Bessemer, Sir Henry
Sir Henry Bessemer (1813–1898), a noted British inventor and engineer, developed the first process for mass-producing steel inexpensively. Bessemer's story is often cited as an example of the military's drive for technological development. During the Crimean War (1853-56), the cast-iron cannons of the time were not strong enough to manage the forces of the more powerful shell. Thus, Bessemer developed an improved iron smelting process that produced large quantities of ingots of superior quality in which molten pig-iron could be turned directly into steel by blowing air through it in a converter. Bessemer's process was ten times faster than previous methods, and used no fuel once the charge had been melted, dramatically reducing the energy and monetary cost of steel production. Modern steel is made using technology derived from Bessemer's process.
Further Reading
Sir Henry Bessemer, F.R.S-An Autobiography (Rochester University)
Making the Modern World
