Steel is an alloy of iron usually containing less than 1% carbon:
First to have to make iron: you start with iron ore. Iron ore is simply rock that happens to contain a high concentration of iron. Common iron ores include: Hematite. Magnetite. Limonite or Siderite
Second: To make iron from iron ore, you need to eliminate the oxygen to create pure iron.
a) The most primitive facility used to refine iron from iron ore is called a bloomery: you burn charcoal with iron ore and a good supply of oxygen (provided by a bellows or blower). Carbon and carbon monoxide combine with the oxygen in the iron ore and carry it away, leaving iron metal (the bloom). and by heating and hammering the bloom, you create wrought iron.
b) The more advanced way to smelt iron is in a blast furnace. A blast furnace is charged with iron ore, charcoal or coke and limestone. Huge quantities of air blast in at the bottom of the furnace. At the bottom of the blast furnace, liquid iron collects along with a layer of slag on top. Periodically, you let the liquid iron flow out and cool. The liquid iron typically flows into a channel and indentations in a bed of sand. Once it cools, this metal is known as pig iron.
Third : With the pig iron you created steel, by any of these methods:
a) The open hearth furnace: the pig iron, limestone and iron ore go into an open hearth furnace. It is heated to about 1600 F (871 C). The limestone and ore forms a slag that floats on the surface. Impurities, including carbon, are oxidized and float out of the iron into the slag. When the carbon content is right, you have carbon steel.
b) Bessemer process: processes molten pig iron is refined by blowing air through it in an egg-shaped vessel, known as a converter,
c) Basic soygen furnace (used by most modern steel plants):
Check this diagram on how to produce steel:
http://www.ltvsteel.com/htmfiles/diagram2.htm
Some history:
http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/main_sections/info_services/library_docs/manuals/primmetals/chapter2.htm
2006-07-09 08:17:31
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answer #1
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answered by gospieler 7
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Production methods
* Crucible technique - the original steel making technique, developed in India as wootz, used in the Middle East as Damascus steel.
* Cementation process used to convert bars of wrought iron into blister steel. This was the main process used in England from the early 17th century.
* The more recent version of the crucible technique was independently redeveloped in Sheffield by Benjamin Huntsman in c.1740, and Pavel Anosov in Russia in 1837. Huntsman's raw material was blister steel.
* Bessemer process, the first large-scale steel production process for mild steel.
* Puddling
* The Siemens-Martin process, using an Open hearth furnace
* Basic oxygen steelmaking
* Electric arc furnace a form of secondary steelmaking from scrap, though the process can also use direct-reduced iron
2006-07-09 07:23:56
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answer #2
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answered by inatuk 4
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What type of Steel? Steel Wool, steel braces, or just plain old steel?
2006-07-09 06:57:14
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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You need to get iron heated up till its glowing and then cool it down rapidly in charcoal.
The temperature of the rion and the time of cooling down as well as the type of charcoal will determine the quality of the steel you get
2006-07-09 06:58:04
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answer #4
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answered by ganja_claus 6
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You mix carbon with iron. I guess you could get it from coal like the one answer says. I'm not sure how you get them mixed without burning the carbon. Argon maybe.
2006-07-09 06:55:51
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answer #5
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answered by goose1077 4
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It contains carbon, but I think the iron is heated more to burn off impurities?
2006-07-09 06:59:43
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answer #6
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answered by cobra 7
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melted Iron ore
2006-07-09 06:52:48
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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by mixing iron and coal in a furnace! duhh!
2006-07-09 06:52:10
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answer #8
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answered by nameer 2
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