British Iron and Steel

Several books have been published which describe the evolution and growth of the British iron and steel industry. Most of these provide accounts of the developments in manufacturing methods that have taken place. Some also discuss the products. Only limited reference is usually made, however, to the reasons why the changes were made or to the progressive evolution of the underlying scientific understanding that has transformed the modern approach to the design and operation of processes and to product development. There is no comprehensive coverage of the vast changes that have transformed the industry during the second half of the twentieth century. The theme for the present treatment was proposed by Professor Jack Nutting (now deceased) who suggested that practitioners who had witnessed many of these changes should record their experiences for the benefit of posterity. This book outlines the changes which resulted in the vast increase in output during the nineteenth century and identifies the transition from trial and error and accumulated experience investigations towards the adoption of more analytical methods based on experimentation and scientific deduction. Chapters on the Iron and Steel Institute and BISRA draw attention to the important contributions of these and similar bodies. An appendix presents brief histories of some of the leading companies that made major contributions to the development of the industry.