Frank W. Reinhart
National Bureau of Standards
Inducted 1982
Frank Walter Reinhart (1908 – 1990) is credited with bringing engineering standards to the plastics industry that helped expand the use of plastics in industries such as building construction. Frank attended and graduated from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. He did postgraduate work in science and chemistry at Columbia University and the University of Maryland, where he received a Ph.D. in chemistry. Upon graduation, he taught at Juniata College from 1930 to 1937.
Dr. Reinhart then joined the staff of the National Bureau of Standards in Washington, DC, where he was named Chief of the Plastics Section in 1952 and directed research on plastics and adhesives until 1962, when he directed and participated in research to develop the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, particularly for plastics pipe, which were used widely by both engineering groups and code authorities. Dr. Reinhart also was an active ASTM committee member working to standardize terminology for ASTM documentation. He was dedicated to using correct and appropriate technical terminology in ASTM standards as a member of the former ASTM Committee E08 on Nomenclature and Definitions and as its Chairman from 1962 to 1976. Dr. Reinhart consulted independently on plastics and plastic pipes from 1962 to 1988. He was also the director of the Plastic Pipe Institute until 1977.
He was the author of many publications, including 60 technical papers and 45 technical reports issued by the Plastic Pipe Institute, and he held four patents related to plastics. He was a past chairman and charter member of the board of trustees of the Plastics Institute of America, a former chairman of the American Society for Testing and Materials, a fellow of the American Institute of Chemists, and a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He received Superior Accomplishment and Meritorious Service Awards from the Department of Commerce for his dedication to the plastics industry.
Areas of Expertise:
Plastic Materials