Increasing Production: The Bessemer Process
Sir Henry Bessemer
Birth Date: January 19th, 1813 in Hertfordshire, England
Knighted: 1879
Date of Death: March 15th, 1898 in London
"The furnace was then tapped, when out rushed a limpid stream of incandescent malleable iron almost too brilliant for the eyes to rest upon; it was allowed to flow vertically into the parallel undivided ingot mold."
-Henry Bessemer, speaking of his first iron ingot
Knighted: 1879
Date of Death: March 15th, 1898 in London
"The furnace was then tapped, when out rushed a limpid stream of incandescent malleable iron almost too brilliant for the eyes to rest upon; it was allowed to flow vertically into the parallel undivided ingot mold."
-Henry Bessemer, speaking of his first iron ingot
English engineer and inventor, Sir Henry Bessemer worked to find a new metal tougher than iron in 1854 to be used for gun manufacturing. Difficult to gain access to, during the time period steel was very expensive. In order to create this metal, he experimented with the effects of removing carbon from iron, which later became essential in steel production. In 1855, Bessemer created his first low-grade steel product. By 1856, his process was patented, reaching the United States in 1857 when it was patented there by William Kelly.
Despite this, many iron manufacturers tried and failed to produce any successful iron products using this process. It was a failure due to the fact that it left the metal with an over abundance of oxygen, which (is bad because_____) . Also, typical European iron was phosphorus rich-- an impurity that made the metal brittle, so it too needed reinvention.
In 1858 (or 1859?) Bessemer and his associates created a steel factory in Sheffield, England, called Bessemer Steel Works. Their factory used phosphorous-free iron ore from Sweden and England to make the process work, eventually making Bessemer a millionaire, despite the initial problems. For his process, Bessemer designed a pear-shaped machine known as The Converter. Within this machine, iron was heated while oxygen was being blown through molten cast iron and into the metal. When the oxygen came in contact with the iron, it reacted with the carbon, releasing carbon dioxide and producing a more pure metal. The process was fast and cost efficient, able to mass produce mild steel. This steel was used extensively in railway lines, ship plates, and artillery manufacturing.
In 1876 Sidney Gilchrist Thomas added limestone to the process, taking the phosphorous out of any iron, which meant that the iron ore could come from anywhere rather than Sweden and England exclusively. Prices for steel production dropped between 1867 and 1884 and initiated the growth of the world steel industry.
From then on, the Bessemer process became the leading steel production process in Britain. However, this process is now declining in favor of oxygen steel making methods.
Despite this, many iron manufacturers tried and failed to produce any successful iron products using this process. It was a failure due to the fact that it left the metal with an over abundance of oxygen, which (is bad because_____) . Also, typical European iron was phosphorus rich-- an impurity that made the metal brittle, so it too needed reinvention.
In 1858 (or 1859?) Bessemer and his associates created a steel factory in Sheffield, England, called Bessemer Steel Works. Their factory used phosphorous-free iron ore from Sweden and England to make the process work, eventually making Bessemer a millionaire, despite the initial problems. For his process, Bessemer designed a pear-shaped machine known as The Converter. Within this machine, iron was heated while oxygen was being blown through molten cast iron and into the metal. When the oxygen came in contact with the iron, it reacted with the carbon, releasing carbon dioxide and producing a more pure metal. The process was fast and cost efficient, able to mass produce mild steel. This steel was used extensively in railway lines, ship plates, and artillery manufacturing.
In 1876 Sidney Gilchrist Thomas added limestone to the process, taking the phosphorous out of any iron, which meant that the iron ore could come from anywhere rather than Sweden and England exclusively. Prices for steel production dropped between 1867 and 1884 and initiated the growth of the world steel industry.
From then on, the Bessemer process became the leading steel production process in Britain. However, this process is now declining in favor of oxygen steel making methods.