nyersvasat

Nyersvasat, known in English as pig iron, is a crude iron alloy with high carbon content produced by smelting iron ore with coke in a blast furnace. It typically contains about 3.5–4.5% carbon, along with silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. Pig iron is brittle and has limited toughness, making it unsuitable for direct structural use.

Production involves charging raw iron ore, coke and limestone into a blast furnace. Inside the furnace, iron oxide is reduced to metallic iron and becomes saturated with carbon from the coke, forming liquid pig iron that is tapped from the bottom and cast into ingots or other molds. The name “pig iron” historically derives from patterns used in early casting, where a central channel fed a cluster of small ingots that resembled piglets nursing from a sow.

Uses and processing: Because of its high carbon content, nyersvasat is hard and brittle and not used as-formed for most structural purposes. It serves primarily as a feedstock for steelmaking or for the production of cast iron products. In steelmaking, pig iron is refined in processes such as basic oxygen steelmaking or electric arc furnace steelmaking to reduce carbon content and produce steel. It can also be cast directly into certain types of iron products, like gray iron, where graphite imparts specific properties.

History and significance: The development of blast furnaces and pig iron production was central to the Industrial Revolution, enabling large-scale metalworking and later modern steel production. Environmental considerations include high energy consumption and CO2 emissions, which depend on the fuels and technologies used in the furnace.