2. Obuhov, Pavel Matveyevich (1820 - 1869), a Russian metallurgist. Graduated from the St. Petersburg Corps of Mining Engineers with honors in 1843. Was sent to work in the Urals. Was appointed Manager of the Zlatoust Arms Factory in 1854, where he completed his improvements of the crucible process. Was granted in 1857 the privilege of using his process for the large-scale production of high-quality cast steel. Designed in the late 1850s a factory to make steel field guns, which went into operation at the Prince Mihail Factory in 1860. This started the use of cast steel for gun barrels and was a turning point for Russian artillery. Obuhov's steel field gun which had fired over 4000 rounds without damage was awarded a gold medal at the World Exhibition in London in 1862. Elected a corresponding member of the Artillery Committee and appointed Chief of the Zlatoust Mining District in 1861. Headed the construction of a major steel works in St. Petersburg in 1863, later named after him.
Text 6
More Progress in Steel Production
Iron coming from a blast furnace is called pig-iron, and still contains many impurities which have to be removed before it can be converted into steel. During the Industrial Revolution the demand for steel was so great that better and quicker methods of producing it became necessary. A big step forward was made with the invention of the 'Bessemer Converter'.
Henry Bessemer (1813 - 1898) was a British civil engineer and inventor. He was elected to the London Royal Society in 1879. During his lifetime he patented over a hundred inventions in various fields of technology.
Henry Bessemer's idea was that the impurities would be burned away if air was blown through molten pig-iron.
An experimental vessel to contain 7 cwts of molten pig-iron was set up in Bessemer's factory. Air pipes led into the bottom of the vessel, and when the air was turned on, huge flames and showers of sparks shot out of the mouth of the converter, followed by spurts of molten metal and slag. Bessemer and his workers could only retreat and hope for the best. They could not turn off the air because the air-valve had been placed too near to the converter. However, after ten minutes the eruption subsided and it was found that the iron was free of impurities.
The new process was widely adopted, and [converters were built which could purify several tons of pig-iron in half-an-hour - an enormous improvement on previous methods. The Bessemer 'blow', with flames shooting high into the air, is one of the most dramatic sights in steel manufacture.
Other methods followed, the Siemens 'open hearth' furnaces were slower than the Bessemer converter but gave better control. 'Electric arc' furnaces were introduced later.
Two metals, manganese and chromium, discovered in 1774, were to play an important role in steel manufacture. Small quantities of manganese in steel adds greatly to its strength. Chromium is used in the manufacture of stainless steel.
Task 2. Lexical Exercises
Exercise 1. Find the English equivalents for the words and -word-combinations. Use them in the sentences of your awn.
чугун (штыковой чугун); содержать примеси; удалять примеси; превращать в сталь; потребность в стали; инженер-строитель; выжечь; запатентовать; шлак; вантуз; модернизация ранее существующих методов; марганец; хром; увеличивать прочность; играть важную роль в производстве стали.
Exercise 2. Match the English -words and-word-combinations given below -with their Russian equivalents.
| 1. to produce steel 2. to make a big step forward 3. air pipes 4. in various fields of technology 5. to hope for the best 6. to adopt widely 7. to turn off 8. the most dramatic sight 9. electric are furnace 10. open hearth furnace | 1. наиболее величественное зрелище 2. электродуговая печь 3. производить сталь 4. надеяться на лучшее 5. выключать 6. вентиляционные трубы 7. мартеновская печь 8. сделай большой шаг вперед 9. принять повсеместно 10. в различных областях техники |
Exercise 3. Answer the following questions.
1. What differs pig-iron from steel? 2. Who made the revolution in steel industry? 3. What was the main idea of Bessemer's experiment? 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of open hearth furnaces over Bessemer's converter? 5. How can we increase the strength of steel? 6. What is chromium used for?
Exercise 4. In the text there are some verbs which in combination with prepositions acquire another meaning:
to set up - устанавливать, утверждать to
turn on – включать
to turn off – выключать
Such combinations are called verbal collocations. Translate the following verbal collocations into Russian and complete the sentences given below using them.
to set smith off; to set in; to set out; to turn someone down; to turn smith in; to turn someone on; to turn out
1. Let's ... early tomorrow. It'll take us long to get to Stratford. 2. We've had ... his proposal. It'll be too expensive to make use of it. 3. His lectures ... to be very interesting. 4. It's been very cold the last few days. I think the winter . . . already. 5. Rock music really ... me ... 6. Bill is a hard-working student. He ... two essays every week. 7. He ... to work on the project several days ago.
