Raw material constraints and technological options in the mines and furnaces of the Birmingham District: 1876-1930

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:7169861

Bergstresser, J R

The technological development of the pig iron industry of the Birmingham District was shaped by the mineral resources upon which it was founded. The physical and chemical characteristics of local coal and iron ore, as well as the geological setting and terrain in which they were found, influenced both immediate and long range technological decisions. Most important choices, ranging from the selection of individual pieces of machinery to the momentous decisions to devote over one-half of the District's productive capacity to the manufacture of foundry pig iron, can be trace, in part, to raw material considerations. As they gradually adapted their mines and furnaces to the negative as well as the positive physical attributes of local mineral resources, ironmakers and mine operators devised systems of ferrous metal production that were unique to the Birmingham District. These alternative models, epitomized by the Woodward Iron Company's catch phrase; straight line production, shared much in common with the American blast furnace industry but featured a different level and pace of mechanization.

• Research Organization: Auburn Univ., AL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7169861
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
012000 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Mining
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
294001* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Coal
ALABAMA
COAL MINING
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
IRON ORES
MATERIALS
METALLURGY
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
ORES
RAW MATERIALS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
USA