This collection, digitized here in its entirety, consists of photographs depicting the facilities, machinery, and operations of the Aeronautical Materials Laboratory, part of the Naval Air Material Center located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The photographs document the production and testing of assorted plastics, rubbers, coatings, and primers used in the construction of naval aircraft, with an emphasis on machinery used to evaluate the effects of weathering and various environmental conditions. The majority of photographs are drawn from a 1949 report on compounding rubber, though the entire collection spans 1949 to 1968. The photographs were collected by J. (Joseph) Hartley Bowen, Jr., who served as the Supervisory Chemist at the Aeronautical Materials Laboratory during this period.
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Naval Air Engineering Center at Mustin Field
- Circa 1962
Aerial view of the Naval Air Engineering Center located at Mustin Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, showing the assorted laboratory and manufacturing facilities.
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Electrical Evaluation, Polymeric Materials
- 1958
View of two technicians using assorted apparatus to evaluate the electrical resistivity of high polymers at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. At the laboratory, assorted equipment was…
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Establishment of constant humidity condition for the evaluation of experimental humidity indicators
- 1958
View of a technician at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory using an unidentified apparatus to create a constant humidity condition in order to evaluate experimental humidity indicators. At…
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Endurance testing of aircraft hydraulic pump
- 1958
General view of machinery used to conduct endurance tests of high-temperature (400 degrees Fahrenheit), high-pressure (3000psi) aircraft hydraulic pump at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials…
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General view of the Plastics Testing area
- 1958
General view of the Plastics Testing area at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. Technicians are seen working with assorted equipment used to simulate various service conditions and test…
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Building 537, Hangar and Laboratory facilities
- Circa 1950
Exterior view of building 537 at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory, housing an aircraft hangar and laboratory facilities.
- Creator Of Work Naval Air Material Center, United States. Navy
- Subject Aerospace Research Laboratories (U.S.), Naval Research Laboratory (U.S.)
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Metallographic examination of metals and alloys
- 1955
View of a technician performing a metallographic examination of metals and alloys in the Naval Air Materials Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. Metallography is the study of the physical structure and…
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Tensile testing of new aircraft alloys
- 1955
General view of technicians conducting tensile tests on new aircraft alloys at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. In tensile, or tension, testing, tensile machines are used to subject…
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RCA Model EMU electron microscope in the Aeronautical Materials Laboratory
- 1958
General view of a RCA Model EMU electron microscope used in the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. Electron microscopes use a beam of accelerated electrons as a source of illumination and…
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Spectrographic analysis
- 1958
General view of assorted equipment and apparatus used to conduct spectographic analysis at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory.
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Testing electrical resistivity of high polymers at the Naval Air Material Center
- 1958
View of two technicians using assorted apparatus to determine the electrical resistivity of high polymers at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. At the laboratory, assorted equipment was…
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Engineers calendering experimental stocks of rubber
- Circa 1949
View of two engineers, Stanley Bilker (background) and Ralph Harper (foreground), operating the calender sheeting machine at the the Naval Air Experimental Station's Rubber Compounding and Processing Laboratory. The…
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Ultra-Violet and Visible Spectrum Spectrophotometer
- Circa 1958
General view of the Ultraviolet and Visible Spectrum (UV/Vis) Spectrophotometer used in the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. UV/Vis spectroscopy is routinely used in analytical chemistry…
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Evaluation of test panels coated with preservative oils after exposure in an experimental humidity cabinet
- 1952
General view of a technician making notes regarding the testing of panels coated with preservative oils after exposure in an experimental humidity cabinet at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials…
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Evaluation of experimental hydraulic fluids in simulated aircraft system
- 1958
General view of the simulated aircraft system at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory used to evaluate experimental hydraulic fluids. A worker is seen seated in the foreground examining…
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Dynamic Test Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental Station
- Circa 1949
General view of the Dynamic Test Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental Station showing forced vibration machines and other equipment used to test rubber articles produced at the Station under simulated service…
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Mogul Mixer for sealants and adhesives
- Circa 1949
General view of the Mogul Experimental Mixer used in the Naval Air Experimental Station's Sealants and Adhesives Laboratory. Equipped with "Z" type agitators and a tilting chamber fitted with a removable,…
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Engineer operating shot peening equipment
- Circa 1958
General view of an engineer operating shot peening equipment at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory. Shot peening is a cold work process used to finish metal parts to prevent fatigue and…
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General view of Aircraft Grease Development and Test Area
- Circa 1958
General view of the Aircraft Grease Development and Test Area at the Naval Air Material Center's Aeronautical Materials Laboratory showing assorted apparatus and glassware containing samples for testing. The individuals…
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Goodrich Flexometer
- Circa 1949
General view of the Goodrich Flexometer used in the Naval Air Experimental Station's Dynamic Test Laboratory. The flexometer was used to determine the heat build-up and hysteresis characteristics of rubber specimens…
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Molds and vulcanized rubber products
- Circa 1949
Set of standard test specimen molds and vulcanized rubber products produced and used in the Rubber Compounding and Processing Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental Station. This photograph was included in a 1949…
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Sealants and Adhesives Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental Station
- Circa 1949
General view of the Sealants and Adhesives Laboratory at the Naval Air Experimental Station showing assorted samples of viscous materials and equipment used to manufacture and test sealants and adhesives of both rubber…
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Oxygen and Air Aging Bomb
- Circa 1949
General view of the Emerson Oxygen Aging apparatus, with two bombs, housed in the Naval Air Experimental Station's Oven and Accelerated Aging Room. Located inside a shelter within the aging room, this apparatus and…
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Weathering Room
- Circa 1949
General view of the Weathering Room at the Naval Air Experimental Station. Visible in the photograph is an Atlas Fade-o-meter and several accelerated weathering units used to evaluate the effects of stimulated service…
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Electronically controlled constant rate of load tensile machine
- Circa 1949
General view of an electronically-controlled constant rate of load tensile machine used in the Naval Air Experimental Station's Physical Properties Laboratory. Tensile machines are commonly used to subject materials…
