Graham guardian., 1908-02-07
FENCE WIRE PROBLEM.
Causes of the Corrosion OF steel wir,
Fencing,

Causes of the COrrosion OF steel Wire
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 OF whether made by
the Bessemer OF open hearth process
From the statements of officials Of 9
company consuming large quantities
Of wire and from other authoritative
evidence, all tending in the same direc-
ton, the following two points are ac
cepted: First, that modern Bessemel
and open hearth steel rusts much more
rapidly than iron wire; second, thai
manganese, especially If 1t is unevenly
distributed in the steel, Is at least ir
part the cause of the trouble.
Eject of Electrolysis.
Mr. Cushman, the writer Of the mon
ograph on the "Corrosion of Fence
Fire" argues that, although 1t is prob
able that the effects Of electrolysis 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 modern steel WOW
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 well as the best ones do there would
have been no complaints. 1t 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 Is
hard to explain by any theory but that
Of galvanic or electrolytic 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
observations show that this is not so
Some wires will 60 to pieces before
others, although there is no discernible
difference either in the weight or quail
ity of the zinc covering. In one fence
which has been under observation fol
four years one wire was in perfect con
dition although it carried light GOV
erlng of zinc, while the wire next to Il
~as 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 Oh the farm,
says Mr.. CuShman, has observed that
some Of the wires 90 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,
II, however, electrolysis takes place
and II 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 1t 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 higher price in the market
and Is used for other purposes. ..!