1423 Powhatan St., Suite 1
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Phone (703) 836-6727
Fax (703) 836-7491
Email: asnehq@navalengineers.org

 

ASNE is the leading professional engineering society for engineers, scientists and allied professionals who conceive, design, develop, test, construct, outfit, operate and maintain complex naval and maritime ships, submarines and aircraft and their associated systems and subsystems.  ASNE also serves the educators who train the professionals, researchers who develop related technology, and students who are preparing for the profession.  Society activities provide support for the U.S. Navy; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Marine Corps; U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Army.

ASNE is the seventh oldest technical society in the United States.  It was founded in 1888 by a group of naval engineering pioneers, most of them officers of the U.S. Navy's Engineering Corps, who sought a unified approach to their profession in order to make the most of new advances in technology. The purposes of ASNE are:           

  • to advance the knowledge and practice of naval engineering in public and private applications and operations,
  • to enhance the professionalism and well-being of members, and
  • to promote naval engineering as a career field.

For 125 years, the Society’s objectives have been strengthened and preserved to meet the changing needs of a time-honored profession. Today ASNE conducts a variety of technical meetings and symposia, publishes the highly regarded Naval Engineers Journal and a number of other technical proceedings and publications, and fosters professional development and technical information exchange through technical committees, local section activities and cooperative efforts with government organizations and other professional societies.

The Society's annual meeting, ASNE Day, is typically held in February of each year in the Washington, DC, area. The meeting features major addresses by high level industry and government leaders and panel discussions by leading members of the profession.  It also includes presentation and discussion of technical papers on a variety of timely naval engineering topics, presentation of the Society's prestigious annual awards and a large exposition with government and industry exhibits covering the full spectrum of naval engineering technology. ASNE Day is highlighted by the Society’s annual Honors Gala, attended by hundreds of executives and senior managers from both government and industry.

Our website is designed to not only serve our members, but also to support scholars, students and others interested in the varied field of naval engineering.  We welcome your suggestions on ways we can improve your experience. 


 

Sponsored by the Office of Naval Research under grant N00014-17-1-3142 

Crossfield Production Corp.

We are highlighting Crossfield Production Corp. because we use glue and tape in some of our boat construction demonstrations; these art supplies play the role of well-designed chemicals that build on centuries of scientific advances. Crossfield develops and sells the adhesives, paints, concretes, etc. that are used in ships and buildings across the world. Our Elmer's Glue® is their Dex-o-Tex®. This reading material focuses on the history of Crossfield Production Corp. while showing various engineering applications of their discoveries.

You may want to start with this marketing overview video (1:06) or the video in the Engineering Challenge below to help increase interest and introduce this topic.

 

Text of HS file (Downloadables above)

Introduction: Crossfield’s corporate history is described at https://www.crossfieldproducts.com/history. This website describes how the company “Crossfield” was started by a British chemist named Mr. Crossfield. You will see these technical terms in the article:p>

  1. “sloping compound” – A chemical that hardens to create a slope. This chemical is used to ensure water runs off surfaces and does not form puddles.   

  2. “underlayment” – Chemicals that goes under flooring. For example, an underlayment for a tile in a classroom helps it stick to the floor.

  3. “allocation” – During wars, in this case World War II, the American government took some resources to ensure they could make the weapons needed for war.

  4. “polymer modified concrete” – Concrete that has long molecules added. The long molecules are called polymers.

  5. “epoxy resin” – A type of chemical that is combined to create a strong bond with materials. There are many uses, but most epoxies are used as paints or glues.

 

Link to reading:  https://www.crossfieldproducts.com/history

 

Questions about reading:

What is a “formulation” as used in the first sentence? 

What does a “sloping compound” do?

Who named the company “Crossfield Products Corp.”? 

What event gave the company a lot of business in the beginning?

What does “core” mean in the first phrase of paragraph 3, “Although the marine business was its core…”?

 

Paragraph 3 says that the company “patented flexible roof deck surfacing material.”

                What does it mean to patent something?

                What does “flexible” mean in this context?

What does “diversified” mean in paragraph 2, “the most diversified product line of construction coatings”?

   

 

Select all the occupations that were mentioned as initial employees of Crossfield Products Corp.

chemist

investor

marketer

politician

sailor

spokesperson

Which paragraph did you find the information for the last question?

Introduction

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

paragraph 3

paragraph 4

Mission Statement

 

Select all the products that are part of Crossfield’s mission.

paint for walls

ships

glues used on boats

waterproofing for ships

tires

drinking water for sailors

steel used to make ships

canoes

things that make floors level

 

Explain what Dex-O-Tex® is and how it is used.

 

Is there anything still unclear about this reading?

 

Crossfield Products Corp. maintains all rights and ownership over their brands, trademarks, and texts.

 

Supplemental educational materials created by ASNE through a grant by the Office of Naval Research are licensed as Share-Alike under Creative Commons 4.0. Licensed: CC BY-SA 4.0

 

 

Engineering Extension

Crossfield Production Corp. is always innovating, but has some chemicals that are core to their history and their current products. Watch this video about how a Dex-O-Tex® related product is used to improve the safety of a parking deck while making it more green.

 

 

Crossfield's product improved the parking deck because it is more resistance than other products, so it will last longer. It will stay waterproof so the concrete is protected from the weather. It is skid resistant and gasoline and grease will not affect it. This product is also environmentally safe. For these reasons, Crossfield's product was used to improve this parking garage.

 

Engineering Challenge: What is something in your community that would be improved by this product from Crossfield?

 

Think about what would be the benefits. Discuss whether there might be any potential problems. How much cost would it save your community? How much should your community be willing to pay for these benefits?

If you create a presentation, feel free to upload your posters, videos, papers, etc. to our FLEET Forum (our central hub for STEM communications). Have fun!

If you need more examples to get started, read this case study about how Crossfield helped improve the Greek Theater in Griffith Park.