OUT OF THE FIREY FURNACE
E&MP19.004
Electric Furnaces
no date
One of the basic tools in the production of stainless steel and a host
of other useful high-quality alloy steels is the electric-arc furnace,
shown here being charged with ferro-alloys (above) and during pouring
(right).
Out of the Fiery Furnace
Tailor-made Alloy Steels Emerge
From Steelmen's "Crucibles"
It was in 1800 that the famous British scientist, Sir Humphry Davy,
produced the first arc light between two carbon points, while he was
experimenting with the newly developed electric battery. His discovery
was essentially the first step in the evolution of the electric-arc
furnace, which has made possible large-scale production of the fine
alloy steels that are the backbone of modern industry.
Stainless steel, for instance - the uses of which are featured in
ELECTROMET REVIEW - is manufactured in electric furnaces similar to
the one illustrated on the reverse. Stainless and other quality steels
are made by adding special alloys such as chromium, nickel, manganese,
silicon,columbium, tungsten, and vanadium to a molten "bath"
of carbon steel. Electro Metallurgical Company furnishes all these
alloys except nickel.
With the electric furnace, it is possible to obtain the intense heat
required to melt the elements that must be alloyed with the steel
to give it corrosion resistance and other beneficial properties. The
temperature that is attained in the arc, which plays between the electrodes
and the molten steel, is around 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat
is so great that it is hard to imagine, particularly when we consider
that at a temperature of less than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit steel
is liquid and flows like water
ELECTROMET REVIEW
The purpose of Electromet Review is to bring to you "News
and Views of Alloy Steels and Irons" in an interesting and quickly
readable form. Electromet Review is mailed without charge to interested
executives. If you would like others within your organization to receive
Electromet Review, simply send their names and addresses to:
ELECTROMET REVIEW
ELECTRO METALLURGICAL COMPANY
Unit of Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation
30 East 42nd Street, UCC New York 17, N. Y.
In Canada: Electro Metallurgical Company of Canada,
Limited, Welland, Ontario
Original Caption by Science Service
© Electro Metallurgical Company [poster]
|
