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The steel industry of 1860-1900
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Have you ever wondered what steel did for the country, or even the world? Well, steel had the leading roll and the greatest impact on industrial America. Steel had been used for many years, it helped American life in many ways. It also was a cheap and quality material that was built to last. Without steel the way we see the world now would be very different. To begin, evidence of steel goes back 4,000 years, but not until the late 1800s did the steel age begin. Iron was Steel was not mass produced until the Bessemer Process was created. The Bessemer Process is when the extra carbon in molten pig iron is removed by oxidation. “Not only did the Bessemer Process impact the society of the time but also sent ripples throughout the years.”(From
The first built and launched ironclad was in 1855 and it was named the Merrimac. Europe just starting building ironclads and sent her to Norfolk. The Merrimac was still there when Virginia seceded from the Union in April of 1861. The Union then sank the Merrimac and set her afire but the hull of the shop and the engines settled in the bottom of the river. The Confederates found it and raised the parts out. It took 1,500 men to work on the Merrimac. It was a very slow process because there was not many supplies or tools. The Merrimac needed needed on thousand tons of iron. It was difficult to get some because there was very few iron manufacturers anywhere in the South and there was just one able to supply enough. The Merrimac got a small share of iron and then went to work. It took over a year to get this ship finished. The captain was Franklin Buchnan and he had 300 men for a crew.
We have all heard this joke. Only now the horse has been replaced with consumers of steel in the US steel industry. Why? Many companies in our economy that use steel as an input to produce their goods are staggering due to recent extraordinarily high steel prices. President Bush dropped a tariff on imported steel on Thursday March 4th; according to basic economics, this cancellation of the steel import tariff should have dropped the price for US domestic consumers. Unfortunately though, that hasn't happened. Steel prices are currently at record highs and many forecast even higher prices to come. This puts huge pressure on small businesses that are dependent on steel for their well being. With higher prices threatening these business owners’ profits and future sales all, including the very large companies, are looking for any break in the high priced storm that seems to be closing in on the future of the steel industry. While many companies are sending out fair warning that consumers can expect higher prices in the car, furniture, and construction industries, many look for ways to cut costs and layoffs have been mentioned. Could this have been avoided? Many look to the recent lifting of tariffs imposed on steel imports as a possible culprit. Although the lifting of the tariff has affected the market, it is unlikely that the lifting correlates with the recent spike in steel prices. With the United Steel Workers of America screaming that the dropped import tariffs are, "clear evidence of capitulating to European blackmail and a sorry betrayal of American steelworkers and their communities," (Crutsinger 1) and representatives in congress showing much disgust at the presidents lack of respect and compassion for o...
The home building industry became widely aware of steel as a potential alternative in 1993. Steel makers, suppliers, manufacturers and even some builders were quick to rally around this new material. However, the "newness" of steel has a...
A consulting firm, Rhodium Group calculates that global steel production rose by 57% in the decade to 2014, with Chinese mills making up 91% of this increase.[7]
There are many jobs that relate directly to steel production in the United States. “…there appear to be some 130,000 to 153,000 jobs in total in that entire US steel industry” (Worstall). The amount of jobs in the US made by steel production are significant to our economy. Without them, these people would be unemployed. In an article about the changes steel made on society, it is mentioned how the steel industry has changed “American steel production peaked in 1969, when 141 million tons were produced, but the trend of lower labor costs overseas and inexpensive transportation options to bring the steel back to America has pushed production outside of the U.S.” (The Steel Revolution). The United States was in a period of great economic growth in the 1969, and this development was powered by steel and steel giants like Andrew Carnegie, who helped expand the United States “…by endowing educational, cultural, scientific, and technological institutions” (Andrew Carnegie). Beyond just the steel industry, steel produced is used in a multitude of different industries, as mentioned in the previously mentioned article talking about the changes that steel has made on society. “Today, steel is a regular part of many different industries, including transportation, agriculture, healthcare, food service, energy, construction, packaging, automotive, consumer goods, and technology” (The Steel Revolution). Steel is a crucial part of all of these industries, and without the affordable and reliable steel made from the Bessemer process, these industries could not be what they are
The rise of industry in America had a lasting influence on all social classes. The changes that came with the new growth of industry impacted the nation as a whole by creating opportunities for a better way of life. An influx of eager workers, raw materials and a willing government, provided America with the chance to advance and thrive as a nation.
