The process of making rubber stronger and more useful by heating it with sulphur. Raw rubber straight from the tree is a poor material: it goes soft and sticky when it is hot, and hard and brittle when it is cold. Vulcanization fixes that. After it, rubber stays springy in summer and winter, and that is why car tyres, shoe soles, rubber bands and hoses can exist at all.

The process of是一種過程making rubber stronger and more useful讓橡膠變得更強韌、更好用，by heating it with sulphur方法是加硫磺加熱處理。Raw rubber straight from the tree剛從樹上採下來的生橡膠is a poor material是很差的材料：it goes soft and sticky when it is hot熱的時候會變軟變黏，and hard and brittle when it is cold冷的時候又會變硬變脆。Vulcanization硫化fixes that解決了這個問題。After it經過硫化之後，rubber stays springy in summer and winter橡膠不管夏天冬天都保持彈性，and that is why這也是為什麼car tyres, shoe soles, rubber bands and hoses can exist at all汽車輪胎、鞋底、橡皮筋和水管才有可能存在。

The word names the process, not the thing — you talk about 'the vulcanization of rubber', or 'after vulcanization'. It is a technical word: you will meet it in science class, in factory writing, and in the history of industry, not in daily conversation.

The word names the process這個字指的是那個過程，not the thing不是指東西本身——you talk about 'the vulcanization of rubber'你會說『the vulcanization of rubber』（橡膠的硫化），or 'after vulcanization'或是『after vulcanization』（硫化之後）。It is a technical word這是個專業術語：you will meet it in science class會在自然課上遇到，in factory writing在工廠的文件裡遇到，and in the history of industry也會在工業史裡遇到，not in daily conversation但不會出現在日常對話中。

Charles Goodyear is usually given the credit for discovering it in the 1830s, which is why an American tyre company carries his name.

Charles GoodyearCharles Goodyear（查爾斯・固特異）is usually given the credit for discovering it通常被認為是發現這個方法的人，in the 1830s時間是1830年代，which is why an American tyre company carries his name這也是為什麼有一家美國輪胎公司用他的名字命名。

British writers usually spell it 'vulcanisation' with an s; Americans use the z. Both are the same word.

British writers英式英文的使用者usually spell it 'vulcanisation'通常拼成『vulcanisation』with an s字尾用s；Americans美式英文use the z則用z。Both這兩種拼法are the same word說的是同一個字。