Author: Fitzgerald, Frank

Source: Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Volume 23, Number 4, December 1998 , pp. 362-371(10)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

Abstract:

Sir Henry Bessemer, FRS was above all an entrepreneur, interested in making money and with a good eye for a market opening. He was also of course an inventor, but one who had had only a rudimentary education. While he was himself convinced that this lack of a formal education gave him the advantage of avoiding a certain type of mindset, it was also a drawback when he came up against more complex technical problems. Nevertheless, Bessemer's revolutionary steelmaking process changed the world: before, steel had been used only in small items such as clock springs and cutlery; afterwards, it rapidly found use in the full range of structural applications. In this the centenary year of his death, it is well that we look back on his remarkable achievements.

Document Type: Review Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/030801898789764408

Affiliations: Sheffield, UK

Publication date: 1998-12-01

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