🌉 This #MetalMonday, let's travel back in time to the Industrial Revolution, a period that changed the world. The star of this era? Cast iron. Cast iron is an alloy of iron that contains 2-4% carbon, along with varying amounts of silicon and manganese and traces of impurities such as sulphur and phosphorus, it is made by reducing iron ore in a blast furnace. This versatile metal helped to spur industrial innovation, leading to the construction of the first iron bridge in 1779. The iconic Iron Bridge over the River Severn in Shropshire, England, became a symbol of technological advancement and the use of metals in new, previously unimaginable ways. The bridge was so successful that it gave its name to the spectacular wooded valley which surrounds it, now recognised as the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. Cast iron was favoured for its ability to bear heavy loads and span long distances, paving the way for modern architecture and engineering. It was used in buildings, railways, and machinery, laying the foundations for the modern world. #engineering #architecture #history #metalwork #metallurgy
