Before the Industrial Revolution, steel was produced with the puddling furnace, which needed man power to stir the molten iron. Men had to work rigorous days in highly heated rooms to keep the molten iron separate from the charcoal fire. Only exceptionally strong men could endure this heat for hours a day. The manual labor was the most common way to produce steel but was slow and expensive. It was not until Bessemer, an English inventor, came around that steel became more available to everyone. Henry Bessemer’s new steel production process allowed steel to be produced much quicker and cheaper. This was extremely influential in the Industrial Revolution, allowing urbanization and the development of transportation, changing the world, as we know it today. Bessemer had created a new gun shell that he was trying to sell to the French, who told him their cast iron cannons were not strong enough for it. He then tried to produce stronger cast iron. He found that by blowing air into the melted cast iron, the impurities were removed and it was heated further than before. The heating effect is caused by the reaction between the oxygen and the carbon and silicon in …show more content…
Because the steel was more readily available at a lower cost, it was seen more throughout the cities. This process opened a door for businesses to expand beyond what they had been during this time. With his new process, engineers could envision sky-scraping buildings and larger factories. As the businesses and factories expanded, the economy skyrocketed. The new steel buildings could now be built higher and last longer. The steel produced from the Bessemer process became the dominant material for construction at this time. More people were employed in the enlarged businesses as well as in the factories using the Bessemer process. Because of the amount of jobs available, people became wealthier and the middle class