Bessemereljárás

The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron. Developed by Sir Henry Bessemer in the 1850s, it revolutionized metal production and had a profound impact on the Industrial Revolution. Before the Bessemer process, steel was expensive and difficult to produce, limiting its use to specialized applications.

The process involves blowing air through molten pig iron in a special furnace called a converter. The oxygen in the air reacts with impurities such as carbon, silicon, and manganese in the pig iron, oxidizing them. These oxides are either released as gases or slag. The exothermic nature of these reactions raises the temperature of the metal, keeping it molten. This process rapidly purifies the iron, converting it into steel.

The Bessemer process dramatically lowered the cost of steel, making it widely available for construction, railways, shipbuilding, and machinery. This availability fueled a surge in industrial development and infrastructure projects worldwide. While later processes like the open-hearth and basic oxygen steelmaking have largely superseded the Bessemer process due to their greater efficiency and control over steel composition, its invention remains a landmark achievement in metallurgical history.