Short answer question:
#22. Describe the three steps required to make steel.
My answer:
There are three steps required to make steel, which include: Iron smelting, Steelmaking, and Steel finishing. The first step, iron smelting, produces pig iron which is the basic input for steel making. This operation is done by using a blast furnace, which has alternating layesr of iron ore, coke, and limestone added to it. Then, very hot air is blown into the bottom of the furnace making the coke burn, causing the iron ore to melt. During the melting, limestone joins with impurities to form slag. The slag floats on the molten airon and can be drawn off, this leaves molten iron with carbon dissolved in it. This final material is called pig iron. The second step, steelmaking, starts with the pig iron produced in the first step, iron smelting. Steelmaking removes some carbon from the iron, heat and oxygen are used to take some of the carbon out of molten pig iron. Using the basic-oxygen furnace, there are three steps to making steel. The first is charging, in which the furnace tilts to one side to receive pig iron, scrap steel, and flux. This charge provides the basic ingredients for steel. The second step is refining, in which the furnace moves into an upright position and the charge is melted. Then, a water-cooled oxygen lance is placed above the molten material forcing pure oxygenout of the lance into the iron at supersonic speeds. The oxygen causes the part of the carbon to burn away, producing steel and slag. The final step is tapping, in which the floating slag is skimmed off the melt. The entire furnace tips to one side and the steel is poured out. The last step to making steel is the steel finishing step, which changes molten steel into sheets, plates, rods, beams, and bars. First, the steel is poured into ingots or into the head end of a continous caster. A continuous caster solidifies the molten steel into shapes called slabs, billets, and blooms.
Please let me know if it needs any changes.
Your answer is comprehensive and provides a clear explanation of the three steps required to make steel. However, there are a few minor improvements that can be made to enhance clarity and readability:
There are three steps required to make steel: iron smelting, steelmaking, and steel finishing.
1) Iron smelting: This step involves the production of pig iron, which is the primary input for steelmaking. Iron smelting is typically carried out in a blast furnace. In this process, layers of iron ore, coke, and limestone are added to the furnace. Hot air is blown into the bottom of the furnace, causing the coke to burn and resulting in the melting of the iron ore. As the iron melts, limestone combines with impurities to form slag, which floats on the molten iron and can be removed. The molten iron with dissolved carbon is known as pig iron.
2) Steelmaking: This step focuses on removing some carbon from the pig iron. Heat and oxygen are employed to extract carbon from the molten pig iron. The basic-oxygen furnace is commonly used for this purpose. The steelmaking process consists of three steps:
a) Charging: The furnace is tilted to one side to receive pig iron, scrap steel, and flux. This charge provides the necessary ingredients for steel production.
b) Refining: The furnace is brought into an upright position, and the charge is melted. A water-cooled oxygen lance is positioned above the molten material, where pure oxygen is forced into the iron at high speeds. This oxygen burning process removes part of the carbon, resulting in the production of steel and slag.
c) Tapping: The floating slag is removed by skimming, and the entire furnace is tilted to one side to pour out the steel.
3) Steel finishing: This final step involves transforming the molten steel into various forms such as sheets, plates, rods, beams, and bars. The molten steel is either poured into ingots or fed into the start of a continuous caster. A continuous caster solidifies the molten steel into slabs, billets, or blooms, which can then be further processed.
By following these three steps—iron smelting, steelmaking, and steel finishing—the production of steel can be achieved.