Exercise 5. Choose the 'word or phrase that best completes each sentence. Explain у our choice.
1. The ... of steel at Robertsbridge began in 1565.
a) production b) output c) manufacture
2. The importance of Bessemer's discovery was that... pig iron was trans formed into steel within some thirty minutes.
a) molten b) liquid c)hard
3. In the end of the 18th century ... of metals improved greatly with the help of new methods.
a) quantity b) quality c) number
4. One of the properties of metals is their specific...
a) shining b) luster c) glitter
5. All metals except mercury are ... substances.
a) hard b) tough c) heavy
6. Converters can ... several tons of pig iron in a short period of time.
a) clean b) clear c) purify
7. Impurities must be removed before pig iron can be ... into steel.
a) converted b) transformed c) made
8. .Chromium was ... in 1774.
a) opened b) found c) discovered
Exercise 6. Give a written translation of the following passage.
The technique of making steel had not fallen into oblivion. In Anglo-Saxon literature many references are made to steel and also to 'steeling' Conversion of soft wrought iron into steel by cementation continued to be practiced. The technique seems to have been improved by the Danes locally to satisfy the demands of small economic units.
The conquering Normans were greatly impressed by the industrial efficiency they found in England. German skilled workers were accustomed to reside in England because of the high level the Anglo-Saxons had attained in metal-making. For example, knives made in England, were valued much in France during the Middle Ages.
Text 7
Steel Production in Sheffield
Today, Sheffield is one of the main sources of the world's best steel, the mainspring for me mightiest industries of mankind.
Yet, as a steelmaking centre, Sheffield built its reputation only about a century and a half ago. The location of me industry in the lower valley of the Don owed something at that time to the older established edge tool crafts, based originally on imported steel into an area with fuel and water power available, but the main advantage of South Yorkshire was the abundant supply of coal and access to Baltic transport.
The name of the city has become synonymous with quality, craftsmanship and traditional skills. Skills that have became secrets handed down from father to son, that have created the city's proud boast that the words 'Sheffield, England' on any product are a certain guarantee of quality.
The modem steel industry on which the city's fame partly rests, only really began with the invention of the crucible process by Benjamin Huntsman, who settled in Handsworth about 1740. His steel was of unequalled uniformity of quality and its use revolutionised the making of tools.
By 1835 Sheffield was already established as the centre of tool-steel manufacture in
Britain. Bessemer's invention of his converter steelmaking, first practised in Sheffield and bringing the era of bulk steels, put Sheffield further ahead. Sheffield chose, however, to develop on the lines of the manufacture of alloy and special steels for special purposes and with distinct characteristics. There are numerous types of steel made but they can mainly be divided into a few wide groups: low and medium carbon steels; high carbon and high quality alloy tool steels; special alloy constructional and die steels; stainless and heat-resisting steels, low steels from which permanent magnets for the electrical industries are made (including alloys which are not true steels but made principally in Sheffield by the same process).
Sheffield, the initiator, is in fact the place where the chief discoveries respecting steel and its wonderful powers and possibilities have been made by means of trial and error. Here in 1859 Robert Forester Mushet, made possible the production of a mild all-purpose steel in large quantities. A further process was also introduced, the Siemens-Martin process. In his open-hearth process heat was saved and intensified by using for the blast hot air from the furnace instead of cold. This enabled manufacturers to use ore with a smaller percentage of carbon and a higher percentage of impurities such as phosphorus, as the blast cleared away the harmful elements more thoroughly. Both of these improvements enormously cheapened the production of the average steels in ordinary use.
The industrial legacies provided by these early steelfounders created a sound basis for development. The Siemens open hearth furnace, the converter process invented by Alexandre Tropenas, the electric arc furnace, the high-frequency induction furnace have taken their places in due course. Low-frequency induction melting has since been introduced into the city and high-frequency induction heating is helping heat-treatment and other processes in the manufacture of Sheffield's steels and steel products.
Task 2. Lexical Exercises
Exercise 1. Find the English equivalents for the following words and word-combinations given below. Use them in the sentences of your own.
