The process of diffusion through a rubber membrane

Abstract

The production of balloon and airship fabrics in large quantities during the war has raised many problems in connection with leakage of hydrogen through membranes. It is desirable to have more information about the process by which gas passes through such rubber membranes. In considering a rubber film, two alternatives have been suggested. One is that the chief obstacle to the passage of a gas is that provided by the material itself, and that the gas can pass the surfaces of the film quite readily. The other is that the chief obstacle is at the surface, the actual thickness of rubber having very little effect on the permeability.