WORLD WAR II AND HOW IT CHANGED RUBBER FOREVER

Rubber today looks different than the rubber of yesteryear. For better, worse, and plenty of in-betweens, rubber specialists have experimented with, expanded upon, and advanced processes to improve the material that’s literally everywhere today.

Here we take a closer look at the milestones that revolutionized rubber in our series “How It Changed Rubber Forever,” and one of the most impactful events that changed rubber indefinitely was World War II (WWII).

Rubber and World War II in a Nutshell
Rubber was a vital commodity during the war. It was used to create parts, components, and compounds in vehicles, hospitals, uniforms, and more.

World War II influenced changes in the means of production, impacted the creation of new materials, and resulted in technologies, products, and so much more that the details could fill volumes.

Here, we boil down the big moments to give you a compact look at how rubber changed during WWII.

Rubber Before World War II
Natural latex rubber was still the rubber of choice until the mid-1800s because nothing else existed. That’s not to say natural rubber and its properties weren’t advanced during this time. Qualities like waterproofing, enhanced durability, various resistances, and more were used in things like bicycle tires, raincoats, and rubber bands and belts.

Material scientists around the world enhanced the natural properties of rubber through milestone discoveries before WWII, and this resulted in some of the most well-known processes and compounds still in use today.

Early rubber advancements before World War II include:

• 1830 – 1850s – Thomas Hancock and Charles Goodyear developed the vulcanization process and fought over its patent
• 1909 – Isoprene was developed at a Bayer laboratory
• 1930 – Neoprene was developed by the Dupont company
• 1930s – Oil-resistant Buna rubber was developed in Germany
• 1935 – Additional co-polymer synthetic rubbers were created in Germany, Russia, and North America
• 1937 – Standard Oil adapted Buna rubber to create butyl rubber

Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, which officially started WWII and forever altered rubber, manufacturing, and the lives of countless people around the world.