Question

Why was the development of the Bessemer process important to Great Britain’s Industrial Revolution?

Answer 1

The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation with air being blown through the molten iron.

Answer 2

The Bessemer Process represented the first time in history in which high quality steel was produced massively and inexpensively from iron, by using oxidation and decarburizing processes. For the first time the process was undertaken on an industrial scale and steel production industries, in fact, constituted one of the major sectors during the Industrial Revolution. Moreover, the steel obtained was used as input in other industries such shipbuilding (another major industry of the Indutrial Revolution era).