| OCR Text |
Show ACTION OF ALKALI ON CEMENT TO BE TESTED The first of a series of ten yearly tests of the action of alkali on cement pipe was made at Huntington last week by Guy A. Hart, assistant drainage engineer en-gineer in charge of the Utah field; G. M. Williams of the bureau of soils of Washington; L. R. Ferguson, secretary of the Cement Manufacturers' association, associa-tion, with headquarters at Philadelphia and H. Wigg, head of the bureau of soils, with headquarters at Washington, D. C. "We were able to get an idea of the value of the different varities of drain tile, " said Mr. Hart on his arrival in Salt Lake, "and I believe ten years of tests will be a success. There are twenty-one different varieties of cement tiles being tested in the alkali soil near Huntington. The tile was laid as for ordinary use. The plan is to take up two sections of each variety each year for ten years and to compare the results of all the tests at the end of that time. "The failure of some of the varieties was apparent with our tests, as some of them were ready to crumble already after but one year in the alkali. Others were but slightly affected and some seem to have stood the work for the first year without damage. One especially es-pecially seemed as good as new. There were tiles sent here for this test from all over the United States. They are of different compositions, different mixtures mix-tures and many of them are treated to resist the action of the alkali salts. Some differ only in that they were covered cov-ered with tar and others in ereservative paints. "The effort is to find a tile ot cement that will withstand the action of the alkali, and if we are successful in the first ton years I suppose another test will be started with new ideas, and this kept up until the tile is found." |
