Henry Bessemer believed his lack of experience with established steel production practices allowed him to invent a new process without bias. He developed the Bessemer converter in the 1850s, which used air blown through molten iron to remove impurities through oxidation, revolutionizing steel manufacturing by decreasing costs and labor needs. However, the process was later replaced because it did not sufficiently remove phosphorous and was too fast.

1. Henry Bessemer “ I had an immense advantage over many others dealing with the problem inasmuch as I had no fixed ideas derived from long-established practice to control and bias my mind, and did not suffer from the general belief that whatever is, is right.” - Henry Bessemer

2. Early Life -born on January 19, 1813 -lived in Charlton, Hertfordshire, England -his father invented a new way to produce ‘gold paint’

3. Kelly's Patent

4. The Process -happened inside the Bessemer Converter, the container in which the steel was made The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation through air being blown through the molten iron

5. Refining the Process -This process was refined in the 1700’s -Huntsman’s crucible steel making technique -Huntsman’s technique took longer and increased the products price, proving Bessemer's more affordable and convenient

6. Positives - revolutionized steel manufacturing -decreased cost -greatly increasing the scale and speed -decreased labor requirements

7. Negatives -the Bessemer process was replaced by the Linz-Donawitz process in 1968 -Bessemer’s process was too fast -didn’t remove phosphorous sufficiently

8. Henry Bessemer 1813 - 1898