Print this page The Age of Steel
J.M. Syken
Course Outline
Through the viewing of archival/documentary film/s, we will examine the manufacture of steel: from raw material extraction, processing into steel (from molten iron), fabrication into useful shapes for industrial, construction, automotive etc. applications We will also examine the ability of steel to resist seismic forces and, in particular, its usefulness in building and highway construction.
As well, the rise and fall of one of the giants of the American steel industry; the Bethlehem Steel Corporation will be examined from an historical and personal perspective. Along with United States Steel (USS), the two companies provided the basic ingredient needed to win both world wars and fuel the industrial revolution: Steel.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Understand/appreciate the raw material iron-ore: how it is extracted from the earth via open-pit and/or underground mines and the varying qualities of the ore and the methods/processes required to extract iron from low-grade iron-ore/s;
- Understand/appreciate the creation/operations of a steel plant and how it turns three basic ingredients: iron-ore, limestone and coal into a finish steel product;
- Understand/appreciate the role of steel and the American steel industry in providing the ships, planes, tanks etc. necessary to achieve victory in WWII;
- Understand/appreciate how steel, via its two great qualities: strength and ductility, helps resist seismic forces effectively;
- Understand/appreciate the application of steel products in building, bridge and highway construction;
- Understand/appreciate the use of steel alloys in the automotive industry; and
- Understand/appreciate the rise and fall of one of the giants of the American steel industry: Bethlehem Steel Corp.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for architects, engineers, contractors and other design/construction professionals.
Benefit to Attendees
The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into the manufacture and application of one of the most useful man-made products; steel.
Course Introduction
The course incorporates the viewing of one or more archival/documentary films and is broken down as follows;
- Part 1 – Building Blocks
- Part 2 – Infrastructure
- Part 3 – Production
- Part 4 – Steel Goes to War
- Part 5 – Applications
- Part 6 – End of an Era
Part 1 examines the source of iron-ore – the iron ranges of Northern Minnesota. Part 2 examines the creation (in the early 1950s) of a new, fully integrated steel manufacturing plant for U.S. Steel Corp. – the Fairless Works in Morrisville, PA. Part 3 examines the operation of a steel plant and Part 4 looks at how steel production played the key role in the assuring the allied victory in WWII. Part 5 examines the application of steel products. It looks at steel’s benefits in resisting seismic forces and its key roles in building, bridge and highway construction. It also looks at how steel alloys make the many parts of an automobile function properly. Part 6 examines the rise and fall of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, an industry giant.
Course Content
Part 1 – Building Blocks;
TITLE: Iron Country: Iron Ore and Minnesota’s Future (1952) (JAM)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/IronCoun1952
DURATION: 22:21
Part 2 – Infrastructure;
TITLE: New Neighbor (1953) (USS)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/NewNeigh1953
DURATION: 24:50
Part 3 – Production;
TITLE: Steel: A Symphony of Industry (1936) (AISI)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/SteelASy1936
DURATION: 18:43
TITLE: The Drama of Steel (1946)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.12505
DURATION: 33:29
Part 4 – Steel Goes to War;
TITLE: To Each Other (1943) (USS/JAM)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/0568_To_Each_Other_19_49_23_00
DURATION: 10:53
Part 5 – Applications;
TITLE: Men, Steel and Earthquakes (1960) (Bethlehem)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/MenSteel1960
DURATION: 27:55
TITLE: Making a Skyscraper (Steel) – Empire State Building (ca. 1930) (silent)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/making_a_skyscraper_empire_state_bldg
DURATION: 11:04
TITLE: A Report to Home Builders (JAM/Stran-Steel)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/ReportToHome
DURATION: 20:55
TITLE: The Open Road (1951) (Bethlehem/Telefilm)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/open_road_1951
DURATION: 31:28
TITLE: Tough Friends (1938) (Chevrolet/JAM)
LINK: http://archive.org/details/ToughFri1938
DURATION: 10:42
TITLE: Bethlehem Steel: The People Who Built America (PBS)
LINK:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QTGiHOZZFU
Course Summary
See a need, fill a need – so the saying goes. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th Century, the need was for iron to make the steam engines, railroad tracks etc that would drive technology and science forward. But iron in and of itself had its limits, so a man named Henry Bessemer invented a process for removing the impurities that caused these weaknesses and the world was never the same. Steel’s ability to resist tensile, torsional, shear and compressive forces simultaneously made it the ideal material upon which to builder ever taller buildings, longer bridges and safer, more efficient cars and trucks. It was the measure of all things – a nation’s ability to produce steel earned it a place on the world stage and steel was the industry that all others were dependent on. To understand the foundation and productive capacity of the American steel industry is to understand why the 20th Century was, indeed, The American Century.
Related Links
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel
https://archive.org/details/72232PathsOfSteel (Film - "Paths of Steel" - 25:35)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVYotEl0QNc (Film: Top 10 Accidents in the Metal Industry - 12:12)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuiJyWAW2Pk
(Film: Ford Steel on the Rouge - 18:44)
https://archive.org/details/72242TheDramaOfMetalForming
(Film: The Drama of Metal Forming [1959] - 28:20)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ayuF4v_EU
(Film: Forging in Closed Dies - 27:54)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKqMp0sm7P8
(Film: Steel: Man's Servant - 37:32)
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
