stainless steel wire

What about stainless steel strapping - it comes with holes which would give a good grip on the set concrete. Any builder's merchant will have it.

the wire used to make cavity wall ties. I wish to make a rough reinforceme nt for a wall foundation that can only be 4" concrete. Was going to use som e threaded rod but its a bit expensive. I though I'd roll the wire around a bolt at intervals and put it 1" from the bottom (not buried enough to use galv).

to make cavity wall ties. I wish to make a rough reinforcement for a wall foundation that can only be 4"

concrete. Was going to use some threaded rod but its a bit expensive. I though I'd roll the wire around a bolt a

t intervals and put it 1" from the bottom (not buried enough to use galv).

Go to a junk shop and buy some stainless steel cutlery, if knives and forks would be long enough for you.

Bill

This is where I used to buy stainless steel wire for my business:

You are, I hope, aware that stainless steel needs an adequate supply of oxygen to the surface to retain its rust resistant properties? Put it somewhere damp and cut off its supply of oxygen and it will rust just as quickly as mild steel.

Is that why expamet galv is OK for internal mortar bed reinforcement, but stainless is recommended for external leafs ? Anyway, I thought rust was iron oxide - requiring oxygen ? Perhaps there is a window where there is enough oxygen to rust but not enough to protect ? Simon.

Exactly. The protection is a surface coating of chromium dioxide, which needs more free oxygen to form than hydrated iron oxide (rust). If you could completely prevent oxygen from permeating through the concrete, then it wouldn't rust, but then you could also use mild steel.

Not rust proof (usually)

Should have been "not always rustproof"

Have a look at stainless steel welding wire for a MIG. Not quite sure what the largest size is, though.

Yes - but not much.

Exactly so. Once there isn't enough oxygen to protect SS, SS and mild steel rust at the same rate. As the oxygen level falls, this rate (obviously?) falls too - but it is non-zero.

There seems to be an increasing use of stainless steel in concrete (very qu ick web research). The benefit of this must be minimal for fully-encased st ainless steel, since it appears that the requirements to prevent corrosion in a low-oxygen environment is very similar for normal steel as for "stainl ess" steel. Obviously if the steel is partly exposed to the atmosphere that might be go od reason to use stainless. Simon.

On 30/09/2014 15:16, sm_jamieson wrote: ...

It probably depends upon the grade. They do, after all, use stainless steel inside the human body, but it is a highly corrosion resistant grade, that has been double refined in a vacuum, in order to remove the impurities that can form a focus for corrosion to start.

There is probably a better supply of oxygen to most parts of the human body compared to inside reinforced concrete. (Clever stuff that blood.)

I've got to have a "nail" removed from the femur in my leg before long when they take it out I'll ask them if I can have a look see for signs of rust;)