Vulcanized Rubber
Charles Goodyear was an American inventor who dedicated his life to rubber, a substance initially produced from sap from a tree, and now primarily artificially synthesized. Natural rubber products would become brittle in the cold winters and melt and deform in the hot summers, making rubber an impractical material, despite its appealing properties at moderate temperatures. Most people gave up on rubber, moving to other gum-like substances that withstood temperature differences better, but Goodyear stuck with rubber ("Goodyear Cooperate"). In 1843 Goodyear eventually invented vulcanized rubber, which successfully maintained its elasticity in both cold and warm temperatures. To produce vulcanized rubber, Goodyear removed the sulfur from the natural rubber and then heated it (Bellis "Goodyear"). The resulting product was essentially immune to the temperature effects previously battled.
This advancement in rubber allowed it to far surpass all other elastic substances. It became the primary substance for elastic products, which ranged from machine parts to eventually, as the name Goodyear suggests, tires. In machines, rubber is used to seal gaps. This was particularly important in steam engines, where the use of rubber decreased the leakage of steam and reduced the degradation of the engine due to friction. They also made bands in the engines to turn wheels instead of cogs. This American invention during the industrial revolution revived the rubber industry and improved the efficiency and durability of engines.
This advancement in rubber allowed it to far surpass all other elastic substances. It became the primary substance for elastic products, which ranged from machine parts to eventually, as the name Goodyear suggests, tires. In machines, rubber is used to seal gaps. This was particularly important in steam engines, where the use of rubber decreased the leakage of steam and reduced the degradation of the engine due to friction. They also made bands in the engines to turn wheels instead of cogs. This American invention during the industrial revolution revived the rubber industry and improved the efficiency and durability of engines.
Sources:
Bellis, M. Charles Goodyear - The History of Vulcanized Rubber and Charles Goodyear. About.com Inventors. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/CharlesGoodyear.htm
Goodyear Corporate. Charles Goodyear. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/history/history_story.htm
Bellis, M. Charles Goodyear - The History of Vulcanized Rubber and Charles Goodyear. About.com Inventors. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/CharlesGoodyear.htm
Goodyear Corporate. Charles Goodyear. Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://www.goodyear.com/corporate/history/history_story.htm