Industrialization in the USSR. Graphite

Industrialization in the USSR

'Economical problems come to the forefront immediately af­ter people's power was. established in Russia in 1917. Lenin ascribed decisive importance to the transformation of the entire economy along socialist lines. The nationalization of industry, banks and transport was the first step along this road. Only after that was accomplished could the Soviet state start to work in the achieving a sharp increase in the efficiency of industrial production.

Lenin elaborated the three ways which could lead to that -industrialization of national economy, scientific and technological progress, end the state planning of economic development.

6. GRAPHITE

Graphite is widely used in the chemical process industries. It has a most valuable combination of properties. It may be regarded as a material standing midway between "metal and non-metal, from metal it borrows the properties of being a good conductor ' of both heat and electricity, from non-metals, such as rubber and refractories, the property of being resistant to chemical corrosion. Graphite's other valuable properties are:

Ability to withstand rapid and uneven change in temperature without fracture. Low friction coefficient.

Stability at high temperatures - at 1,500°C, steel is molten but graphite is improving in strength.

Carbon has, on the whole, the same properties as graphite • except that it is not such a good heat conductor, hence graphite is preferred for heat-transfex equipment; but, since it costs approximately twice as much as carbon, carbon is used in those cases where good heat transfer is not edsential.

Different grades of carbons and graphites having varying •, properties have been developed and the manufacturers can alter the combination of raw materials to suit various engineering requirements. The properties of the newer materials can be varied considerably, they can be made dense and compact or light and porous.

It is in the field of chemical applications that the most outstanding development of carbons and graphite have been achieved. Owing to the dense structure and low porosity that can be obtained with certain grades, the materials have resistance to all but the strongly oxidizing chemicals.

Carbon and graphite find many applications in 'the construction of chemical equipment - since they are stable over a wide range of temperatures and are chemically resistant to most corrosive reagents. Graphite offers the additional advantages that it has a high thermal conductivity and good machining properti­es, which make it an ideal material for heat-transfer equipment. However, the construction of this equipment introduces a number of special problems, since all forms of graphite are brittle with a low tensile strength, and the manufactured varieties 21

are porous and permeable to gases and liquids.

The porosity is Overcome by impregnation of the graphite with synthetic resins, but the mechanical properties call for techniques in design and fabrication that differ from those employed with metals.

Commentary

 

14. range - диапазон

15. to offer advantage - давать преимущество

16. conductivity - проводимость

17. brittle - хрупкий, ломкий

18. tensile strength - прочность на разрыв

19. permeable - проницаемый

20. impregnation - пропитывание

21. resin - смола

 

1. ... to suit various engineering requirements - ...
чтобы оно соответствовало (т.е. сочетание исходных
материалов)

различным техническим требованиям

2. the materials have resistance, to all but the
strongly oxidizing chemicals - эти материалы устойчивы к
воздействию всех химикатов, за исключением сильно

окисляющих

3. ... call for techniques in design and fabrication
that differ from those employed with metals - ... требуют
технических приемов в разработке и изготовлении
(оборудования) , отличных от тех, которые применяются при

использовании металлов.

Words and word combinations:

1. rubber - резина, каучук

2. refractory - огнеупорный материал

3. ability - способность

4. to withstand -противостоять

5. fracture - трещина, разлом .

6. on the whole - в целом

7. except that - за исключением

8. heat-transfer - теплопередача

9. to prefer -предпочитать

 

10. grade - сорт

11. raw material - сырьё, исходный материал

12. dense - плотный density - плотность

13. porous - пористый porosity - пористость

Answer the following questions :

1. what material is widely used in the chemical process industries?

2. What properties does graphite borrow from metals?

3. What properties does graphite borrow from non-metals?

4. What other valuable properties of graphite do you know?

5. What properties has carbon?

6. What material is preferred for heat-transfer equipment? Why is it preferred?

7. What grades of carbons and graphites have been developed by the manufactures?

8. Where do carbon and graphite find many applications?

9. What additional advantages does graphite offer?

10. What negative properties do all forms of graphite
possess? How are they overcome ?

Exercises I. Translate the following sentences paying attention to the Emphatical Constructions:

1. It was Tsiolkovsky who designed the first spaceships.

2. It was in April 1961 that Gagarin's flight took place.

 

3. It was at cosmic stations and laboratories that
cosmonauts work nowadays.

4. It is the development of different grades of carbons and graphites that this article deals with.

5. It was in the Soviet Union that the first atomic power station in the world was built.

6. It is a new grade of graphite which will be tested in our laboratory.

7. It was the October Revolution that exerted a tremendous influence on the scientific progress in our country.

II. Open the brackets choosing the correct forms of the Participles:

Materials of Construction

Since corrosion of materials of construction is caused by chemicals, its avoidance is one of the most important principles in design, operation of most any process in the chemical field. The proper choice of materials of construction offers the experienced chemical engineer on opportunity to design and supervise a chemical plant in a manner that will save costly break-downs and repairs. Here great progress was made in discovering and applying many new materials of construction in the chemical plant. Among such can be named carbon of various types, synthetic rubber, new resins, new plastics and new alloys such as improved stainless steels, etc.