Steel is one of the metals used in the world in its contemporary form. It is not only cheap, but also perfectly solid and consistent. Steel is the second mass production commodity after cement, which worldwide produces about 750 million tons per year.
It is common practice to make documentaries in the steel industry to help people better understand the issue, but we have written this post to show you how to see the subject from another angle.
stainless steel
Steel may be recycled indefinitely and its production uses a lower percentage of the total energy available. The energy used and the amount of carbon dioxide released are both significantly lower than in the 1960s as a result of efforts made by the steel industry. Steel production is incredibly stable and kind.
Steel is used in a wide variety of products that cannot be listed here. Examples of steel manufacturing goods include railroads, oil and gas pipelines, skyscrapers, elevators, underpasses, bridges, cars, ships, knives, and medical equipment. Steel is found almost anywhere!
Iron evolution and its application
More than five percent of the earth’s surface is made of iron, making it the fourth most abundant element.
Around 2000 BC, people in Southwest or Central Asia were the first to begin producing iron. This event was the beginning of the Iron Age, where iron adoption was known as a bronze substitute for weapons and tool production. The iron smith has been responsible for the production of metals during this period.
“They heat iron and then use an anvil to remove any defects. The iron produced after this process was strong but malleable.
In the Middle Ages, a new form of iron was developed that required more temperature for production. This type of iron, known as cast iron, was made more brittle than iron, even though it was harder than iron.
Prior to the mass production of steel in 1870, iron was used as a material foundation on which human civilization was built for more than three thousand years.
Elements that make up steel
Iron and carbon are the two main elements of steel. There may be a very small amount of silicon, phosphorus, sulfur and oxygen.
The percentage of carbon in the steel range is between 0.08 and 1.5 percent. This makes it a more brittle material made of iron, but more durable than cast iron.
Steel is a significant material because it provides a perfect balance between hardness, flexibility and tensile strength. When compared to iron with more flexible iron, it has a longer lifespan and keeps the sharper edge for a long time. On the other hand, shock and stress resistance is greater than fragile iron.
How is steel made?
Steel production starts with the heat and melting of iron ore in the furnace, where impurities are removed and carbon is added.
Nowadays, it is one of the two main processes in steel production:
Kureh Boland
Electric arc furnace (EAF)
To create steel, blasting furnaces primarily use raw materials (iron ore, limestone and coke), as well as some scrap steel. On the other hand, arc furnaces almost exclusively use scrap steel.
What is meant by “a furnace”?
Henry Bessemer, an English, conceived the idea of an explosion in the mid-nineteenth century. Besmer developed a technique for the production of steel that included the oxidation of material by passing air through molten iron to extract impurities.
The contemporary blast furnace is made up of a huge steel shell shaped like a cylinder and covered with bricks that can withstand high temperature. Iron ore, coca and limestone are introduced in the furnace above, and as they make their way down, they experience increased temperature.
In the upper part of the furnace, the gas produced by the coal combustion causes iron ore to release oxygen. The formation of slag begins at the bottom of the furnace, when the limestone begins to react with impurities in the ore and the coca.
The temperature of the lower part of the furnace can reach well over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Because the molten slag is melted on the steel, it can be evacuated through a gap in the furnace specially designed for slag.
A valve hole is used to drain molten steel that is located inside the furnace.
The short name “EAF” refers to an electric arc furnace.
AAF is normally used in making exceptional grade steel which is then alloyed with different metals. In addition, AAF
