A PRESENTATION ABOUT IRON AND STEEL

All Saints RC School Geography Dept.

What is iron?

Iron is a magnetic, malleable, silvery-white metallic element.Metallic iron was known and used for ornamental purposes and weapons in prehistoric ages. Iron beads found in Egypt, date from about 4000 BC. The archaeological term Iron Age properly applies only to the period when iron was used extensively for utilitarian purposes, as in tools, as well as for ornamentation. The beginnings of modern processing of iron can be traced back to central Europe in the mid-14th century BC

What is steel?

Steel is an alloy. It is formed from “mixtures” of different elements. There are different kinds of steels. Carbon Steel, High Strength Steel, Alloy Steel, Stainless steel and tool steel. All these are made from different elements and are used for different purposes.

USES OF IRON

Pure iron, prepared by the electrolysis of ferrous sulphate solution, has limited

use. Commercial iron invariably contains small amounts of carbon and other

impurities that alter its physical properties, which are considerably improved by the further addition of

carbon and other alloying elements.

Iron is used in Ships, Bridges, Buildings, gates and many more things- even medicine (to help

prevent anaemia!)

In the early 1990s, annual world production was nearly

920 million tonnes.

IRON AND STEEL PRODUCTION IN BRITAIN

HENRY BESSEMER, a British inventor, was the first person to develop the process of refining

molten iron with blasts of air. It is by him that the Bessemer furnace was

invented in 1855Bessemer Steel Production

In order to convert molten pig iron (crude iron) into steel with a Bessemer furnace, air must be

blown through it to burn away impurities.

Britain’s wealth by the mid-19th century was based on the manufacture of iron and steel,

heavy industry, shipbuilding, coal mining, textiles, and trade.

27% of ALL British steel is produced in the town of Scunthorpe in Northern

Lincolnshire

The birth place of British Steel is the City of Sheffield in South Yorkshire

There is still small scale mining in these places today

Most Iron mines in the United Kingdom can be found in South Wales, Cornwall and Devon

Today, however, most iron (and) steel production has disappeared from Britain and

moved to Asia and the Former Soviet republics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IISI_TopSteel2005.gif

According to msn.com Chinese iron and steel is of a low quality and manufactured using old equipment. Much better iron is produced in capitalist countries such as South Korea and Indonesia- proving that

quantity doesn’t mean quality.

In 1999 British Steel merged with a Dutch company Koninklijke Hoogovens to form Corus.

Headquarters in London, UK

Corus produces steel structures used in ships, bridges, automobiles and

many more industries.

In February 2006 Corus won a contract to be the sole

provider of aluminium and steel for use in the Airbus.

Corus recently won contracts worth $400 million to develop steel

production in its world markets even further.

Thank you for watching this short presentation about Iron and Steel