Graham guardian., 1907-11-29
FENCE WIRE PROBLEM.
Causes of the CorroSion OF steel wlrs
Fencing


Fencing.
Into the much discussed question OF
what is the matter with the fence wire
nowadays the department of agricul
ture, in 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 by
the Bessemer or open hearth process
From the statements of officials of &
company consuming large quantities
of wire and from othe. authoritative
evidence, all tending in the same direc,
ton, the following two points are ac
cepted: First, that mC dern Besseme,
and open hearth steel rlsts much more
rapidly than iron wire; second, that
manganese, especially it is unevenly
distributed in the steel, is at least IL
part the cause of the trouble.
Eject of EIect,-oIysis.
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 electrolyss In
a fence wire are extremely small. II
must be remembered that they are con.
tinually going on whenever the wire Is
wet. In almost all moderl steel wov.
en- wire fences some wires will be found
to far outlast others, Independent of
the original weight of the galvanized
ppN-n,,,,, which tIpyr ,,.p,- iv,
en- wire fence all the wires would last
as we'll as The best ores do there would
have been no complaints. 1t is just
this point of uneyenness of lasting
quality in wires from successive heats
in the same mill which have practically
the same chemical composition that is
hard to explain by any theory but that
of galvanic or elcctrolytic action. The
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
Some wires will go to pieces before
others, although there is no discernible
difference either in the weight or quail
tty of the zinc covering. In one fence
which has been under observation for
four years one wire was in perfect con
dition, although it carried a light Gov
crlng of zinc, while the wire next to II
T1,s badly rusted from end TO end.
observations In the Field.
Almost erery one who has carefully
Inspected woven wire fencing as it is
exposed to the weather on the farm
says Mr.. CnShman, 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 a 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 'teIe.
graph wire is generally acknowledged
10 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-
sideratlon that are given TO wire which
brings n higher price in the market