Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with the carbon content generally kept below about two percent, combining the strength of iron with far greater toughness and workability than cast iron. Small quantities have been produced since antiquity, but the Bessemer process, patented in 1856 by Henry Bessemer, allowed steel to be manufactured cheaply and in industrial quantities for the first time, replacing wrought iron and cast iron as the primary structural material of the industrial world.
Facts
Disputed
Origin YearCarburized iron approaching true steel is attested in Anatolia from around 1800 BCE; cheap mass production of steel began only with Henry Bessemer converter process in 1856. Primary UseStructural framing, rail, machinery and tools, wherever high strength combined with toughness is required. 1 Classification
Material Class Connections
Associated With
Wrought Iron, Materials Wrought iron was the historical low-carbon predecessor to steel in structural use
Showing 51 to 51 of 51 in Associated With, page 2 of 2.
In Field
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Long-Form Articles
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1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954material-class sentence
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, with the carbon content generally kept below about two percent, combining the strength of iron with far greater toughness and workability than cast iron.
- In Field: Mechanical Engineering
- Associated With: Fazlur Rahman Khan
- Associated With: The Automobile
View the Source Steel (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron.
Uses
Steel is used in structures (as concrete reinforcing rods or steel beams), in bridges, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains, cars, bicycles, machines, electrical appliances, furniture, and weapons.
In Group: Steel and Hard Carbide Materials, Lead paragraph
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon
View the Source Hot-dip Galvanization (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Galvanizing, lead sectionQuote, Associated With: Galvanizing, lead section
a usually dull grey, fairly strong material that protects the steel underneath from further corrosion in many circumstances.
Case-hardening (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Case Hardening, IntroductionQuote, Associated With: Case Hardening, Introduction
Case-hardening or carburization is the process of introducing carbon to the surface of a low-carbon iron, or more commonly a low-carbon steel object, to harden the surface.
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