Post 1945 steel vs pre-1945 steel

[Dawes]

Gentlemen;

Pardon the arcane question, but I'd like to get input from the experts on this one:

http://uboat.net/fates/deadlight_news.htm

The article indicates (and I've heard) that steel manufactured after the atomic age began in July 1945 contains certain contaminates. These are evidently in the atmosphere, and were put there by the various nuclear tests. Steel manufactured before July 1945 (such as the sunken warships) is apparently free of this contamination, and has certain industrial applications.

Since it's probably very expensive to raise sunken warships just for the steel, I gather that there's some truth to this.

Now, initially I thought this whole concept was a load of BS. Is the pre-atomic steel issue really a valid one?

 

[JoeTank]

Wow, that idea sounds kinda weird. Should we assume that somehow the fallout settles into the iron ore deposits? I'd have to see some convincing research before I'd buy into pre/post 1945 idea. Maybe the increased interest in salvaging steel may have something to do with the current shortages and recent spike in scrap steel prices.

Steve Braune
Tank Industry Consultants

http://www.tankindustry.com

 

[EdStainless]

Yes and no. There was steel around pre-45 that had radioactive traces. This was from testing to determine solidification patterns that used the addition of radioactive elements to the steel.
The types of radiactive isotopes did change after 45. You could make 'clean' steel today by starting with ore and not using any scrap.
Even using scrap today the levels of radiation are so low that typical steel from the US can be used to amke sensitive X-ray and photographic equipment.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Corrosion never sleeps, but it can be managed.

http://www.trenttube.com/Trent/tech_form.htm

 

[YLWEA]

I think the key statement in the brief article was the reference to the old steel being "...valuable today for various researches." To me that is different from being valuable for modern industrial applications. I can see where some metallurgists might find the old steels that are typical of earlier production practices an interesting comparison to modern steels in some studies, but I have to say that they could also find plenty of old steel of the same vintage in old pipelines and other structures that are being abandoned every day and are much more accessible. Everyday I see samples of pipe from 1920 and later and while it has some metallurgical differences from modern pipe I don't see any big demand for our abandoned lines or salvaged pipe.

 

[Carburize]

I recall an article which reported that a European research institute funded the recovery of a cargo of Roman lead to use as radiation shielding for an experimental program.