Civil Engineering - Building Materials - Discussion

Cast-iron columns enabled architects to build tall buildings without the enormously thick walls required to construct masonry buildings of any height. Such flexibility allowed tall buildings to have large windows. In urban centres like SoHo-Cast Iron Historic District in New York City, manufacturing buildings and early department stores were built with cast-iron columns to allow daylight to enter. Slender cast-iron columns could also support the weight that would otherwise require thick masonry columns or piers, opening up floor spaces in factories, and sight lines in churches and auditoriums. The historic Iron Building in Watervliet, New York, is a cast-iron building.

So the answer is correct.

A. Structural works in beams - Due to high % of carbon Cast iron has low tensile strength and Good compressive strength - Beams are tensile member hence it is '(Incorrect).

B. Small-sized water pipes - Small size water pipes are made of Galvanized Iron, rubber, PVC & upvc. Cast Iron pipes are drainage pipes used in sanitary drainage etc. Hence it is ' (Incorrect).

C. Columns and struts - Due to the high% of carbon Cast iron has low tensile strength and Good compressive strength - Columns and struts are compressive members hence it is "️(Correct)".

Both options B & C are correct!

Cast Iron is used for making Small size Water Pipes due to its high resistance to corrosion (Domestics and public use) as well as for Steel Column and strut since it can take high compression (Industrial use) and column and strut are largely used as compressive members.

Now, the answer will be taken B or C depending upon, which point of view it is being asked.

The cast iron is good in compression because of high % of carbon, column and strut comprise a member that's why cast iron used in the column but column contain a huge amount of concrete, concrete take compressive load so why steel use for taking the compressive load. We all are known in a RCC member concrete take comp load and steel take tension. So, I think B is the right answer.

Cast Iron is good in compression but weak in tensile, (due to high % of carbon).

In columns usually tensile stresses are ignored, so cast iron is right answer.

On other hand mild steel is ductile which makes it good in absorbing tensile stresses are used in beams, C is right.

Wrought iron is used for small sized water pipes.

And cast iron is used for columns and struts because the column is designed for comp. Stresses and cast iron is good in compression.

Yes, correct answer is C. Because cast iron is good in compression so it is used in column and large water pipes. However wrought iron pipe used for small size water pipes.

Given answer is correct.

Colum is a compression member. And cast iron is good in compression. So it can be used.

Cast iron is used to water pipes etc.

It should not used to column and struts so answer B is correct.

As cast iron is brittle in nature then wrought iron. So, the correct answer seems to be B.