Cork insulation; a complete illustrated textbook on cork insulation ...

USES OF CORK 465
vessels; the effect of such coatings is said to be to considerably
diminish the conductibility of the sheet iron, and the vibrations so
unpleasant, which are produced as soon as the sea becomes a little
rough. Another use for these cork powders is in the preparation of
a substance called "liegine," which consists of the powder mixed with
fine plaster in the proportion of about ten per cent. This liegine
composition is turned out in all shapes and sizes, and is stated to be
specially useful as a protection alike from heat or cold, or for
partitions, roofs, lofts, ceilings, and coatings of all descriptions; also
as packing for boilers, ice houses, conservatories, coverings for
wagons, steam pipes and similar uses—in short, for the large number
of cases where it is desirable to maintain an equal temperature.
CORK AS A BUILDING MATERIAL.*
By S. Sampolo.
<strong>Cork</strong> is one of the lightest and the worst conductors of heat and
sound substances. It is also somewhat elastic, and when moderately
compressed does not absorb water. These evident properties have
for a long time given a great extension to the use of cork for industrial
purposes, principally for the manufacture of stoppers for any
kind of vessels containing liquids which do not attack organic sub-
stances.
Everybody knows that cork is the bark of a particular oak grow-
ing, not in America, but on the coasts of northern Africa and south-
ern Europe. After being deprived of its hard, nonelastic and useless
elements, this cork bark is cut into square pieces and turned on a
special lathe, where the stopper shape is acquired. In this manufac-
ture the waste should, theoretically, be about 20 per centum; in fact,
how much larger is the quantity of scraps thrown away by the
machine? It is an interesting industrial problem to try and make
the best use of them in a judicious way.
So far, the only important application of this refuse material has
been made in the manufacture of linoleum, which can utilize but a
small percentage of the waste. Render possible the introduction of
cork refuse for building purposes, and at once all scraps and cuttings
will find an important application. If, at first, the idea may not
appear realizable on account of the little resistance of cork, we may
say that thousands and thousands of bricks and tile have already
been made in France with pulverized cork refuse, and have worked
satisfactorily. Labor and patience have not been spared, and
•Extracted from Ice and Refrigeration, June, 1895.