Question

How did Henry Bessemer help ignite a second industrial revolution?

a. by inventing a more efficient steam engine
b. by discovering that electricity could be harnessed as an energy source
c. by developing a system for mining coal to be used in factories
d. by developing a less expensive process for turning iron into steel

Answer 1

d. by developing a less expensive process for turning iron into steel

Step-by-step explanation:

Henry Bessemer was an engineer, foundry of types of printing, pioneer of the modern iron and steel industry, and inventor of the steel refining process that bears his name (the Bessemer Process, which is applied in the Thomas-Bessemer furnaces of the steel industry).

During the Crimean War he invented a very effective artillery projectile, however military technicians reported that the cast iron cannons of the time were not able to withstand the force of this new projectile.

Bessemer focused on resolving the issue and thus, in 1855, he patented a process of refining and reducing iron to produce steel in industrial quantities at low cost. The procedure was to blow pressurized air into the bottom of the ladle where the pig iron was being poured. The air reacts its oxygen with silicon, then carbon, followed by phosphorus, which are iron impurities in the foundry. The reaction of oxygen and silicon is highly exothermic, which made the metal continue melting without spending more fuel. The air is injected under pressure through the bottom of the container that has the shape of an open spoon, and stops until a red flame arises, which indicates the oxidation of the iron.

Over time the open spoon was replaced by the open oval spoon on the upper surface, mechanism still known as Bessemer converter. Currently the Bessemer process is in decline replaced by his heirs; Linde or LD processes of blowing pure oxygen pressure.

The impact of this invention, in the context of the Industrial Revolution, was immense. While the heavy industry was shipyards, railways, manufacturing machinery ...) an abundant and cheap raw material was achieved. The steel that was now available in large quantities made other achievements feasible. Thanks to Bessemer it was possible to see bigger, better and cheaper steel ships, bridges, major railways, skyscrapers, etc. In other words, everything that characterized the 19th century as the driving force of the 20th century.

Answer 2

The main way in which Henry Bessemer helped ignite a second industrial revolution was "d. by developing a less expensive process for turning iron into steel," since still was in heavy demand during this time.