Wrought Iron !!

[Robertmet]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local...beca_snarls_downtown_manhattan_rush_hour.html

While the article doesn't mention it these water mains are made of wrought iron. This one was put in service about 1870 ! Not too bad a service life .All but forgotten it was a common material back then.

 

[arunmrao]

1870 is very recent. How about this, Iron Pillar in Delhi 1600 years only!

http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_ironpillar.htm

If you think education is expensive, try Ignorance.
- Andy McIntyre


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[swall]

I would guess cast iron pipe, rather than wrought iron.

 

[Robertmet]

http://books.google.com/books?id=hr...esnum=1#v=onepage&q=wrought iron pipe&f=false

Wrought iron !

 

[Robertmet]

http://books.google.com/books?id=fS...esnum=4#v=onepage&q=wrought iron pipe&f=false

Again , wrought iron.

 

[swall]

I am not convinced. I believe wrought iron pipe was common only in smaller sizes, not the large pipe used for water mains.

 

[Robertmet]

I found another article about that watermain break that states 'cast iron'.However in

http://www.nycsubway.org

they specifically say that wrought iron pipe was used as a temporary replacement of 16" and 20" cast iron during construction of the subway. I assume that means that wrought iron pipe was made in equivalent sizes .

 

[swall]

I remembered that I have an old Marks Handbook (1941 edition), so I took a look. I found welded wrought iron pipe listed as available to 20" O.D. I also found a table for "double extra strong pipe" available in wrought iron or steel up to 8" nominal diameter. This would have been for steam pipe rather than water pipe. So, the pipe in question could have been welded wrought iron pipe.

 

[rconner]

While I have no idea whether or not there is any relevance to this occurrence/these reports, I know the 1949 “Crane” handbook actually has tables for “Welded Wrought-Iron Pipe”, that was available at least for some services in some areas in sizes up to or before that time from 1/8” through 24” in diameter. In the sizes from 10”-24” there were at some time apparently even availabilities of two different wall thicknesses of this description pipe, those being “Standard Wall” and “Extra Strong Wall”. All that being said, I'm not sure what kind of "welding" could have been employed 130-140 years ago!

I should probably mention there are also in this same book references to many other different terminologies (in addition to “cast iron” also mentioned on this thread) , and maybe in some cases some different actual piping including “black iron”, “wrought iron”, “wrought steel”, and “wrought ferrous” pipes! [What you actually have may thus be dependent on who you ask, and their knowledge of all specific nuances involved in these subjects!

 

[unclesyd]

All my information points fact that all wrought iron pipe used screwed couplings while CI used bell and spigot caulked with oakum or asbestos with a poured lead seal or a rammed lead wool. I have three sources that show wrought iron pipe made up to 20" in dual weights.
It is interesting to note that all the underground piping was pneumatically tested.