Henry Bessemer , in full Sir Henry Bessemer, (born January 19, 1813, Charlton, Hertfordshire, England—died March 15, 1898, London), inventor and engineer who developed the first process for manufacturing steel inexpensively (1856), leading to the development of the Bessemer converter. He was knighted in 1879.
What process was improved to make steel cheaper?
In the 1850’s, Henry Bessemer found a cheap and quick way to make steel. He blasted hot air through melted iron to remove impurities . Before this process, steel took a day or more to be made.
Who invented steel making?
William Kelly lived in quiet retirement in Louisville, KY, until his death on Feb. 11, 1888. Henry Bessemer in the U.K. (1813–1898) did produce the first patent and became known for the steel making process. Bessemer invented over 100 items in the fields of iron, steel, and glass.
Who used the Bessemer process?
Carnegie learned everything he could about steel production and began using the Bessemer Process at mills he owned in America. By the mid-1870s Carnegie was heavily involved in steel production.
Which invention helped lower the cost of steel production?
Alhough the Bessemer process is no longer commercially used, at the time of its invention it was of enormous industrial importance because it lowered the cost of production steel, leading to steel being widely substituted for cast iron.
What made steel cheaper?
Bessemer had been trying to reduce the cost of steel-making for military ordnance, and developed his system for blowing air through molten pig iron to remove the impurities. This made steel easier, quicker and cheaper to manufacture, and revolutionized structural engineering.
Which country invented steel?
But a society in South Asia had a better idea. India would produce the first true steel. Around 400 BC, Indian metalworkers invented a smelting method that happened to bond the perfect amount of carbon to iron.
How did ancients make steel?
In order to convert wrought iron into steel—that is, increase the carbon content—a carburization process was used. Iron billets were heated with charcoal in sealed clay pots that were placed in large bottle-shaped kilns holding about 10 to 14 tons of metal and about 2 tons of charcoal.
What is the Bessemer technique?
The Bessemer Process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron prior to the open hearth furnace. The key principle is the removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation by blowing air through the molten iron .
What replaced the Bessemer process?
Although the process itself was much slower, by 1900 the open hearth process had largely replaced the Bessemer process.
How do we produce steel today?
Today there are two major commercial processes for making steel, namely basic oxygen steelmaking , which has liquid pig-iron from the blast furnace and scrap steel as the main feed materials, and electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, which uses scrap steel or direct reduced iron (DRI) as the main feed materials.
How did steel change the world?
Steel then exploded into one of the biggest industry’s on the planet and was used in the creation of everything from bridges to railroads to skyscrapers and engines . It was particularly influential in North America where massive iron ore deposits helped it become one of the worlds biggest economy’s.
How was steel first made?
One of the earliest forms of steel, blister steel, began production in Germany and England in the 17th century and was produced by increasing the carbon content in molten pig iron using a process known as cementation . In this process, bars of wrought iron were layered with powdered charcoal in stone boxes and heated.
What is the steelmaking process called?
Bessemer process , the first method discovered for mass-producing steel. Though named after Sir Henry Bessemer of England, the process evolved from the contributions of many investigators before it could be used on a broad commercial basis.
Could produce steel that was strong and cheap?
Henry Bessemer ; Could produce steel that was strong and cheap which could be used to make skyscrapers and bridges.
Who is the father of steel?
Sir Henry Bessemer : Father of the Steel Industry.
