Steelmaking

Steelmaking is the second step in producing steel from iron ore. In this stage, impurities such as sulfur, phosphorus, and excess carbon are removed from the raw iron, and alloying elements such as manganese, nickel, chromium and vanadium are added to produce the exact steel required.

Related Topics:
Steel - Iron ore - Sulfur - Phosphorus - Carbon - Iron - Manganese - Nickel - Chromium - Vanadium

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The materials used in modern steelmaking are:

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• The iron produced in a blast furnace, either as molten iron or as pig iron.
• Scrap steel.
• Alloying elements.

The original methods of producing steel were labour-intensive and highly skilled arts involving open crucibles, see puddling, crucible steel.

Related Topics:
Puddling - Crucible steel

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Part of the industrial revolution was the development of large-scale steel manufacture, at first in a puddling furnace. The bessemer converter was the first successful mass steelmaking process, followed by the open hearth furnace.

Related Topics:
Industrial revolution - Puddling furnace - Bessemer converter - Open hearth furnace

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Modern steelmaking techniques include:

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• LD Process.
• Basic oxygen furnace.
• Electric arc furnace.
 
Steelmaking: See also ►