How is steel produced

The blast furnace is the first step in producing steel from iron oxides. The first blast furnaces appeared in the 14th century and produced one ton per day. Even though equipment is improved and higher production rates can be achieved, the processes inside the blast furnace remain the same. The blast furnace uses coke, iron ore and limestone to produce pig iron. Coal is a key part of the coke-making process.

As the oven is heated, the coal begins to melt so most of the volatile matter such as oil, tar, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur are removed. Become a Keen Distributor. Ferrous comes from, or contains iron, while Non-Ferrous does not contain iron. Some examples of ferrous metals would be mild steel, cast iron, high strength steel, and tool steels.

To make steel, iron ore is first mined from the ground. It is then smelted in blast furnaces where the impurities are removed and carbon is added. Blast furnaces require many auxiliary facilities to support their operations. However, in simplest terms, the furnace itself is a huge steel shell almost cylindrical in shape and lined with heat-resistant brick. Once started, or "blown-in," the furnace operates continuously until the refractory lining needs renewal or until demand for iron drops to the point where the furnace is closed down.

This was known as cast iron, which was harder than wrought iron but more brittle. Iron formed the material basis of human civilization for over three thousand years until the mass production of steel in AD. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It can contain small quantities of silicon, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen. The carbon content of steel is between 0.

This makes it harder than wrought iron but not as brittle as cast iron. Steel has a unique balance of hardness, flexibility and tensile strength. At the same time it resists shock and tension better than the more brittle cast iron. To make steel, iron ore is heated and melted in furnaces where the impurities are removed and carbon added.

Blast furnaces use mainly raw materials iron ore, limestone and coke with some scrap steel to make steel, whereas Electric Arc Furnaces use mainly scrap steel.

The blast furnace was invented by an Englishman named Henry Bessemer in the mid s. Bessemer devised a way of producing steel by blowing air through molten iron to oxidize the material and separate impurities. The modern blast furnace is a large steel shell shaped like a cylinder and lined with heat-resistant brick. Iron ore, coke and limestone are fed into the furnace from the top and gradually sink down towards the bottom, getting hotter as they descend.

In the top half of the furnace, gas from the burning coke releases oxygen from the iron ore. In the bottom half of the furnace, limestone starts to react with the impurities in the ore and coke forming a slag. At the bottom of the furnace, temperatures reach over Fahrenheit. The molten slag floats on top of the molten steel, allowing it to be drained via a slag notch in the furnace.

EAFs are mainly used to produce special quality steels which are alloyed with other metals.