Medieval Blast Furnace Research Paper

Imagine walking through a town in the 1500s, and noticing a large tower with openings all around the base; this tower isn’t meant to keep enemies out, no it’s probably a blast furnace. This is tool invented back in the 1300s which we still use today. There are many things to note about the blast furnace such as what it is, how it works, it’s history, and it’s application.

The medieval Blast Furnace could be described as a large tower. The Blast Furnace has many features that stand out such as a gaping hole in the top and the lower sides being opened up to make a entry way. The hole in the top was where the worker would dump in iron ore and coke. Coke is coal that is extremely high in carbon content (Coal & Steel). At the bottom of the tower there is a opening used so the worker can access the pig iron when it’s finished smelting. Pig Iron is classified as metal with at least 92% iron, the other 8% is composed of Silicon, Sulfur, Carbon, Magnesium, and Phosphorus.There are two other smaller holes near the bottom, one is used to blow air into the furnace for heat, the other is used as a slag drain (TutorVista). Slag is the unwanted impurities that were mixed with the Iron Ore in the beginning. …show more content…
The coke is then lighted on fire and a bellows connected to the air hole makes the chamber hot enough to melt the material. Once the materials start melting together carbon in the coke causes for a chemical reaction within the Iron or causing the impurities to separate and form slag on top of the ion. Most of the slag drains away when a designated hole is opened just above the pure Iron. The more Pure Iron also known as Pig Iron is then drained out from another hole into a place where is will be easily accessed when it cools