how steel is made documentary
Steel is one of the metals that is utilized all over the world in its contemporary form. It is not only inexpensive but also quite sturdy and adaptable. Steel is the second most mass-produced commodity after cement, with production running at around 750 million tonnes per year across the world.
Making documentary in the steel industries to help people understand the subject better is customary, but we wrote this post to show you how to see the subject from a different angle.
stainless steel
Steel may be recycled indefinitely and its production uses a low percentage of the total available energy. The energy used and the amount of carbon dioxide released are both significantly lower than they were in the 1960s as a direct result of the efforts made by the steel industry. The production of steel is therefore incredibly sustainable and kind to the environment.
Steel is used in such a wide variety of products that it would be impossible to mention them all here. Some examples of steel-made goods are railroad tracks, oil and gas pipelines, skyscrapers, elevators, subways, bridges, automobiles, ships, cutlery (knives, forks, razors), and medical equipment. Steel can be found almost anywhere!
The evolution of iron and its uses
More than five percent of the surface of the earth is composed of iron, making it the fourth most plentiful element.
Around the year 2000 B.C., people in south-west or south-central Asia were the first to start manufacturing iron. This event heralded the beginning of the Iron Age, which was characterized by the widespread adoption of iron as an alternative to bronze in the manufacture of tools and weaponry. Blacksmiths were responsible for the production of wrought iron during this time period.
They would heat the iron and then use an anvil to hammer away any imperfections. The iron that was produced after the process was robust but malleable.
During the Middle Ages, a new form of iron that required greater temperatures to produce was developed. This type of iron, which was known as cast iron, was more fragile than wrought iron despite being harder than the latter.
Prior to the mass manufacture of steel in 1870 AD, iron served as the material foundation upon which human civilisation was built for more than three thousand years.
The Elements That Make Up Steel
Iron and carbon are the two primary components of steel. It is possible for very trace amounts of silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, and oxygen to be present.
The percentage of carbon that is found in steel ranges from 0.08% to 1.5%. This results in a material that is more brittle than wrought iron but more durable than cast iron.
Steel is a remarkable material because it strikes a perfect balance between hardness, flexibility, and tensile strength. When compared to the more malleable wrought iron, it has a longer lifespan and maintains a sharper edge for longer. On the other hand, it is more resilient to the effects of shock and tension than the more brittle cast iron.
How Is Steel Made?
The production of steel begins with the heating and melting of iron ore in furnaces, where the impurities are separated out and carbon is added.
These days, one of two processes accounts for the vast majority of steel production:
Blast Furnace
Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)
In order to create steel, blast furnaces primarily employ raw materials (iron ore, limestone, and coke), along with some scrap steel. Electric arc furnaces, on the other hand, use scrap steel almost exclusively.
What is meant by the term "blast furnace"?
Henry Bessemer, an Englishman, came up with the idea for the blast furnace about the middle of the nineteenth century. Bessemer developed a method for the production of steel that involved oxidizing the material by passing air through molten iron in order to extract impurities.
The contemporary blast furnace consists of a huge steel shell that is formed into the shape of a cylinder and lined with brick that can withstand high temperatures. The iron ore, coke, and limestone are introduced into the furnace at the top, and as they make their way down toward the bottom, they experience an increase in temperature.
In the upper portion of the furnace, gas produced by the combustion of the coke causes the iron ore to liberate oxygen. The formation of slag begins in the lower portion of the furnace when limestone begins to react with the impurities present in the ore and the coke.
Temperatures in the lower part of the furnace can reach well over 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the molten slag floats on top of the steel that is melting, it is possible to drain it via a gap in the furnace that is specifically designed for slag.
A tap hole is used to drain the molten steel that is contained within the hearth of the furnace.
The acronym "EAF" refers to an electric arc furnace.
EAFs are typically employed in the manufacturing of steels of exceptional grade that are then alloyed with various other metals. Additionally, EAFs can be utilized in the production of steels that are not alloyed in any way.
EAFs, in contrast to furnaces, do not make use of hot metal in their processes. They make use of discarded steel from goods that have been reprocessed.
An overhead crane is used to feed scrap steel into the electric arc furnace (EAF). When the furnace has reached capacity, the lid is swung down and secured in place, completely covering the top of the furnace.
The electrodes are lowered into the furnace through the opening in the lid, which contains the electrodes. The electrodes are subjected to a strong electric current, which results in the production of heat and, ultimately, the melting of the scrap.
While the scrap is being melted down, other metals that are referred to as ferro-alloys are added to the steel in order to give it the correct chemical makeup. The steel is made purer by the introduction of oxygen into the furnace. Lime and fluorspar are added to the mix in order to create slag by fusing with the impurities.
The molten slag will float on top of the molten steel, and if the furnace is tilted, it will be possible to pour off the slag.
By fusing together several other metals to produce steel alloys, electric arc furnaces (EAFs) make it possible to produce a wide variety of high-quality steels.
Stainless steel, which has chromium and nickel added to it to give it qualities that make it resistant to corrosion, is the type of this material that is utilized the most. Steels utilized in engineering, aerospace, and armor plating are examples of other specialty steels that can be produced in EAFs.
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