What is steel fabrication?
You hear about steel all the time. Your sinks are stainless steel, your car is made of steel, and every time you are under the impression that steel is a strong, durable material. What, though, is steel, and how is it fabricated? Who makes it and who is using it? The steel fabrication process, its uses, and development of modern steels are complex subjects, but may be explained simply. Steel is an alloy, which is a mixture of several metals. Iron and carbon are the main ingredients, with small amounts of sulphur, phosphorus, silicon, and oxygen. Steel must contain less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese. The first process for properly smelting steel was invented in 1856 by a British inventor named Henry Bessemer. Steel fabrication is an interesting process. There are basically two ways in which steel fabrication takes place. First is the raw material approach, also called the integrated route. Approximately 60% of steel fabrication takes place this way. Basically, the materials are heated
