steel-making
Iron becomes stronger
Steel-making is the industrial process of producing steel from iron ore or scrap metal.
The term covers various methods—blast furnaces, open-hearth furnaces, electric arc furnaces—used to refine iron into steel by controlling carbon content and adding alloys.
The region's economy depended on steel-making for over a century.
Extracting metal from ore
- blast furnaceOre-to-metal converter
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
- castingShaping through liquid form
- rollingTurning over repeatedly
annealing · tempering · forging · continuous casting · ladle · tapping · desulfurization · decarburization
Extractable metallic mineral deposit
- cokeCarbonized coal fuel
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- scrap metalDiscarded reusable iron and steel
- pig ironUnrefined smelted metal
flux · manganese · chromium · nickel · carbon · silicon · vanadium · tungsten
Substances released into air
- carbon footprintTotal greenhouse gases produced
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
- particulatesMinute airborne solids or droplets
- sulfur dioxideSO₂ gas compound
wastewater · recycling · electric arc furnace · decarbonization · energy efficiency · scrubbers · remediation · brownfield
Converting iron to steel
- open-hearthShallow regenerative steel furnace
- puddlingStirring molten pig iron
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
- CarnegieGilded Age industrialist
Krupp · bloomery · wrought iron · pig iron · ironmaster
Grain-crushing facility
- foundryMetal casting facility
- PittsburghWestern Pennsylvania industrial city
- SheffieldSouth Yorkshire manufacturing city
- unionizationForming a labor collective
tariffs · dumping · capacity · imports · exports · workforce · automation · consolidation
smelting
Extracting metal from ore
- blast furnaceOre-to-metal converter
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
- castingShaping through liquid form
rolling · annealing · tempering · forging · continuous casting · ladle · tapping · desulfurization · decarburization · alloying
iron ore
Extractable metallic mineral deposit
- cokeCarbonized coal fuel
- limestoneCarbonate sedimentary rock
- scrap metalDiscarded reusable iron and steel
pig iron · flux · manganese · chromium · nickel · carbon · silicon · vanadium · tungsten · refractory
emissions
Substances released into air
- carbon footprintTotal greenhouse gases produced
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
- particulatesMinute airborne solids or droplets
sulfur dioxide · wastewater · recycling · electric arc furnace · decarbonization · energy efficiency · scrubbers · remediation · brownfield · sustainability
Bessemer process
Converting iron to steel
- open-hearthShallow regenerative steel furnace
- puddlingStirring molten pig iron
- Industrial RevolutionEra of mechanized production
Carnegie · Krupp · bloomery · wrought iron · pig iron · ironmaster
mill
Grain-crushing facility
- foundryMetal casting facility
- PittsburghWestern Pennsylvania industrial city
- SheffieldSouth Yorkshire manufacturing city
unionization · tariffs · dumping · capacity · imports · exports · workforce · automation · consolidation · privatization
steel-makingblacksmithing
Forging iron by hand
silversmithing · goldsmithing · jewelry making · farriery · coppersmithing