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  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  textile 
  applications 
  such 
  as 
  elastic 
  webbing, 
  tapes, 
  cords, 
  girdles, 
  

   brassieres, 
  surgical 
  stockings, 
  suspenders, 
  and 
  supporters, 
  and 
  many 
  

   articles 
  now 
  made 
  of 
  sponge 
  rubber. 
  

  

  CASEIN 
  FIBER 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  remarkable 
  development 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  casein 
  fiber. 
  The 
  

   National 
  Dairy 
  Products 
  Corporation 
  has 
  further 
  developed 
  and 
  made 
  

   remarkable 
  progress 
  with 
  its 
  trade-named 
  product 
  "Aralac." 
  The 
  

   company 
  has 
  now 
  formed 
  Aralac, 
  Inc., 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  

   National 
  Dairy 
  Products 
  Corporation, 
  which 
  has 
  increased 
  its 
  pro- 
  

   duction 
  almost 
  eightfold 
  since 
  1940. 
  

  

  The 
  original 
  4,000-pound-a-day 
  plant 
  at 
  Bristol, 
  R. 
  I., 
  was 
  moved 
  in 
  

   July 
  1941 
  to 
  Taftville, 
  Conn., 
  with 
  an 
  output 
  of 
  15,000 
  pounds 
  per 
  

   day. 
  The 
  product, 
  originally 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  felt-hat 
  trade, 
  was 
  then 
  

   investigated 
  by 
  textile 
  manufacturers. 
  The 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  war 
  with 
  its 
  

   WPB 
  restrictions 
  on 
  civilian 
  wool 
  use 
  boomed 
  interest 
  in 
  Aralac, 
  so 
  

   that 
  in 
  1942 
  the 
  plant 
  capacity 
  was 
  doubled 
  to 
  30,000 
  pounds 
  per 
  day. 
  

   The 
  felt 
  usage 
  being 
  relatively 
  stable, 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  percentage 
  of 
  this 
  

   fiber 
  now 
  goes 
  to 
  the 
  textile 
  trade. 
  

  

  Aralac 
  is 
  offered 
  in 
  finenesses 
  corresponding 
  approximately 
  to 
  50's 
  

   60's, 
  and 
  70's 
  wool 
  grades 
  and 
  in 
  staple 
  lengths 
  from 
  y 
  2 
  to 
  6 
  inches. 
  

   Specialty 
  uses 
  include 
  stuffing 
  for 
  pillows, 
  comforters, 
  and 
  quilted 
  

   goods, 
  interlining 
  for 
  cool-weather 
  garments, 
  and 
  protection 
  for 
  

   milady's 
  hair, 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  a 
  permanent 
  wave. 
  The 
  last-mentioned 
  

   is 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  a 
  highly 
  crimped 
  combed 
  top, 
  and 
  is 
  known 
  under 
  

   the 
  trade 
  name 
  "Wavecrepe." 
  

  

  Casein, 
  the 
  basic 
  raw 
  material 
  from 
  which 
  Aralac 
  is 
  made, 
  is 
  a 
  by- 
  

   product 
  of 
  the 
  milk 
  industry. 
  National 
  milk 
  production 
  is 
  upward 
  

   of 
  117 
  billion 
  pounds 
  of 
  milk 
  annually. 
  About 
  50 
  percent 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  

   skimmed 
  for 
  its 
  cream. 
  The 
  skim 
  milk 
  thus 
  formed 
  yields 
  over 
  

   1 
  billion 
  pounds 
  of 
  casein 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  over 
  3 
  million 
  pounds 
  of 
  casein 
  a 
  

   day, 
  a 
  pound 
  of 
  casein 
  making 
  roughly 
  1 
  pound 
  of 
  Aralac 
  fiber. 
  

  

  Casein 
  fiber, 
  unlike 
  nylon, 
  Vinyon, 
  and 
  acetate 
  rayon, 
  is 
  made 
  by 
  a 
  

   wet 
  spinning 
  process, 
  somewhat 
  similar 
  to 
  viscose 
  rayon. 
  Even 
  these 
  

   two 
  processes 
  are 
  similar 
  only 
  at 
  one 
  point, 
  namely, 
  the 
  extrusion 
  

   through 
  a 
  spinnerette 
  into 
  a 
  coagulating 
  bath. 
  Before 
  this 
  point, 
  

   the 
  Aralac 
  process 
  is 
  much 
  simpler 
  than 
  viscose; 
  afterward, 
  it 
  is 
  

   many 
  times 
  more 
  complicated. 
  The 
  casein 
  is 
  dispersed 
  in 
  water 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  an 
  alkali; 
  the 
  dispersion 
  is 
  clarified, 
  spun, 
  coagulated, 
  and 
  

   the 
  tow 
  treated 
  to 
  give 
  the 
  filaments 
  flexibility 
  and 
  hot-water 
  resist- 
  

   ance. 
  The 
  fiber 
  is 
  then 
  washed, 
  dried, 
  cut 
  to 
  staple 
  length, 
  and 
  baled 
  

   for 
  shipment 
  to 
  textile 
  mills. 
  

  

  The 
  properties 
  of 
  Aralac 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  instances 
  similiar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  

   wool 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  being 
  used 
  entirely 
  in 
  mixtures 
  with 
  wool, 
  rayon, 
  and 
  

  

  