cast iron

Examples of cast iron in the following topics:

• Cast-Iron Architecture

  • Cast-iron architecture was a prominent style in the Industrial Revolution era when cast iron was relatively cheap, and modern steel had not yet been developed.
  • In the 1850s the cheapness and availability of cast iron led James Bogardus of New York City to advocate and design buildings using cast iron components.
  • Cast iron has some architectural advantages, as well as some serious weaknesses.
  • Cast iron was also used widely in bridge construction for the new railway system, sometimes with horrific results, especially when cast iron girders were used instead of arches.
  • The weakest parts of the bridge were cast iron lugs holding tie bars in place, and cast iron in new bridges was effectively abandoned after the disaster.

• Occurrence of Metals

  • So while copper and iron were known well before the Copper Age and Iron Age, they would not have a large impact on humankind until the technology to smelt them from their ores, and thus mass-produce them, appeared.
  • Of all the metallic alloys in use today, the alloys of iron (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, tool steel, and alloy steel) make up the largest proportion both by quantity and commercial value.
  • Iron alloyed with various proportions of carbon gives low, mid and high carbon steels; the increased carbon levels reduce ductility and toughness.
  • The addition of silicon produces cast irons, while the addition of chromium, nickel and molybdenum to carbon steels (more than 10%) results in stainless steels.
  • Many common metals, such as iron, are smelted using carbon as a reducing agent.

• Changes in Technology

  • Building materials spawned by the Industrial Revolution, such as iron, steel, and sheet glass, determined new architectural techniques.
  • With the Industrial Revolution, the increasing availability of new building materials such as iron, steel, and sheet glass drove the invention of equally new building techniques.
  • In 1796, Shrewsbury mill owner Charles Bage first used his "fireproof" design, which relied on cast iron and brick with flagstone floors.
  • Due to poor knowledge of iron's properties as a construction material, a number of early mills collapsed.
  • It was not until the early 1830s that Eaton Hodgkinson introduced the section beam, leading to widespread use of iron construction.

• Steelmaking and Refining

  • Steelmaking is the second step in producing steel from iron ore.
  • Basic oxygen steelmaking is a method of primary steelmaking in which carbon-rich molten pig iron (the iron created in the blast furnace) is made into steel.
  • Henry Cort's original puddling process only worked when the raw material was white cast iron, rather than the gray pig iron that was the usual raw material for finery forges.
  • The pig iron was melted in a running-out furnace and then run out into a trough.
  • The Eiffel tower is constructed from puddled iron, a form of wrought iron.

• Ceramics and Bronze in the Yayoi Period

  • Artifacts brought to the Japanese islands by the Yayoi people bore Chinese and Korean influences and ushered Japan into the Iron Age.
  • The Yayoi period is an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BCE to 300 CE.
  • Techniques in metallurgy based on the use of bronze and iron were also introduced to Japan in this period.
  • Along with introducing bronze casting and other technologies into the islands, the Yayoi people brought cultural influences from China and Korea.
  • By the 1st century CE, Yayoi farmers began using iron agricultural tools and weapons.

• The Norse

  • "Norse art" defines the artistic legacies of Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and the Nordic Bronze Age.
  • "Norse art" is a blanket term for the artistic styles in Scandinavia during the Germanic Iron Age, the Viking Age, and the Nordic Bronze Age.
  • This could involve various types of design such as bulls, dolphins, gold lions, drakes spewing fire out of their nose, human beings cast in gold and silver, and other unidentifiable animals cast in bronze metal.

• Benin

  • The Benin Empire (1440-1897) developed an advanced artistic culture, especially known for its famous artifacts of bronze, iron, and ivory.
  • It developed an advanced artistic culture, especially known for its famous artifacts of bronze, iron, and ivory.
  • During the reign of the Kingdom of Benin, the characteristics of the artwork shifted from thin castings and careful treatment to thick, less defined castings and generalized features.
  • Instead, a trade system was developed where the Portuguese provided the Benin with luxury items (such as coral beads, cloth and brass manillas for casting) and received paper, cloth, and Benin artwork in return.
  • They were cast in matching pairs (although each was individually made), and it is thought that they were originally nailed to walls and pillars in the palace as decoration.

• Bronze under the Zhou Dynasty

  • The art of the Zhou Dynasty was characterized by the introduction of iron and the refinement of elaborate bronzework.
  • Though iron was introduced to China during the Zhou Dynasty, this period of Chinese history produced what many consider the zenith of Chinese bronze-ware making.
  • Zhou art also borrowed heavily from the Shang, and the Zhou practice of casting inscriptions in bronze vessels, as well as the design of the vessels themselves, suggests a direct Shang influence.
  • The bronzes of the Western Zhou Dynasty document large portions of history not found in the existing texts of the time, and the medium of cast bronze lends the record a permanence not enjoyed by manuscripts.
  • Discuss the advancements and cultural adaptations of the Zhou Dynasty, including bronze and iron-ware.

• The Iron Cycle

  • Iron (Fe) follows a geochemical cycle like many other nutrients.
  • The Terrestrial Iron Cycle: In terrestrial ecosystems, plants first absorb iron through their roots from the soil.
  • Iron is required to produce chlorophyl, and plants require sufficient iron to perform photosynthesis.
  • Animals acquire iron when they consume plants, and iron is utilized by vertebrates in hemoglobin, the oxygen-binding protein found in red blood cells.
  • The Marine Iron Cycle: The oceanic iron cycle is similar to the terrestrial iron cycle, except that the primary producers that absorb iron are typically phytoplankton or cyanobacteria.

• Caste Systems

  • Caste as a closed social stratification system in which membership is determined by birth and remains fixed for life; castes are also endogamous, meaning marriage is proscribed outside one's caste, and offspring are automatically members of their parents' caste.
  • Some sociologists suggest that caste systems come in two forms: racial caste systems and non-racial caste systems.
  • Caste is often associated with India.
  • The Nāradasmṛti set out categories of approved marriages between castes.
  • Several statutes recognized offsprings of mixed castes, much like caste system of colonial Spain.