How is steel made?
You probably know that steel is manufactured industrially. But how exactly does that work? First, pig iron is produced from processed iron ores or oxides in a large-scale blast furnace. In a subsequent process, part of the absorbed carbon, phosphorus and sulfur are removed from this so that it can be further processed into various types of steel.
Steel is produced in the blast furnace process
Do you know how steel is made? In a blast furnace process, pig iron is first produced from iron ores, which mainly consist of iron oxides. In a further process, known as refining, undesirable components such as phosphorus and sulfur are removed from the pig iron. Furthermore, the carbon content is reduced and, as a rule, scrap is also processed in order to be able to subsequently produce different types of steel.
- You may already know that there are different steel manufacturing processes. A rough distinction is made between the blown process and the oven-fresh process. In the blowing process, the pig iron produced is either refined with air or oxygen. During this oxidation process, the high carbon content is lowered. The process also provides the heat needed to keep the steel in a liquid state.
- The so-called blowing process can in turn be divided into two different processes, the top blowing process and the bottom blowing process. However, the oxygen inflation method is most commonly used. The converter is filled with molten pig iron and scrap, and there is also a slag binder. Oxygen is then blown into the melt. This burns off the unwanted accompanying elements, which are then later removed or reduced. The attached scrap is then melted.
The material is manufactured using the fresh-hearth process
The fresh hearth process is another option. to produce steel. You may already be more or less familiar with this term.
- In the fresh hearth process, the oxygen required for oxidation is taken from the scrap or ores that are added. This process also requires external heat to be added to the converters.
- The Simens-Martin oven is one of the best-known hearth freshness processes. It is used to clean crude steel and to produce steel. The process is a further development of the well-known crucible furnaces in which steel was previously produced.
Producing Damascus steel and then forging a knife from it is basically even ...
The cast steel process with the addition of scrap has been used since 1842. Because its oxygen content improves the steel quality.
