You must have seen steelmaking on TV! Steel is made using a converter furnace, where long, dazzling flames shoot out from the furnace mouth, leaving a deep and unforgettable impression. Steel is made from pig iron. In terms of chemical composition, the only difference between steel and pig iron is that pig iron contains more carbon than steel. The process of steelmaking involves removing some of the carbon from pig iron.
The converter furnace for steelmaking looks much like a "tilted" peach. When people pour in the red-hot molten iron, hot air is blown in from the bottom of the furnace. At this point, the carbon in the pig iron combusts when it meets oxygen at high temperatures. In addition, some of the iron and the silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur contained in the iron also burn. As a result, the steelmaking furnace emits long flames and sometimes sparks dazzling sparks, truly creating a "steel-flowered scene in front of the furnace".
Many people can't tell the difference between steel and wrought iron. Let me tell you a simple way to distinguish them: just put a piece of steel or wrought iron on a grinding wheel and grind it. If the sparks that fly out look like branches spreading out, it's steel; if the sparks shoot straight forward like a line, it's wrought iron. In terms of chemical composition, the only difference between steel and wrought iron is that the carbon content in steel is higher than that in wrought iron. When grinding with a grinding wheel, the carbon in the steel and wrought iron fragments is heated and burned, resulting in sparks. Since the carbon content in steel is higher than that in wrought iron, more sparks are produced and the branches are more obvious.