not necessarily, steel reinforcing bars (rebar) and is usually embedded passively in the concrete before the concrete sets.
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute located in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California on the Pacific coast. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine; among the founding consultants were Jacob Bronowski and Francis Crick. Construction of the research facilities began in spring of 1962. The Salk Institute consistently ranks among the top institutions in the US in terms of research output and quality in the life sciences. In 2004, the Times Higher Education Supplement ranked Salk as the world's top biomedicine research institute, and in 2009 it was ranked number one globally by ScienceWatch in the neuroscience and behavior areas.
Gypsum plaster, or gypsum powder, is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English "plaster"/Powder usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "render" commonly refers to external applications. Another imprecise term used for the material is stucco, which is also often used for plasterwork that is worked in some way to produce relief decoration, rather than flat surfaces.
A basement or cellar is one or more floors of a building that are completely or partly below the ground floor. It generally is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the boiler, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system are located; so also are amenities such as the electrical distribution system and cable television distribution point. In cities with high property prices, such as London, basements are often fitted out to a high standard and used as living space.
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, external building siding, and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture. Stucco may be used to cover less visually appealing construction materials, such as metal, concrete, cinder block, or clay brick and adobe.
This page is a list of construction topics.
Waterproofing is the process of making an object or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environments or underwater to specified depths.
A vapor barrier is any material used for damp proofing, typically a plastic or foil sheet, that resists diffusion of moisture through the wall, floor, ceiling, or roof assemblies of buildings to prevent interstitial condensation and of packaging. Technically, many of these materials are only vapor retarders as they have varying degrees of permeability.
Fireproofing is rendering something resistant to fire, or incombustible; or material for use in making anything fire-proof. It is a passive fire protection measure. "Fireproof" or "fireproofing" can be used as a noun, verb or adjective; it may be hyphenated ("fire-proof").
Structural dampness is the presence of unwanted moisture in the structure of a building, either the result of intrusion from outside or condensation from within the structure. A high proportion of damp problems in buildings are caused by ambient climate dependent factors of condensation and rain penetration. Capillary penetration of fluid from the ground up through concrete or masonry is known as "rising damp" and is governed by the shape and porosity of the construction materials through which this evaporation limited capillary penetration takes place. Structural damp, regardless of the mechanisms through which it takes place, is exacerbated by higher levels of humidity.
Damp proofing or a Damp-Proof in construction is a type of moisture control applied to building walls and floors to prevent moisture from passing into the interior spaces. Dampness problems are among the most frequent problems encountered in residences.
Basement waterproofing involves techniques and materials used to prevent water from penetrating the basement of a house or a building. Waterproofing a basement that is below ground level can require the application of sealant materials, the installation of drains and sump pumps, and more.
Albert Kahn Associates is an architectural design firm in Detroit, Michigan with a second office located in Miami, Florida. It was established in 1895 and is still active. Recent work includes being awarded third place in the Virtual Modeling Stage of NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Competition for their work on martian habitats, and also creating the world's largest penguin conservation center, Polk Penguin Conservation Center. In earlier years, it introduced a new technology in industrial building involving a unique reinforced concrete method referred to as the Kahn System of construction using proprietary patented reinforcement steel manufactured by Trussed Concrete Steel Company. The building of automobile factories and other types of factories were revolutionized from wooden timber framing construction. Besides being an advanced technology in strength that led to wider open interior spaces, it featured a high degree of fire resistance and larger window space for light. The firm started by Albert Kahn built factories for Chrysler for over a decade, Ford Automobile for 30 years and Packard Automobile for 35 years. Other important clients of the firm were Republic Steel and General Motors. The firm was awarded a $40 million contract to build a tractor factory in Russia in 1928. The firm's output was over a million dollars worth of work per week by 1929. By 1939, the firm designed 19 percent of all industrial buildings in the United States and had designed some $800 million of buildings worldwide.
The Palms is an apartment building located at 1001 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was one of the first buildings in the United States to use reinforced concrete as one of its major construction materials. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Magnesium oxide, more commonly called magnesia, is a versatile mineral that when used as part of a cement mixture and cast into thin cement panels under proper curing procedures and practices can be used in residential and commercial building construction. Some versions are suitable for a wide range of general building uses and for applications that require fire resistance, mold and mildew control, as well as sound control applications and many other benefits. As an environmentally friendly building material, magnesia board has strength and resistance due to very strong bonds between magnesium and oxygen atoms that form magnesium oxide crystals.
The Packard Automotive Plant is a former automobile-manufacturing factory in Detroit, Michigan, where luxury cars were made by the Packard Motor Car Company and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation.
Julius Kahn was an American engineer, industrialist, and manufacturer. He was the inventor of the Kahn System, a reinforced concrete engineering technique for building construction. The Kahn System, which he patented in 1903, was used worldwide for housing, factories, office and industrial buildings.
The Trussed Concrete Steel Company was a company founded by Julius Kahn, an engineer and inventor. The company manufactured prefabricated products for reinforced concrete beams and steel forms for building reinforced concrete floors and walls. Kahn invented and patented a unique new technology reinforcement system of construction called the Kahn System that was stronger, more economical, and lighter than the existing old school technology used up to that point to construct buildings. The old method was to use plain straight smooth steel beams or loose rods or stirrups in concrete beams and floors. Kahn's new technology improved system used 45 degree tab flanges or "wings" permanently attached on steel beams that distributed the tension stress for overall improvement in strength of reinforced concrete.
Hy-Rib was a brand name for a product manufactured by the Trussed Concrete Steel Company. It is an engineering reinforcement system for floors, walls, and ceilings of buildings and houses. This product is a derivative of the Kahn Trussed Bar for beams and columns that was invented by Julius Kahn. Kahn engineered the Hy-Rib products and they were first manufactured in 1909.
The Kahn system is an industrial construction technique for reinforcement of buildings that was engineered and patented by Julius Kahn. The Kahn system is an industrial construction design using the Kahn Trussed Bar as the bases. This steel bar was a new type of reinforcing bar used in concrete and had unique engineered features to distribute stress.
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