leftysergeant
Penultimate Amazing
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2007
- Messages
- 18,863
While researching the behavior of the paint specimens that Harrit, Basile and Jones are calling thermite, the presence of the iron microspheres after burning seems to be a sticking point to whic the twoofs like to grab hold and shake.
Some of the sphereules found in the dust are clearly welding fume from the construction of the building or flyash from the concrete used in the floor slabs. Some are clearly inclusions under the paint from the foundary where structural elements were fabricated and painted.
This does not, however, neccessarily rule out that some of the sphereules found in the ash of the paint chips were formed during the testing. That some of them contain silicon as well still supports that they were formed when the chip was burned.
Now, my knowledge of refining procedures is rather limited, but it occurs to me that some forms of iron are refined at temperatures far lower than you would expect to find in a refinery that produces high-quality steel, or even pig iron.
Wrought iron, as I recall, does not even enter a true molten state.
Since we have in the paint chips everything that we need to produce wrought iron, I am wondering whether the heat of burning the chips couild, alone, have produced enough heat to reduce the iron oxide.
Any chemists want to offer an opinon on this?
Some of the sphereules found in the dust are clearly welding fume from the construction of the building or flyash from the concrete used in the floor slabs. Some are clearly inclusions under the paint from the foundary where structural elements were fabricated and painted.
This does not, however, neccessarily rule out that some of the sphereules found in the ash of the paint chips were formed during the testing. That some of them contain silicon as well still supports that they were formed when the chip was burned.
Now, my knowledge of refining procedures is rather limited, but it occurs to me that some forms of iron are refined at temperatures far lower than you would expect to find in a refinery that produces high-quality steel, or even pig iron.
Wrought iron, as I recall, does not even enter a true molten state.
Since we have in the paint chips everything that we need to produce wrought iron, I am wondering whether the heat of burning the chips couild, alone, have produced enough heat to reduce the iron oxide.
Any chemists want to offer an opinon on this?