By adding up to 2%,of carbon it makes the steel tough and strong. Although it’s tough and strong, it is able to bend. To make sure that the metal doesn’t rust, it has a zinc coating on it. Iron is 26 on the periodic table,and considered an “transition metal,” meaning that it is ductile and malleable, and conduct electricity and heat. ... “Some other elements that are similar to iron are cobalt and nickel. They are the only elements known to produce a magnetic field.” Zinc is 30 on the periodic table and it is also a transition metal like iron. “The first iron used by humans is likely to have come from meteorites.” A meteorite is a meteor that survives its passage through the earth's atmosphere such that part of it strikes the ground. More than 90 percent of meteorites are of rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel. Meteors are believed to have been from the asteroid belt of Mars and
It is theorized by some that Bessemer did not create the process but instead he stole it from someone else and built upon it for his own benefit. Nonetheless his discovery was just as valid as it was one of the contributing factors to the industrial revolutions as it allowed thousands of tonnes to be produced and set out in a single day. To this day Bessemer-Converter-inspired machines are what make the steel you see in foundations or in many household products. Robert Durrer crafted the first modern of the Bessemer converter with one slight modification being that instead of blowing air it blew in pure oxygen which allowed for purer steel and did not put in nitrogen like the previous method. But it is important to note that Bessemer did not invent the steel that was produced from his machinery. Steel of the similar caliber was produced by viking blacksmiths to craft extremely durable and effective
The beginnings of modern processing of iron can be traced back to central Europe in the mid-14th century BC. Pure iron has limited use in today’s world. Commercial iron always contains small amounts of carbon and other impurities that change its physical properties, which are much improved by the further addition of carbon and other alloying elements. This helps to prevent oxidation, also known as rust.
...iling industry and the expansion of the west. The railroads helped these industries expand their territories which not only brought wealth to the large companies but, it also helped create jobs for many people. The railroad industry became an important gateway for immigrants because it introduced them to different opportunities of work and living. The railroad industry also helped to pour money into America’s economy. The railroad industry helped raise economic standards and change the way from an economy based on agriculture to an agriculture base on machinery. The railroads united America as a whole. It was the driving force of the industrial revolution that brought America together as a unity. The industrial revolution wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for the railroad industry that changed not only the people but, the country as a whole for the next fifty years.
Stainless steels are used in every day applications such as oil and gas, medical equipment, cutlery, boats and many more. The discovery of stainless steel is not very well known, as Germany, Britain, Poland, France, America and Sweden have all claimed that they discovered Stainless
Iron was easily replaced because it was a weak and brittle element, and steel was a new durable alloy. Steel also opened the doors to the ability to create many new industrial projects for a significantly cheaper price. Two inventions, the Bessemer process and the Siemens-Martin open-hearth method, significantly reduced the cost of the production of steel. The Bessemer converter was the first inexpensive industrial process that converted steel from molten pig iron and the Siemens-Martin open-hearth method was the first open-hearth furnace. Both of these processes kickstarted the steel production in the United States. These inventions significantly dropped the prices of steel and by 1873 the United States was producing nearly 115,000 tons of steel rail, approximately one-eighth of all U.S. steel production. The creation of these new processes ultimately ended the iron age and turned America’s new focus to the steel
The industrial revolution began in Europe in the 18th century. The revolution prompted significant changes, such as technological improvements in global trade, which led to a sustained increase in development between the 18th and 19th century. These improvements included mastering the art of harnessing energy from abundant carbon-based natural resources such as coal. The revolution was economically motivated and gave rise to innovations in the manufacturing industry that permanently transformed human life. It altered perceptions of productivity and understandings of mass production which allowed specialization and provided industries with economies of scale. The iron industry in particular became a major source of economic growth for the United States during this period, providing much needed employment, which allowed an abundant population of white people as well as minorities to contribute and benefit from the flourishing economy. Steel production boomed in the U.S. in the mid 1900s. The U.S. became a global economic giant due to the size of its steel industry, taking advantage of earlier innovations such as the steam engine and the locomotive railroad. The U.S. was responsible for 65 percent of steel production worldwide by the end of the 2nd World War (Reutter 1). In Sparrows Point: Making Steel: the Rise and Ruin of American Industrial Might, Mark Reutter reports that “Four out of every five manufacturing items contained steel and 40 percent of all wage earners owed their livelihood directly or indirectly to the industry.” This steel industry was the central employer during this era.
The production of steel is a relatively new process even though the origins of steelmaking can be traced back thousands of years. The 19th century however has seen the industrialisation of steel-making/production, which has ultimately assisted in building our modern world.
As the iron became stronger with hotter fires and less irregularities the miners could create better tools, such as stronger picks and hammers. The mines could be ventilated with fans to allow the miners to dig further into the earth. Many of the mines were flooded by water before the ore could be completely exhausted from the ground, so drainage systems were improved and implemented as well. After a large deposit of iron ore was discovered the digging would commence and the blast furnace would be built close by to keep the fire going. The surrounding forests were the main source of charcoal for the earlier blast furnaces until more efficient fuels, such as coke (not Coca-Cola or cocaine), were discovered later on in the . All of this work was just the beginning of creating the powerful steel weapons and armor of the era. Each new modification in the process of creating cast iron, often called pig iron, allowed for more advanced weapons. The new steel that burst forth from China in the first century AD became popular throughout as it reached Sweden and central Asia as Damascus steel. The Volga trade route between the Vikings and present-day Iran gave the Vikings newer