Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1895-02-23
In THE STEEL MILL.
WHEN THE BLAST is ON FOR
THE BESSEMER PROCESS.
Deafening Roar and shooting Flames
When the Molten Metal Leaps Forth
Under the Fearful Pressurs--In yuI-
cans Workshop.

No process in the entire range of
iron and steel making is so interest
ing and wonderful to the novice as
that time in the Bessemer steel pro-
cess when the blast is on. The first
muiiied roar, as the receptacle turns
slowly to an upright position, is fol-
lowed by light clouds Of brown smoke
which puff from the mouth OF the con-
yerter. The roar OF the blast becomes
more pronounced. little jets OF molten
metal spit out, and the workman saws
that the silicon is burning. After a
few minutes, the roaring all the time
increasing in intensity, flame shoots
straight from the mouth to the beams
IN the roof OF the house; it trembles
and quiYers under the pressure; as it
grows brighter and more vivid molten
metal shoots out; the roar becomes
1eafening, the light dazzling and the
building shakes as ii is filled with the
awe-inspiring, terrifying shrek OF
the blast
Suddenly the blaze dies down, and
the workman says that the carbon is
burned out This magnificent specta-
Gle lasts from ten to fifteen minutes.
and during that time the melted iron
which has run into the converter has
been cleansed Of its silicon. carbon
and sometimes of its sulphur, and Is
ready for the medicine which will
make Of il Bessemer steel
Bessemer steel is made BY burning
out the impurities Of iron by blowing
air through the molten metal, and
then restoring to the iron enough car
bon 10 make steel The Impurities"
81 iron are carbon, silicon, sulphur
and phosphorus This washing out
Of the iron is done in what is known
as the converter a large iron pear
shaped affair which is suspended in
the middle SO that il can be tilted to
a horizontal position or turned up
right.
The converter, as well as almost all
other machinery in a Bessemer plant.
is moved by hydraulic power. The
men who handle the levers which set
IN motion the force which moves the
ponderous masses Of metal as quietly,
and apparently as easily as mother
rocks q cradle. stand on a platform
and respond TO motions made BY the
men in the pit or around the converter.
Usually two conyerters work together
The converter is made OF heavy iron
plates. and is lined with crushed silica
rock or limestone or dolomite, accord
ing to whether the lining is "acid" or
basic.
High above the converters stand
the cupoia furnaces in which the pig
iron is first melted, says the Chicago
Record Before the converter is
ready FOR its work ii is covered inside
to good thickness with the lining,
which i laid in and then dried TO
receive its charge OF metal the con-
vertor is tilted 70 a horizontal posi-
lion. and the melted iron, tapped from
the cupola, runs down an iron gutter
which il lined with fire clay and into
the converter through its mouth.
From five 10 fifteen tons Of melted pig
iron make a charge for the converter.
depending on its size. At the bottom
OF the converter is a ..wind box Into
this box the air Is brought from the
air compressors at pressure of
twenty to twenty-four pounds to the
square inch From the wind box the
blast reaches the interior OF the con-
verter through conical-shaped fire.
clay nozzles called "tuyers, " fifteen 10
twenty in number. As the vessel is
lying on its side while the molten
iron from the cupola is running in,
none Of il can escape through the
tuyers into the wind box. When the
charge is all in the blast is turned on
while the converter Is on its side.
The foreman waves his hand and the
great converter slowly rises 10 an up
right position with the blast running
through the molten metal, causing it
20 bubble and boil like water in tea
kettle. No one has ever looked inside
through the mouth of the converter
while the blast is on. but it is known
that as soon as the air under its pres
sure drives its way up through the
molten bath the heat inside of the
converter grows more intense,
This is because the oxygen in the
air attacks the impurities in the iron,
and The result is that the iron is APP
parently burning up. In this way the
impurities act rs fuel to burn
themselves out. The al driven
through the iron by the blast searches
every particle of metal in the con-
yerter. The molten metal seeths and
churns from top TO bottom and side to
side, exposing all of it TO the hungry
oxygen which rushes around eager for
food. 1t finds its first in the silicon.
and this impurity burns first, The
result OF the combination OF the sill
con and oxygen is a Stag which floats
Off on top OF the iron when the blast
is of. While the silicon is burn
ing there is no blaze, but that comes
when the silicon is all eaten up
and the oxygen attacks the carbon,
This blazes fiercely for a short time,
and the sudden dropping of the flame
tells the watchful SHOEMAKER that the
carbon is gone, and that il he is not
careful his iron will go next. for with
the 'acidn lining and high heat phos-
phorus will not leave the iron.
The steelmaker motions and the
a. l..