17
The pour floor at that old foundry in Pittsburgh still haunts me
Went to check out a closed foundry near Pittsburgh last month. Walked through their main pour floor. The concrete was all cracked and sunken in spots. You could see where molten iron had spilled over the years. Deep burn marks everywhere. The foreman there said they poured over 200 tons a week in the 70s. That much molten metal just wears everything down over time. Makes you think about the guys who worked that floor day after day. Any of you ever been in a really old foundry and seen the floor condition?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
martinez.paul6d ago
Yeah, that line about 'deep burn marks everywhere' got me. Ive walked floors like that. The key is the concrete itself. If the aggregate wasn't heat resistant, it starts spalling and crumbling after enough pours. You can patch it, but the real fix is ripping it out and pouring something with a higher refractory content. Most places just let it go until it's a safety hazard though.
8
the_elizabeth6d ago
Concrete doesn't spall just from heat pours @martinez.paul, spalling is from moisture inside the concrete.
9
david_walker976d ago
Man, I feel you on that. I've been in shops where the floor looked okay from a distance but up close it was all these little pockmarks and crumbles, especially around the furnaces. It's wild how some places just keep layering patchwork on top instead of doing it right once. You can always tell the owners who are just waiting for the lease to run out, you know? They'll let the concrete get all chewed up until someone finally slips or a wheel catches a divot wrong.
9