Henry Bessemer

Henry Bessemer

By: Sherri Beeson

  

Henry Bessemer was born on January 19, 1813 in Charlton, Hertfordshire, England., the son of an engineer and typefounder. He demonstrated considerable mechanical skill and inventiveness early in life. He made his first great wealth by selling "gold" powder made from brass as a paint additive.  His secret formula was used to adorn much of the gilded decoration of his time. In 1855, Bessemer took out a patent for his process of rendering cast iron malleable by the introduction of air into the fluid metal to remove carbon.. The process was called the "hundred refinings method" since they repeated the process 100 times. Bessemer's attention was drawn to the problem of steel manufacture in the course of an attempt to improve the construction of guns.  During the Crimean war after Bessemer had developed a new type of artillery shell; the Generals reported that the cast-iron cannon of the time were not strong enough to deal with the forces of it.  In response, he developed an improved iron smelting process that produced large quantities of ingots of superior quality. He patented a process by which molten pig-iron could be turned directly into steel by blowing air through it in a converter.  This cut out the wrought-iron stage and dramatically reduced the cost of producing steel.  Modern steel is still made using technology based on Bessemer's process.  Much of the modern industrial age has built upon steel created for cannon of war. Among the many honors of Bessemer's life were a Knighthood by the British crown for devising a counterfeit-proof official stamp (seal) for the British government, and the Fellowship of the Royal Society.  Bessemer died in London on March 14, 1898.

 Henry Bessemer

Born January 19, 1813

Died March 15, 1898