{{Short description|American inventor and businessman (1877–1940)}} '''William H. Mason''' (19 February 1877 - 24 August 1940) was an American research engineer and inventor,<ref>{{cite journal | last=Moore | first=John Hebron | title=William H. Mason, Southern Industrialist | journal=The Journal of Southern History | publisher=Southern Historical Association | volume=27 | issue=2 | year=1961 | issn=0022-4642 | jstor=2205276 | pages=169–183 | doi=10.2307/2205276 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/2205276 | access-date=2024-09-28| url-access=subscription }}</ref> who developed in 1924 the [[Masonite]] process,<ref>{{cite web | title=Masonite International Corporation | website=Visit Laurel & Jones County | date=2024-01-02 | url=https://visitjones.com/historic_locations/masonite-international-corporation/ | access-date=2024-09-28}}</ref> by which wood is converted in fibers and subsequently into fibreboards without the use of any resin.
His invention, known as ''[[Masonite#Production|Mason method]]'', was actually realized by a laboratory accident.
==Education and invention== He was educated in engineering at the [[Cornell University]]. Mason was actually apprenticed under [[Thomas A. Edison]].
Masonite was first formed by W. Mason using the so-called, '''Mason explosion''',<ref>{{US patent|src=uspto|1578609|U.S. Patents 1,578,609}} and {{US patent|src=uspto|1586159|1,586,159}}.</ref> in which [[wood]] chips are disintegrated by saturating them with {{convert|100|psi|adj=on}} steam, then increasing the steam or air pressure to {{convert|400|psi}} and suddenly releasing them through an orifice to atmospheric pressure. Forming the fibers into boards on a screen, the boards are then pressed and heated to form the finished product with a smooth burnished finish.
The original [[lignin]] in the wood serves to bond the fibers without any added [[adhesive]]. The long fibers give Masonite a high [[bending]] strength, [[tensile strength]], density, and stability. Unlike other composite wood panels, no [[formaldehyde]]-based resins are used to bind the fibers in Masonite.
==Career== In 1924, Mason founded the Mason Fiber Company, which later became the Masonite International Corporation four years later. By October 1925, construction began on the company’s first plant in [[Laurel, Mississippi]], aimed at producing insulation board and [[hardboard]], with operations starting in 1926.
Mason continuously improved the Masonite product by enhancing its appearance and strength through a tempering process. Despite the economic challenges of the 1930s Great Depression, Masonite International Corporation flourished due to its affordability, quality, and durability, remaining a staple construction material even after the economy recovered. Mason was awarded numerous patents related to Masonite before his passing.
Mason died in 1940.<ref>{{cite web | title=1940 William H. Mason came to Mississippi after serving many years as Thomas Edison's assistant | website=Newspapers.com | date=1940-08-28 | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-delta-democrat-times-1940-william-h/9564799/?locale=en-US | access-date=2024-09-28}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Wood science]] * [[Masonite]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://visitjones.com/historic_locations/masonite-international-corporation/ History of Masonite International Corporation]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, William H.}} [[Category:1877 births]] [[Category:1940 deaths]] [[Category:American inventors]] [[Category:20th-century American engineers]] [[Category:Cornell University alumni]]