Where Does Steel Come From?
Steel, one of the most important metals of our modern world, is produced from iron ore. This strong, useful metal is employed in everything from serving spoons to skyscrapers. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Iron
-
Iron ore that occurs naturally in the earth's crust must be transformed in order to produce one of the several useful metals derived from it, including cast iron, wrought iron and steel.
Carbon
-
The addition of a small amount of carbon, another element, to iron helps lend steel its strength.
-
Other Elements
-
Steel often contains elements other than iron and carbon: manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, nickel and chromium. Sometimes the elements are added intentionally. At other times, they occur naturally.
Steel Making
-
At a steel plant, a heat source is generated, then used to melt iron ore in a furnace. Molten iron is then processed to create steel.
Steel Industry
-
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, iron and steel are, on average, the least expensive materials available. Of all the tons of metal produced in the world each year, 95 percent is iron and steel.
-
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Hamed Saber
More Like This
Comments
-
Matt Paul
Nov 22, 2010
Where can I find information on a piece of steel that I found in the ground and it is encrusted with rock? Must be very old and possibly important. -
Matt Paul
Nov 22, 2010
Where can I find information on a piece of steel that I found in the ground and it is encrusted with rock? Must be very old and possibly important.
