Excerpt from The Metallurgy of Iron: Being One of a Series of Treatises on Metallurgy, Written by Associates of the Royal School of Mines During the twelve years which have elapsed, since the First Edition of this book was issued, changes which are little short of marvellous have taken place in connection with the metallurgy of iron and steel. In the direction of production, the iron resources of North America have been so developed, and the method of transporting and utilising the materials so improved, that the United States has become the chief iron producing country of the world. The better utilisation of blast-furnace gases, and the use of large gas engines, have transformed many large British and German iron works; while the applications of electricity have opened up a wonderful field for inventive skill. On the theoretical side the advances have been no less remarkable. The application of accurate pyrometers has enabled the metallurgist, with the assistance of the physical chemist, to determine the equilibrium of the iron-carbon, and other systems; while the application of similar methods has wonderfully extended our knowledge of the properties and constitution of slags. The microscope, too, has been applied to cast iron, and to other metals and alloys, either as an aid to the pyrometer, or to the chemical analysis, and has opened up a new world to the skilled observer. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.