The development of steel can be traced back 4000 years to the beginning of the Iron Age. Proving to be harder and stronger than bronze, which had previously been the most widely used metal, iron, began to displace bronze in weaponry and tools. For the following few thousand years, however, the quality of iron produced would depend as much on the ore available as on the production methods.
By the 17th century, iron's properties were well understood, but increasing urbanization in Europe demanded a more versatile structural metal.
And by the 19th century, the amount of iron being consumed by expanding railroads provided metallurgists with the financial incentive to find a solution to iron's brittleness and inefficient production processes.
Undoubtedly, though, the major breakthrough in steel history came in 1856 when Henry Bessemer developed an effective way to use oxygen to
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Paul Heroult's electric arc furnace (EAF) was designed to pass an electric current through charged material, resulting in exothermic oxidation and temperatures up to 3272°F (1800°C), more than sufficient to heat steel production.
Initially used for specialty steels, EAFs grew in use and, by World War II, were being used for the manufacturing of steel alloys. The low investment cost involved in setting up EAF mills allowed them to compete with the major US producers like US Steel Corp. and Bethlehem Steel, especially in carbon steels, or long products.
Because EAFs can produce steel from 100% scrap—or cold ferrous—feed, less energy per unit of production is needed. As opposed to basic oxygen hearths, operations can also be stopped and started with little associated cost. For these reasons, production via EAFs has been steadily increasing for over 50 years and now accounts for about 33% of global steel production.
Oxygen