| RefNo | EC/1984/23 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XXI, 159 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Mercer, Frank Brian: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1982 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Dr. Mercer has made outstanding contributions to the application of polymeric materials in industry. Starting with the development and construction of the first carpet tufting machine outside the USA - Blackburn is now a world centre for the manufacture of such machinery - he invented and successfully developed the Netlon extrusion process for the manufacture of net and mesh structures. The process produces quasi textile structures in a single stage operation, and represents the only new textile process for more than two hundred years. A whole new industry throughout the world has been built on this invention with global sales of £160 million per annum. He won the Mullard Medal for this work. In 1979, Mercer invented the Tensar process for the manufacture of high tensile strength oriented polymer grid structures having wide applications in the civil engineering industry (soil stabilisation and reinforcement, road surfaces, artificial islands, automobile and furniture manufacture). This is one of the few significant engineering applications of thermoplastics. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA5260 | Mercer; Frank Brian (1927 - 1998) | 1927 - 1998 |