Hot sand bending historical methods

[Ann-123]

Good Evening,

I’m reaching out in the hope someone can help me. First of all, I am a professional engineer and my specialism is in FEA, and I require some information that I hope is available in this community.

I am looking for someone who has knowledge of hot sand bending of large 6” or around iron piping. I know that in this particular process, the pipe was plugged with a threaded cap, filled with dry sand (known to the fabricators as black sand). The other end was packed with a white wadding/fabric. The pipe was heated in a furnace and then bent on a jig. This occurred in a pipe shop in a diesel engine manufacturer in the 1970s. I need to identify the white fabric wadding. It’s very important. Does anyone have that knowledge/background?

Kind regards

Ann-Marie

 

[swazimatt]

1970's was probably torn and hand-packed asbestos LOL

 

[Stick.]

Do you have access to the material, or are you just reading a description or something?

If you have access to it: I'd be somewhat concerned that it's asbestos containing material, given that you're talking about a heat resistant, fibrous material from the 1970's. I could be totally off base, but mesothelioma ain't fun, so best to rule that out before disturbing it.

 

[Ann-123]

No i don’t have the material and I agree that Mesothelioma isn’t fun. I thank you for your concern. Mesothelioma is the reason I’m trying to find someone who can say with some certainty that it would be asbestos and/or common practice at that time. The description is white material, that was packed in to form a wad/plug. It was not a woven or sheet fabric type. We don’t actually know if it was asbestos as it was something that was just there but I honestly couldn’t think of what else it could be.

Thanks again

 

[3DDave]

Mesothelioma seems mainly among those who handled or were close by the handling of tons of the material in close, unventilated quarters on a near daily basis over periods of years. This was certainly the case for ship builders. These workers had no suitable masks and it was also a time when smoking was at a peak. Smoking tends to damage the cilia that push such contaminants back out of the bronchi, part of the reason that tars build up in the lungs of smokers.

In school we had asbestos pads for heating on Bunsen burners and asbestos pads for brazing in the shop class; if it was a straight up hazard there would be 100 Million with notably damaged lungs.

Carbon fiber and fiberglass have similar detrimental effects on the lungs - very sharp microscopic short length materials. Use similar precautions.

Cotton fibers in lungs cause similarly debilitating disease.

Certainly OSHA et al will have a fit about asbestos, because the legal team set up to shake corporations down for money have made asbestos a terrifying focus, one they don't run commercials about cotton - the stuff that ends up in lint filters.

Wear a bunny suit, rinse it off gently with soapy water before removing it. Wear a respirator mask with a good level of filtration. Obviously gloves, same gentle rinse with soapy water. Then go out and inhale the cotton dust, microplastic particles, soot particles (also a cause of lung problems) from diesel and other incomplete combustion and have a wonderful day.

 

[1503-44]

Get it tested before disturbing it.

--Einstein gave the same test to students every year. When asked why he would do something like that, "Because the answers had changed."

 

[EdStainless]

While it was most likely an asbestos product being used anything that will take the heat and retain the sand will work.
Any ceramic fiber cloth will likely give similar results.
This method works well when you are trying to bend very tight bends and you don't particularly care about roundness and thinning.
It will help prevent buckling and wrinkling.


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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed