WTC - What Rusted all that Steel?

hmmm.....dont some people think that thermite was used to bring down the towers??.....thermite is made of rust and aluminum shavings....not sure if that has anything to do with what you guys are talking about just thought ide put my 2 cents in

Griff- Go to the local hardware store, HomeDepot or something similar. Purchase a piece on untreat/unprotected steel bar. Bring it home, scratch up the surface with a file, pu it in water and leave it outside for a few days. You'll see exactly how fast steel will rust.

Originally posted by ferretman2
Griff- Go to the local hardware store, HomeDepot or something similar. Purchase a piece on untreat/unprotected steel bar. Bring it home, scratch up the surface with a file, pu it in water and leave it outside for a few days. You'll see exactly how fast steel will rust.

Problem is that vehicle steel is protected isn't it? Also, a few days? How long were the cars there to be rusting?

well imean too the world trade centers were built at a time before we could protect things thoroughly from seawater steal isnt to porous but its porous enough plus the trade centers are in a coastal city.....what caused the rust in the cars im not sure because i dont know enough about aluminum or about atomic reaction driven rusting

Burning a piece of steel that has only been painted rusts very quickly, same with tin. Aluminum is said not to rust as aluminium oxidie forms a protective layer. Rub a little mercury on that aluminium and the protective process is stopped. Aluminium rusts out very, very quickly in just the air alone when you add mercury.

The steel in both the buildings and the cars pictures were subjected to heat that blistered off their paint protection given the amount of water from firefighting and the amount of lime (corrosive) from the pulverised concrete hanging in the air. Rust would happen fairly quickly in a day or two. Most of the rust shown is surface rust that could be sanded, polished and repainted and few would know that it had rusted. Unprotected steel with nothing but dew and sunshine will develop surface rust in a few days.

[edit on 29-5-2007 by Ahabstar]

Originally posted by Griff
So, can you verify that a vehicle can rust in a matter of days from heat and water? I don't think we are argueing that heat will cause rust to form more quickly, what we are argueing is that it takes longer than seen at ground zero. At least that is what my take on it is.

I have seen a car that was on fire literally be covered with surface rust in a matter of hours. Get a couple of the cheap chemical hand warmers. Carefully cut one open and gently breathe on it. The filings will rust as you watch.

Back when cars were spray painted the metal was dipped in a chemical bath that cleaned and etched the surface. The coating left from this bath gave the metal some corrosion resistance. Newer cars are powder coated and don't require the chemical bath. While powder coat paint is more resistant to scratches or flaking, once the coating is breached there is no underlying protection.

Originally posted by Ahabstar
Burning a piece of steel that has only been painted rusts very quickly, same with tin.

Thanks for the chemistry lesson. It makes sense to me.

Edit: Also thanks to JIMC5499.

I wasn't aware rust happened so quickly. But, I should be shot for not thinking about the brillo pad that is sitting on my sink that is a ball of rust right now (time for a new one I think).

[edit on 5/29/2007 by Griff]

Just don't get any ideas about covering airplane wings with mercury...someone might pound you pretty hard over that one...one way or the other. CoughBubbaCough

Well, since I have no access to either plane wings or mercury, I don't think you need to worry.

Originally posted by Griff
I wasn't aware rust happened so quickly. But, I should be shot for not thinking about the brillo pad that is sitting on my sink that is a ball of rust right now (time for a new one I think).

You didn't say you had Brillo pads. Take one of those and pull it apart and hit it with a lighter and watch what happens.

people use brillo pads to smoke crack........just saying.....

Originally posted by Insolubrious
ok well I done some more digging on the rust issue in general and there was some heavy corrosion going on. Check out these pictures for example:

Notice these rusty coloured clouds, is this instant rusting into the air? Fire does not cause instant dust.

I recall reading something about h-bombs creating clouds of sulphuric acid, which could explain this hyper accelerated corrosion.

Look at the front of that vehicle! It can take months for this sort of corrosion to occur naturally! Its ridiculous..

I MIGHT be wrong...

those 4 pics looked photoshopped. (2nd set) Not the ones of the steel beams, i'm specifically talking about those 4 with the cars and the rust 'cloud'; stood out to me for some reason and looked like 'someone' had used the replace 'color' brush , and just touched them up... The rust doesnt look 'COMPLETELY' real....maybe some airbrushed them too look more exaggerated (?) the first set looks legit. any sources for the others? this set you posted them from photobucket...and not from any online source.

just wondering. ?

edit: especially that last one. the HOODs of the cars, near the front of picture, look painted in (?) ....where the ones far in the BACK look normal, as in covered in ash and maybe even burned a bit from debis and what not. there were rusted looking cars. but the ones close up look almost like brown paint jobs. im viewing the photos on a 1920x1200 display. it looks touched up. but are there MORE of these...from SOURCES? please post links please...im at least wondering.

1st pic look at the bottom of the 2 rusty cars. at the right back end of that bottom car there is a gash , or a hole, some kind of dent...and the brown rust looks badly brushed over....rust paint OVER the dent. see it?

[edit on 29-5-2007 by ready4truth]

[edit on 29-5-2007 by ready4truth]

Originally posted by ready4truth

any sources for the others? this set you posted them from photobucket...and not from any online source.

just wondering. ?

... please post links please...im at least wondering.

[edit on 29-5-2007 by ready4truth]

go here:

janedoe0911.tripod.com...

There are about 4 pages of examples, the pictures i posted were just a few good examples.

Check out FEMAs photo libary for the one you think is photoshopped(!)

www.photolibrary.fema.gov...

oh look, the rusty car you think is retouched is from our very own ATSer IgnoranceIsntBliss

i24.photobucket.com...
Rusty car


[edit on 29-5-2007 by Insolubrious]

im not accusing anything...just to clarify

they DO look brushed in...at least on my display

Originally posted by ready4truth
im not accusing anything...just to clarify

they DO look brushed in...at least on my display

I just thought it was funny the one you thought was fake came from the FEMA site. I also had the same thought it might be fake but if it is then FEMA faked it and I am doubting it.

How could fire cause instant rust?

Anyone? Buehler?

Originally posted by newtron25
How could fire cause instant rust?

Anyone? Buehler?

Fire comes from the heat generated by rapid oxidization. Since rust is the oxidization of steel's iron content the chemical reaction would be accelerated by heat.

Originally posted by JIMC5499

Originally posted by newtron25
How could fire cause instant rust?

Anyone? Buehler?

Fire comes from the heat generated by rapid oxidization. Since rust is the oxidization of steel's iron content the chemical reaction would be accelerated by heat.

Give me 1) examples of what kinds of rapid oxidation that would come from the heat generated by "combustion" witnessed at the WTC, 2) an example of how it would be conceivable that such a large structure could be subject to a universally applied reaction resulting in "rust", especially under the supposed heat conditions (let's start with the explosion of jet fuel as a hypothetical scenario).

Remember, keep the answer under 5000 characters.


[edit on 30-5-2007 by newtron25]

www.newham.gov.uk...

here is a picture of a burnt out car they do tend to take on that color, from the pictures I looked at on line, I guess an expert on chemical reaction would know.

Good find Stormdancer.

As far as the oxygenation producing flame. Doesn't pure magnesium react with oxygen and burn? Or one of those heavy metals?