Sonti Kamesam
Encyclopedia
Sonti Kamesam was an timber
engineer
and scientist
of India
.
He was born in Narsapur
in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh
. After primary education at Visakhapatnam
, he graduated from Presidency College
, Chennai
and obtained his B.E. from Guindy Engineering College.
He joined in Forest Research Institute
, Dehra Dun and later promoted as an Expert-in-charge of Wood Preservation. He was sent to Germany
for research and worked with Dr. Falk. They developed the 'Falkamesam arsenic-copper mixture'. Till that time Dr Wolman’s formulation – famously known as Wolman Salts – contained dinitrophenol, a chemical manufactured by Hicksons, UK. No copper was used in Wolman Salts.
In India, Dr Kamesam had been busy conducting extensive tests which showed that the performance of his CCA mixture (which he
actually called 'ASCU' from the chemical symbols for copper and arsenic) was far superior to that of Wolman Salts and other
preservatives. Laboratories in the US, UK, Germany and France soon came to the same conclusion – that CCA was a highly effective
treatment and that the chemicals would ‘fix’ in the timber to give long-lasting protection against decay.
Dr Kamesam sold the patent rights for CCA in the US to The Bell Telephone Company. They called the product ‘Greensalts’ and used it for the treatment of telegraph poles.
In 1953 Hicksons took out the remains of the ASCU patent against payment of royalties for the British Empire and Dominions and in 1964
Hicksons bought an equity share in ASCU and traded in India as ASCU/Hicksons Limited.
Dr Kamesam his development of CCA made him a rich man but he continued to work hard and was known in India as an outstanding timber engineer and did much to promote the use of bamboo
for construction purposes. In 1936 he designed a highway bridge with a 60 foot span. In order to prove the strength of the bridge, he made two adult elephants, each weighing in at around ten tons, walk across.
He developed a wood preservative in the 1930s at the Forest Research Institute
in Dehra Dun, India
. Dr Kamesam obtained the US patent
rights in 1938 He sold his copy rights originally called 'ASCU salts' to the Bell Telephone Company
of the US. The acronym "CCA" is believed to have come into popular use for this product in the 1950s. In CCA treatment, copper
is the primary fungicide, arsenic
is a secondary fungicide and an insecticide, and chromium
is a fixative which also provides ultraviolet
(UV) light resistance. Recognized for the greenish tint it imparts to timber, CCA is a preservative that was extremely common for many decades; however, it contained arsenic.
After retirement he joined Tiruvankur estate as director of Development department. He built many bridges with his preserved wood.
He wrote a book on Construction of Better and cheaper highway bridges in 1943.
He was awarded D.Sc. by Andhra University
for his monumental work.
He died in 1954.
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He was born in Narsapur
Narsapur, West Godavari
Narsapur is a town, Mandal and a municipality in West Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its geographical coordinates are 16° 27' 0" north, 81° 40' 0" east. Some say there are other narasapurams in Krishna and Medak districts....
in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. After primary education at Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
, he graduated from Presidency College
Presidency College, Chennai
Presidency College is an arts, law and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840 and later, upgraded to a high school and then, graduate college, the Presidency College is one of the oldest government arts colleges...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and obtained his B.E. from Guindy Engineering College.
He joined in Forest Research Institute
Forest Research Institute
The Forest Research Institute is an institute of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and is a premier institution in the field of forestry research in India. It is located at Dehradun in Uttarakhand. It was established in 1906 and is one of the oldest institutions of its kind...
, Dehra Dun and later promoted as an Expert-in-charge of Wood Preservation. He was sent to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for research and worked with Dr. Falk. They developed the 'Falkamesam arsenic-copper mixture'. Till that time Dr Wolman’s formulation – famously known as Wolman Salts – contained dinitrophenol, a chemical manufactured by Hicksons, UK. No copper was used in Wolman Salts.
In India, Dr Kamesam had been busy conducting extensive tests which showed that the performance of his CCA mixture (which he
actually called 'ASCU' from the chemical symbols for copper and arsenic) was far superior to that of Wolman Salts and other
preservatives. Laboratories in the US, UK, Germany and France soon came to the same conclusion – that CCA was a highly effective
treatment and that the chemicals would ‘fix’ in the timber to give long-lasting protection against decay.
Dr Kamesam sold the patent rights for CCA in the US to The Bell Telephone Company. They called the product ‘Greensalts’ and used it for the treatment of telegraph poles.
In 1953 Hicksons took out the remains of the ASCU patent against payment of royalties for the British Empire and Dominions and in 1964
Hicksons bought an equity share in ASCU and traded in India as ASCU/Hicksons Limited.
Dr Kamesam his development of CCA made him a rich man but he continued to work hard and was known in India as an outstanding timber engineer and did much to promote the use of bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
for construction purposes. In 1936 he designed a highway bridge with a 60 foot span. In order to prove the strength of the bridge, he made two adult elephants, each weighing in at around ten tons, walk across.
He developed a wood preservative in the 1930s at the Forest Research Institute
Forest Research Institute
The Forest Research Institute is an institute of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and is a premier institution in the field of forestry research in India. It is located at Dehradun in Uttarakhand. It was established in 1906 and is one of the oldest institutions of its kind...
in Dehra Dun, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Dr Kamesam obtained the US patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
rights in 1938 He sold his copy rights originally called 'ASCU salts' to the Bell Telephone Company
Bell Telephone Company
The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts on July 9, 1877 by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company — the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company...
of the US. The acronym "CCA" is believed to have come into popular use for this product in the 1950s. In CCA treatment, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
is the primary fungicide, arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
is a secondary fungicide and an insecticide, and chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
is a fixative which also provides ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
(UV) light resistance. Recognized for the greenish tint it imparts to timber, CCA is a preservative that was extremely common for many decades; however, it contained arsenic.
After retirement he joined Tiruvankur estate as director of Development department. He built many bridges with his preserved wood.
He wrote a book on Construction of Better and cheaper highway bridges in 1943.
He was awarded D.Sc. by Andhra University
Andhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
for his monumental work.
He died in 1954.
External links
- Better and cheaper highway bridges;: Their design, and bills of material for spans from 9 ft. to 70 ft., by Sonti Kamesam (Author), Publisher: The Century Wood Industries & Co (1943)