Natural Resources

Iron and steel manufacture is one factor contributing to the development of industry in Great Britain. Great Britt was that nation's large supply of coal and iron ore. For many centuries, the British had converted their iron ores to iron and steel by heating the raw material with charcoal. By the mid 18th century, the nation's timber supply had decreased greatly. Most machines were made of wood. Buy by the early 1800's manufacturers used iron to make a wide variety of products, including machine frames, rails, steam engine parts, and water pipes. Manufacturers were forced to look elsewhere for a fuel to use in treating iron ores. The fuel they found was coal. When coal is heated it was turned into Coke. This was cheaper to produce than charcoal and it could be packed more tightly into a blast furnace. The conversion of the iron and steel business from charcoal to coke had new technical problems which encouraged the development of even more new inventions. Ironmaking techniques continued to improve, and iron production expanded enormously. In 1788, British ironmakers produced about 76,000 short tons fo iron. Then in 1806, they produced over three times that amount.

The steam engine had been invented by James Watt in 1763 helped solve this problem. The Watt steam engine was in the mining of coal, where it removed water from inside the mines. By the end of the 18th century, the new approach to iron and steel production had produced effects on population and industrial patterns in Great Britain. Plants were moved or newly built in areas close to coal resources such as Southern Wales, Yorkshire, and Staffordshire.

The Industrial Revolution could not have developed without coal and iron. Coal provided the power to drive the steam engines and was needed to make iron. Iron improved machines and tools to build bridges and ships. Great Britain's large deposites of coal and iron ore helped make it the world's first industrial nation.

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http://science.jrank.org/pages/3572/Industrial-Revolution-Iron-steel-manufacture.html

http://www.puhsd.k12.ca.us/chana.staffpages.eichman/Adult_School/us/fall/industrialization...

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