Bessemer converter
device · 1856 · Industrial Revolution
Blowing air through pig iron to make steel.
Inventor: Henry Bessemer.
What it is made of
- Pear-shaped steel vessel — has part. A steel vessel with a refractory lining.
- Tuyeres — has part. Holes in the bottom for blowing air through.
- Trunnions — has part. They tilt the converter to pour out the steel.
Principles and materials it uses
- Cast iron — uses. Molten pig iron is blown with air.
- Oxidation — uses. Oxygen in the air burns out the carbon.
Where it is used
- Steel — is used in. Mass-produced steel is Bessemer steel.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Open-hearth furnace — evolved into. A more controllable process.