Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-10-03
IRON AND STEEL.

From the Washington Start
What is known rs the Bessemer process
for the conversion Of pig-iron into steel, has
worked a complete revolution in manufac-
lures. BY reducing the cost Of making steel
ut least 500 per ton, thus leading TO Its
substitution for iron in engine work, bridges
plating Of ships, and for railway purposes.
One firm in Liverpool has already con-
slructed 10000 tons CT shipping, VIII Fly or
partially Of Bessemer steel and il is being
extensively used in Europe and in this
country for railroads, on account Of its du-
rability, it having been proved by expert
nent chat one steel rail will stand the wear
and tear Of seventeen Of the best iron ones.
To supply the increased demand the works
in Great Baitain now produce more than
6.0O0 toons weekly, or fifteen times the en-
tire production Of cast steel in that country
before the introduction Of the Bessemer
plan.
For the information Of our readers we
propose 20 say word or two as 10 the pro-
cess which has produced such grand results.
Under the common name Of iron there are
virtually three metals, which differ from
each other even more than many chemical
ly distinct metals the difference resulting
from the influence Of carbon in causing a
variation in the physical properties Of the
metal. Thus, when carbon is absent, Tor
present only in small quantity) we have
wrought iron, soft, ductile, and not suscep-
tible Of tempering. When carbon is present
in certain proportions we have various kinds
Of steel. Increase these proportions of
carbon 10 a certain extent. and the result is
east iron; hard, brittle, and not forgabe or
weldable. This being so, il will readily be
perceived that steel may be made either
from wrought iron, by the addition Of car
bon; from cast-iron by its discrimination;
or by the addition Of mallcable 70 cast-iron
in The proper proportion. OF the methods
Of adding carbon TO malleable iron 10 pro-
duce steel, there are many. One Of the
oldest. and that most commonly employed,
IA the exposure of straight, fat bars Of iron
I'm contact with ground charcoal, under a
covering impervious 10 air, 10 the action of
a glowing red heat for from TO 10 days,
the resulting metal being known as "blister
STEEL To get rid Of the surplus carbon in
cast-iron, and reduce il 10 the proportion in
which il exists in steel, various methods have
laen in use which it is unnecessary TO refer
TO here.
We, therefore, pass directly to the BEssE-
MER process, which is merely the decarburi-
zing Of pig iron, while m the molten state,
by blowing atmospheric air through it, thus
producing steel; n process accidentally dis
covered, and which, like other great dis
coveries, isso simple that the wonder is it
was not thought Of before. BEssEMER,
about the time cast iron cannon were falling
into disiavor, made series of experiments,
one Of which was that OF purifying the iron
10 an unusual extent by blowing air through
melted pig iron. His first experiment was
rather alarming, and nearly led to a disas-
trous fire. The only result was "burnt iron"
Ills second trial was a little more successful,
and the product was malleable iron. 1t now
struck him that by stopping the decarburiza-
ton before il was complete steel would be
produced lie tried again and the result
was unmisiakablo steel. Not meeting with
much encouragement from the iron and
steel makers, Mr.. BEssEMER started works
Of his own, and the certainty, celebrity and
cheapness Of his process soon led TO its uni
versal adoption, with the results stated al
ready