Water Chaser

SCIENCE

The most important thing about an amphibious jeep or truck is that it should keep afloat; the next most important, that its ignition system should keep dry. Fortnight ago U.S. Industrial Chemicals, Inc. was permitted to tell how the second requirement has been met in World War II. The electrical parts are painted with a compound known as PiB (protects, insulates batteries), which is brushed or sprayed over the spark plugs, battery terminals and exposed electrical parts. There it dries slowly to produce a highly insulating but flexible film, making the circuits impermeable by water.

PiB's composition is still secret, but it is known to be an organic chemical with a surface tension only half that of water. Its lower tension makes it adhere better to metal and rubber surfaces, thus displacing the water. In a spectacular test an automobile motor was sprayed by hose until the motor died. When PiB was brushed on, it insinuated itself between the water and the metal, thus in effect "dried" the electrical system and allowed the motor to be started. In other tests electric motors have been operated under water after being coated with PiB. A coating lasts at least six months.

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