Steel is made from iron ore, a compound of iron, oxygen and other minerals that occurs in nature. The raw materials for steelmaking are mined and then transformed into steel using two different processes: the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace route, and the electric arc furnace route.
Well, in this reading, I’ll be exploring what Steel Made of, its diagram, & 6 Steps of Steel Making Process.
Let’s Get Started!
What Is Steel Made Of?
Iron ore is treated to remove oxygen and other impurities in order to produce iron. Steel is created by combining iron with carbon, recycled steel, and trace quantities of other components. Steel is an iron and carbon alloy with trace elements of silicon, phosphorus, Sulphur, and oxygen, as well as less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese.
The most significant building and engineering material in the world is steel. It is found in everything that we use in our daily lives, including medical scalpels, refrigerators, washing machines, vehicles, and cargo ships.
The blast furnace is a crucial technique for producing steel, with one tone of steel produced daily since its emergence in the fourteenth century. The process involves turning iron oxides into steel using coke, iron ore, and limestone.
Coke, a strong porous, hard black rock with a concentration of 90-93% carbon, is produced by crushing and pounded into a powder, then heated to 1800°F without oxygen.
This process eliminates volatile materials like oil, tar, hydrogen, nitrogen, and Sulphur. After 18-24 hours of reaction time, the cooked coal, also known as coke, is taken out and sieved into one- to four-inch-long pieces.
To lower carbon emissions, natural gas is gradually being supplied to the blast furnace in lieu of coke. Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) were first introduced in the late 1800s and are now used in over 70% of the US steel production. EAFs use an electrical current to melt scrap steel, direct reduction iron, and/or pig iron to create molten steel, reducing the need for coke.
How Does Steel Works?
Steel (and other metals) have the excellent attribute of being able to be recycled into entirely new, high-grade metal. Alloys made from secondary steelmaking are on par with those made from pig iron. Although metal objects may corrode with usage, melting and alloying metal produces a whole new product due to the elemental chemistry of metal.
Therefore, an increase in steelmaking output does not need an increase in the smelting of fresh ore (though the manufacture of pig iron is still an essential component of the steel supply chain). By recovering and transforming scrap steel, an automobile panel from yesterday may become an I-beam from tomorrow.
Steel is one of the most recyclable materials in the world, with 98% of it reclaimable. However, there are still environmental difficulties. Coal in the form of coke is often utilized as the carbon source for steel production.
Carbon dioxide and other compounds are also produced by oxidation, other manufacturing processes, and the high energy needed to melt or smelt. Thankfully, a lot of research is being conducted in the steel industry to address production-related problems.
Among these is the recycling of carbon dioxide back into the steel itself, which reduces the requirement for additional carbon sources like coke. The steel industry will remain one of the key sectors of the economy in the future as these technologies are developed and used. It supports, propels, and expands our economy.
Steel is a versatile material with numerous applications in various industries, including construction, cars, airplanes, and kitchen appliances. The steel manufacturing process can be divided into six steps: making the iron, primary steelmaking, secondary steelmaking, casting, primary forming, and secondary forming.
Steel is made by melting limestone, coke, and iron ore in a blast furnace to create molten iron. Primary steelmaking involves using a basic oxygen furnace and an electric arc furnace to purify the molten metal and remove impurities. Secondary steelmaking refines the composition of the steel to create the desired grade using techniques such as stirring and ladle injections.
During casting, molten iron is cast into mounds for cooling, causing a thin, hard shell to form. This allows for the creation of flat sheets, beams, wires, or thin strips.
Primary forming continues the shaping process, fine-tuning the casting with a hot roller. The steel is then molded into the desired shape and surface finish using methods such as cutting billets to length using torches on the continuous caster.
Secondary forming creates the final shape and properties of the steel using methods such as shaping (cold rolling methods), machining (drilling), joining (welding), coating, heat treatment, and surface treatment. At the completion of step 6, the steel is fully shaped, formed, and ready for use and processing in various applications.