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

Mass production of steel, for example, had begun with the development of the Bessemer process in the 1850s.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

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 • Jun. 13, 2020

The Bessemer process, named for English inventor Henry Bessemer, and the open-hearth process, changed the way the United States produced steel and, in doing so, led the country into a new industrialized age.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

The Bessemer process produced good steel at a much lower cost.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

The Bessemer process was used much more extensively upon the Continent than in this country in the manufacture of castings.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 514, November 7, 1885 by Various