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Wrought Iron Wire from the Wheeling Suspension Bridge: a Metallurgical Assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Wayne L. Elban  and
Martha Goodway
Wayne L. Elban
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering and Engineering Science Loyola College Baltimore MD 21210-2699 USA
Martha Goodway
Affiliation:
Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland MD 20746-2863 USA
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Abstract

The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was constructed in 1849 over the Ohio River as a part of the National Road connecting the east coast with the interior of the United States. This was just before introduction of the Bessemer process opened the Age of Steel, so the wire for the suspension cables was manufactured from wrought iron by a local Wheeling firm. The Bridge is still standing and carries both pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Samples of wire from the suspension cables were provided courtesy of Prof. Emory L. Kemp of West Virginia University, and were examined metallurgically by optical microscopy and with a scanning electron microscope for features such as inclusions, grain size, and morphology. Hardness was measured as a proxy for strength. The combined results are compared with earlier observations made of wire of finer gauge drawn for historical musical instruments.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 712: Symposium II – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI , 2002 , II10.4
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2002

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References

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