источник; главная движущая сила; местоположение; острый режущий инструмент; преимущество; доступ к; мастерство; легированная сталь; отличительная характеристика; сталь с низким содержанием углерода; строительная сталь; нержавеющая сталь; жаропрочная сталь; сплав; удешевить производство; основатели сталелитейной промышленности; высокочастотный нагрев; низкокачественная плавка; термическая обработка.
Exercise 2. Match the English words and word-combinations given below with their Russian equivalents.
| 1. a steelmaking centre 2. abundant supply 3. water power 4. crucible steel 5. uniformity of quality 6. a certain guarantee of quality 7. bulk steel 8. die steel 9. permanent magnet 10. by means of trial and error 11. mild steel | 1. тигельная сталь 2. необработанная сталь 3. одинаково высокое качество 4. штамповал сталь 5. определенная гарантия качества 6. постоянный магнит 7. неограниченный запас 8. путем проб и ошибок 9. мягкая (малоуглеродистая) сталь 10. водяная энергия 11. центр сталелитейного производства |
Exercise 3. Answer the following questions.
1. Why did Sheffield become a steelmaking centre? 2. When did the modem steel industry begin? 3. What types of steel were produced in Sheffield? 4. Which processes of steel-making were first introduced in Sheffield? 5. How can the Siemens-Martin process be described?
Exercise 4. Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.
1. Such men as Bessemer, Siemens and Mushet were ... the steel material. a) improving b) discovering c) introducing.
2. Only comparatively small... of me steel could be melted at one time in the first crucibles.
a) numbers b) quantities c) amounts
3. Bessemer's converter was the first major . . . after Huntsman's crucible.
a) discovery b) invention c) innovation
4. South Yorkshire used to give the ... supply of coal.
a) great b) rich c) abundant
5. Bessemer's process helped to bum ... all the carbon.
a) out b) in c)up
6. South Wales - ... near the sea - was convenient for the importation of Spanish ore.
a) located b) present c) accommodated
7. Almost all important discoveries were made by means of trial and ...
a) mistakes b) fault c) error
Exercise 5. Word-building: A compound noun is a combination of two or more nouns.
They are frequently used in scientific writing. Here are some examples of compound words. Find more compound words in the text. Work out the rule of their formation and use them in the sentences of your own. Pay attention to their meaning.
1. silver - серебро; silver-coloured - серебристый; silversmith - серебряных дел мастер; silver-work - изделие из серебра
2. water - вода; water-cooler - радиатор; water-engine - гидравлическая машина; waterfall - водопад.
Exercise 6. Change each of these phrases into a compound noun.
1. reaction of chemicals 5. pressure of gas
2. pump for fuel 6. density of gas
3. processor of words 7. compression of air
4. rain that contains acid 8. pollution of the air
Exercise 7. More about word-building. A knowledge of prefixes and their meanings can help you to enlarge your vocabulary. Once you know what a particular prefix means, you have a clue to the meaning of every word beginning with that prefix. English prefixes come mainly from Old English (Anglo-Saxon), Latin and Ancient Greek.
l. fore- = before, beforehand, front
For example: foreword = preface, introduction (предисловие, вступление)
foremost = standing at the front; most advanced; leading; chief (передний, передовой, выдающийся) foresight = power of seeing beforehand what is going to happen (предвидеть, предугадать)
2. out- = beyond; more than; better than
For example: outlast = to last longer than (продолжаться, продержаться дольше, чем...) outrun = to run faster than (опередить, обогнать) outlook = prospect for the futures (вид; перспектива; мировоззрение)
3. over- = too, excessively
For example: oversupply = a great supply (поставлять слишком много; снабжать с избытком) overconfident = too confident of oneself (самоуверенный) overestimate = to make too high an estimate (rough calculation) of the worth or size of smb, smth (слишком высокая оценка чего-л, кого-л)
Translate at sight:
1. Joe overestimated the capacity of the new equipment. 2. The output of the factory is slowly increasing. 3. Yesterday I mislaid my bag and it took me about an hour to find it. 4. Harry's bad test overshadowed his good work during the last month. 5. We have a shortage of good engineers but an oversupply of unskilled workers. 6. An overdose of this medicine can be dangerous. 7. Sheriock Holmes managed to outwit the cleverest criminals.