Sidney Thomas
Sidney Gilchrist Thomas (born April 16, 1850 in Canonbury ( London ), † February 1, 1885 in Paris ) was an important British metallurgist .
Life
Sidney Thomas received a humanistic education and was initially a court clerk. In his spare time he was engaged in chemistry , especially metallurgy. He expanded his theoretical knowledge at evening schools and successfully passed the exams at the Royal School of Mines . The suggestion to deal with the problem of phosphorus-rich iron ores is said to have been received by Thomas from a lecture. After many laboratory tests, he found out that the phosphorus can be removed from the iron if the Bessemer pear is provided with an alkaline lining made of limestone with a small amount of water glass .
Together with his cousin, the chemist Percy Carlyle Gilchrist , in 1876/77 he invented a process for producing iron and steel from phosphorus-rich iron ore , the Thomas process named after him . Industrial production using this process was introduced in England in May 1879 and in Germany in September 1879.
It has not been proven whether Sidney Thomas also patented the use of the resulting slag , Thomas flour , as a fertilizer .
Thomas died of tuberculosis on February 1, 1885 in a sanatorium near Paris .
literature
- Thomas, Sidney Gilchrist . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 26 : Submarine Mines - Tom-Tom . London 1911, p. 867 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
- Picture and biography (french)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Thomas, Sidney |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Thomas, Sidney Gilchrist (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British metallurgist and inventor of the steelmaking process named after him |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 16, 1850 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Canonbury , London |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 1, 1885 |
| Place of death | Paris |