Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A method of treating caoutchouc or india-rubber with some form of sulphur, to effect certain changes in its properties, and yield a soft (vulcanized india-rubber) or a hard (vulcauite) product.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act or process of imparting to caoutchouc, gutta-percha, or the like, greater elasticity, durability, or hardness by heating with sulphur under pressure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A process by which rubber is hardened using heat and sulphur.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun process of treating rubber or rubberlike materials with sulphur at great heat to improve elasticity and strength or to harden them

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word vulcanization.

Examples

  • Editor's note: If you follow the link below you will find larger versions of former NASA Chief Scientist John Grunsfeld's "vulcanization".

    NASA Watch: News: October 2004 Archives 2004

  • Editor's note: If you follow the link below you will find larger versions of former NASA Chief Scientist John Grunsfeld's "vulcanization".

    NASA Watch: Keith Cowing: October 2004 Archives 2004

  • Includes discussion of natural polymers from tropical trees and the vulcanization of rubber, semi-synthetics (such as celluloid), thermosetting plastics (such as Bakelite), amino plastics (such as melamine), thermoplastics, and high-tech plastics.

    NEW ON THE NET 2008

  • The addition of sap to latex begins complex chemical changes that provide a much improved material for tools, figurines and medicines, in a process akin to vulcanization, invented three thousand years later by Charles Goodrich.

    Did You Know? Bouncing balls and Mexican ingenuity 2008

  • The addition of sap to latex begins complex chemical changes that provide a much improved material for tools, figurines and medicines, in a process akin to vulcanization, invented three thousand years later by Charles Goodrich.

    Did You Know? Bouncing balls and Mexican ingenuity 2008

  • Charles Goodyear paved the way for mass production of "rubbers" when he patented the vulcanization of rubber in 1843, and they were a mainstay of birth-control efforts until the pill emerged as more dependable and convenient.

    The Birth-Control Riddle 2010

  • James Goodyear left rubber on a hot stove overnight and invented vulcanization.

    Convert a Youth Shotgun into a Great Turkey Gun for Adults 2007

  • Therefore, the more expensive modern latex ulama balls are made by the traditional technique of using boiled rubber sap mixed with other ingredients required for vulcanization.

    History of Sport Resulting in Sudden Death Near Puerto Vallarta 2008

  • Ancient Mayans used objects made from the sap of the rubber tree in sports and rituals, but latex proved too unstable chemically to be of commercial value until 1839, when American inventor Charles Goodyear discovered the vulcanization process.

    He Hit the Road, Found Rubber 2008

  • With vulcanization, crude natural rubber could be heated and chemically treated to make it not only more stable but also more pliable.

    He Hit the Road, Found Rubber 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.