It is my object to add to the literature on this subject, the results of some observations of the action of water or steam under various conditions upon ordinary iron, coupled with some consideration of the principles involved.
Owing to the great use made of iron and steel, and the dependence placed upon them, it is not surprising to find that a great deal has been written upon the factors influencing their length of life when used for various purposes.
Practically the only factor which limits the life of the iron is oxidation, under which are included all the chemical processes whereby the iron is corroded, eaten away, or rusted. In undergoing this change, the iron always passes through or into a state of solution, and, as we have no evidence of iron going into aqueous solution except in the form of ions (probably electrically charged atoms), we have really...
