Gerard Kraus (February 25, 19201990) - was a

Phillips Petroleum Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in the ...

scientist known for developing testing standards for carbon black surface area.

Education

Kraus was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the son of a pathologist and professor of medicine. He came to the United States in 1940, following his graduation in 1938 from the State High School in Prague. In 1943, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree with High Honors from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

. He presented work entitled "Supercharging Diesels" at the ASME convention that year. In 1947, he received the doctoral degree in

polymer chemistry Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures of chemicals, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are ...

working under W. B. Reynolds at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, under a fellowship funded by the Inland Division of

General Motors Corporation The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

. He studied adhesion of rubber-to-metal interfaces with application to the manufacture of tank track treads.

Career

From 1947 to 1953, Kraus was employed on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati, first as an instructor, then later as an assistant professor. He joined the Research and Development department at Phillips Petroleum Company in 1953. By 1963, he was managing a group responsible for exploratory work in carbon black, filler reinforcement, and properties of elastomers. In 1968 his title was Senior Scientist. Kraus' most cited work is an account of the swelling behavior of filler-reinforced, vulcanized rubbers. He established a relationship on the assumption that, at the filler interface, swelling is completely restricted due to adhesion. He is also known for a model of the

Payne effect The Payne effect is a particular feature of the stress–strain behaviour of rubber, especially rubber compounds containing Filler (materials), fillers such as carbon black. It is named after the British rubber scientist A. R. Payne, who made exte ...

Awards

* 1990 - Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award * 1996 - elected to the

International Rubber Science Hall of Fame The International Rubber Hall of Fame recognizes the careers of notable professionals in rubber technology. It is jointly sponsored by the Maurice Morton Institute of Polymer Science at The University of Akron and the Rubber Division of the Americ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraus, Gerard 1920 births 1990 deaths Polymer scientists and engineers 20th-century American engineers