Duroplast is a composite

thermosetting plastic In materials science, a thermosetting polymer, often called a thermoset, is a polymer that is obtained by irreversibly hardening (" curing") a soft solid or viscous liquid prepolymer (resin). Curing is induced by heat or suitable radiation and ...

, a close relative of

Formica ''Formica'' is a genus of ants of the family Formicidae, commonly known as wood ants, mound ants, thatching ants, and field ants. ''Formica'' is the type genus of the Formicidae, and of the subfamily Formicinae. The type species of genus ''For ...

and Bakelite. It is a

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

reinforced with fibers (either cotton or wool) making it a

fiber-reinforced plastic Fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP; also called fibre-reinforced polymer, or in American English ''fiber'') is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibres are usually glass (in fibreglass), carbon (in carbon-fib ...

similar to

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

Uses

Duroplast was used by the German Democratic Republic state-owned automobile manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau from 1955 until just after German Reunification in 1991. It was the material used to produce the outer body of the

Trabant Trabant () is a series of small cars produced from 1957 until 1991 by former East German car manufacturer VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke Zwickau. In total, four different models were made, the Trabant 500, Trabant 600, Trabant 601, and the Tr ...

. There were four main versions of the Trabant; the 1964–1990

Trabant 601 The Trabant 601 (or Trabant P601 series) was a Trabant model produced by VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1964 to 1990. As a result, it is the best-known Tra ...

was the longest running. The product was first used in the body of the IFA F8 and later also the

AWZ P70 Zwickau The AWZ P70 "Zwickau" is a small family car which was produced in East Germany by ''VEB Automobilwerke Zwickau (AWZ)'' between 1955 and 1959. It succeeded the IFA F8 using the same 684 cc two-cylinder, two-stroke engine but with a completel ...

and the Trabant. It was also used to make

suitcase A suitcase is a form of luggage. It is a rectangular container with a handle typically used to carry one's clothes and other belongings while traveling. The first suitcases appeared in the late 19th century due to the increased popularity of m ...

s. Duroplast is light and strong. It is made of recycled material,

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

waste and

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

resins. Because it can be made in a press similar to shaping steel, it is more suitable for volume car production than fiberglass. However, in comparison to shaping steel, duroplast needs much more time for hardening in the press. This was one of the reasons why it was not possible to scale-up production of Trabant to the volume that was demanded. It is still used for making surfaces that need to withstand pressure (be break-proof), be water resistant and at the same time soft. For instance, it is used for making toilet seats.

Disposal

Similar to

, Duroplast has limited possibilities for efficient disposal. As discarded Trabants began to fill junkyards, creative solutions were devised for disposing of them. One of these was developed by a Berlin biotechnology company, which experimented with a bacterium to consume the body in twenty days. Urban legends, depicted in the movie ''

Black Cat, White Cat ''Black Cat, White Cat'' ( sr, Црна мачка, бели мачор, Crna mačka, beli mačor) is a 1998 Serbian romantic black comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival. ...

'' and described in a song by the

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

n band

Atheist Rap Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1989, which has released six studio albums, one compilation album and one live DVD. Their music is often characterized as "fun punk" due to its cheerful music and vocals. Their ly ...

, described recycling Duroplast by feeding the cars to pigs, sheep and other farm animals. In the late 1990s, the Trabant factory in Zwickau developed a solution for disposing of the Duroplast shells by shredding them and using them as an aggregate in cement blocks for pavement construction. This was featured in an episode of the program '' Scientific American Frontiers'' on the American

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

TV channel.

Public perception

The use of Duroplast in Trabants and subsequent GDR jokes and mockery in western auto magazines such as ''

Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was f ...

'' gave rise to an

urban myth An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

that the Trabant is made of corrugated

cardboard Cardboard is a generic term for heavy paper-based products. The construction can range from a thick paper known as paperboard to corrugated fiberboard which is made of multiple plies of material. Natural cardboards can range from grey to light ...

.Tony Davis (2005) "

Lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

!: Sixty Heroic Automotive Failures",
Chapter "Trabant P601, p.156-158
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References

{{Plastics Composite materials German inventions Plastics