The Breckenridge news., 1906-02-28
FENCE WIRE PROBLEM.
Causes of the Corrosion of steel Wire
Fencing.

|
Fencing.
Into the much discussed question Of
what is the matter with the fence wire
nowadays the department of agricul
ture, in u recent publication, intro
duces the theory of electrolysis. 1t is
stated that all metal used for fence
wire at present made in this country Is
classed as steel. irrespective of the per
centage of carbon or whether made 10y
! the Bessemer or open hearth process
From the statements of officials of
company consuming large quantities
of wire and from other authoritative
evidence all tending in the same dircc-
| ton, the following two points are ac-
cepted: First, that modern Besscmcr
and open hearth steel rusts much more
rapidly than iron wire; second. that
manganese. especially If it Is unevenly
distributed in the steel is at least in
part the cause of the trouble.
Eject of EIectroIysis.
Mr.. Cushman, the writer of the mon
ograph on the "CorroSion of Fence
Fire." argues that, although it is prob
able that the effects of electrolysis in
fence wire are extremely small, Ii
must be remembered that they are con-
| tinually going on whenever the wire Is
wet. In almost all modern steel wov-
en- wire fences some wires will be found
to far outlast others, independent of
the original weight of the galvanized
covering which they carry. If in WOW
en- wire fence all the wires would last
as we'll as the best ones do there would
have been no complaints. II Is Just
this point of unevenness Of lasting
quality in wires from successive heats
in the same mill which have practically
the same chemical composition that ia
hard to explain by any theory but that
of galvanic or electrolytic action. Tho
manufacturers have believed that the
whole trouble was in the unevenness in
the weight of zinc covering that was
put on the wire, but experiment and
observations show that this is not so.
Some wires will go to pieces before
others, although there is no discernible
difference either in the weight or quail
fly OF the zinc covering. In one fence
which has been under observation for
four years one wire was In perfect con-
dition. although 1t carried a light COW
ering OF zinc. while the wire next to 1t
was badly rusted from end to end.
Observations In the Field.
Almost every one who has carefully
inspected woven wire fencing as it is
exposed to the weather on the farm,
says Mr. Cushman, has observed that
some of the wires go TO pieces much
more rapidly than others. The bot
tom wires lying close to the ground,
which are kept wet in summer by the
growth of weeds and grass and in
winter by melting snow, are naturally
the ones which we should expect to
rust most quickly. AS matter of
| fact, however. they almost never do so.
but, on the contrary, are far more
| lasting than the wires farther removed
| from the ground. This observation has
| been substantiated by large number
of competent observers. One would
not seek to preserve iron from rust or
zinc from corrosion by laying these
metals away in wet snow or weeds.
! If, however, electrolysis takes place
and If the action can be diminished by
keeping the wires electrically neutral
through frequent connections to the
earth or through frequent short cir
cults we should then expect that wires
which were kept their whole length in
constant contact with the earth would
in the long run show greater lasting
quality.
Telegraph Wire.
The process Of making telegraph wire
Is noted, and it is explained that "tele-
graph wire is generally acknowledged
to be more durable than fence wire"
and that care is exercised in the man
ufacture of telegraph wire TO keep the
manganese low, because this element
increases the electrical resistance of
the wire. The difficulty experienced
in rolling low manganese steel and the
slow rate of speed at which the mill
must be run to draw the wire through
the zinc bath in the double process of
galvaniZing add materially to the cost
of the product. The question then
arises whether or not high grade fence
wire is worthy the same care and con-
sideration that are given to wire which
brings a higher price in the market