Bessemer process

American  

noun

Metallurgy.

1. a process of producing steel, in which impurities are removed by forcing a blast of air through molten iron.

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Bessemer process British  

noun

1. (formerly) a process for producing steel by blowing air through molten pig iron at about 1250°C in a Bessemer converter: silicon, manganese, and phosphorus impurities are removed and the carbon content is controlled

2. a similar process for removing sulphur and iron from copper matte

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Bessemer process Scientific  

/ bĕs′ə-mər /

1. A method for making steel by forcing compressed air through molten iron to burn out carbon and other impurities.

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Etymology

Origin of Bessemer process

First recorded in 1855–60; after H. Bessemer

Example Sentences

The availability of cheap steel from the Bessemer process in the late 19th century opened up a new era of bridge building: graceful steel forms spanned greater and greater distances.

From Scientific American

Innovations from the Bessemer process for mass-producing steel from pig iron to the microprocessor have meant modern industry is a far cry from the mills and foundries of the 1840s.

From The Guardian

It is, however, only a modification of the Bessemer process to the extent of substituting for the siliceous or 'acid' lining generally used, a lime or 'basic' lining for the converter.

From Project Gutenberg

By the Bessemer process molten iron is poured into a vessel with holes in the bottom.

From Project Gutenberg

The Bessemer process led to renewed investigations and discoveries as to heat and its utilisation, the constituents of different metals and their decomposition, and as to the parts played by carbon, silicon, and phosphorus.

From Project Gutenberg