Robert Mushet and Sheffield Steel

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Introduction

Robert Forester Mushet, was a metallurgical technical English.
Was born April 8, 1811, in Coleford in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
Son of Scottish parents, David Mushet and Agnes Wilson, begins' to work first in steel Clyde, Alfreton and Whitcliffe, before turning, since 1819, extensive studies of metallurgy with the father, and working with his family at steelworks Darkhill in the Forest of Dean.

Brief David Mushet

David Mushet (1772-1847), was a metallurgical technician, son of Margaret and William Cochran Mushet.
In 1800, brevetto'un processing method known as cast steel or steel Cast Steel.
The technical description of the procedure is quiriportata.
In 1801 incomincio'a build a mill of his forest propieta'nella Dean, as the trees could get cheap coal.
In 1815 invento'un new method for refining steel in a converter type, called, precisely, Mushet.
The steel produced in this way was sold to the knife of Sheffield, which that made a good razor that David Mushet used routinely.

Mushet family tree:
[Pedigree of Mushet

The life of Robert Forester Mushet

In 1845 Robert Mushet took over his father's steel works located Darkhill.
In 1848 he moved 'to a few hundred meters west from there' or in a new steel (whose remains are still visible), the Forest Steel Works.
Here, in just 10 years, effettuo'piu 'ten thousand experiments on treatment of steels.
It was for her continued long in this place he was then renamed with the name of Forester.

The creation of high quality steel '

In the summer of 1848, Henry Burgess, a colleague of Robert Mushet, invio'a him a piece of steel worked with the iron mined in Prussia at the time, near the Rhine.
Mushet, studying the findings, annoto'e reached the following conclusions:

"The finding is the result of a material composed of iron and manganese.
Iron is Calciform (double carbonate of iron), spatoso white, with the presence of manganese.
This mineral is strongly present in the mountains of the Rhineland.
Melted in small blast furnaces, the material is placed inside the molds in ovens cosi'da form of billets, if broken, showing bright facets.
To a chemical, the compound is composed of:
25-86% Iron 0.8 to 50% manganese and 5-25% carbon. "

The material was poor, because of impurita'del ferro.Il converter Mushet gia'costruito father was able to burn, but also the burning carbon hardens steel.
Over time and after spending thousands of pounds, and his friend Robert Mushet Bessemer, they knew they could easily burn the impurities' and carbon with the drive and then reinstall with the last element manganese steel to get better.
Unfortunately not Mushet never enjoyed the full benefits of his invention, as Henry Bessemer is accaparro'tutti rights until a daughter of Robert, Mary, gave him the facts.
This was only one, of the many unpleasant vicissitudes, in which the family incurred Mushet.

The Dozzle

When a steel solidifies in a mold, cooling leads to an irregular cavita'centrale named pipes, especially in the case of Cast Steel.
In 1861 Robert Mushet invented 'the Dozzle or a cone of clay, heated to high temperatures, and inserted into the mold when he was almost all filled cast from steel casting.
It formed cosi'un tank that drains all in stainless casting until it is cool.

Mushet steel

In 1868 Robert Mushet inseri'come alloying element in its steel, in addition to manganese, including the Tungsten (8%).
Here you can find more information.

It 's a non-magnetic steel, self-hardening, which was resistant to confound both used to work "high speed" and other cutting steels, metals and materials.
It 'was the first steel to be heated almost to its melting point (bright red), affiche' after hardening and tempering the resulting material was more 'resistant.

Robert Mushet died 'Jan. 19, 1891 at Chelthenam and was buried there with his wife.

References and links:
http://www.fweb.org.uk/Dean/towns/colef ... ushet.html
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/ ~ ... -LIVES.TXT
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ances ... -LIVES.TXT
http://www.archive.org/stream/heattreat ... g_djvu.txt

http://books.google.com/books?id=nMOEAAAAIAAJ
http://books.google.com/books?id=F8QxAAAAMAAJ
http://books.google.com/books?id=Rh5KAAAAMAAJ
http://www.tilthammer.com/bio/mush.html