open-hearth furnace

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Open-Hearth Furnace

Definition: An open-hearth furnace is a special type of furnace (a large oven or container for heating) used to make steel. In this furnace, steel is placed on a shallow area called a "hearth," and flames from burning gas and hot air flow over the steel to heat it up.

Usage Instructions:

• Context: You would typically use the term "open-hearth furnace" when talking about steel production or the manufacturing process in factories.
• Example Sentence: "The factory uses an open-hearth furnace to produce high-quality steel for construction."

Advanced Usage:

• Open-hearth furnaces were commonly used in the steel industry before the development of more advanced methods like electric arc furnaces, which are now more prevalent due to their efficiency.

Word Variants:

• Open-hearth (adjective): Describing processes or technologies related to this type of furnace, such as "open-hearth steelmaking."
• Furnace (noun): Referring to any high-temperature device for heating, such as a blast furnace or electric furnace.

Different Meanings:

• The word "furnace" can also refer to a heating system in homes that warms the air or water.

Synonyms:

• There are no direct synonyms for "open-hearth furnace," but related terms include:
  • Steel furnace
  • Blast furnace (though this is a different type of furnace)
  • Smelting furnace (used for melting metal ores)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• There are no specific idioms or phrasal verbs that use "open-hearth furnace," but you could use phrases like:
  • "In the furnace of industry" (meaning in the intense environment of manufacturing).

Summary:

An open-hearth furnace is an important tool in steelmaking, and understanding its function can help in grasping the processes involved in manufacturing.

Academic

Noun

1. a furnace for making steel in which the steel is placed on a shallow hearth and flames of burning gas and hot air play over it