Background
GILCHRIST, Percy Carlyle was born on December 27, 1851 in Lyme Regis, Dorsetshire. Son of late Alexander Gilchrist, barrister, and Anne Burrows.
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Percy Carlyle GILCHRIST
Edit ProfileEducation
Studied at Felsted Grammar School. Royal School of Mines (Murchison Medallist). One of the founders (with the late Sidney G. Thomas) of the “Basic” or “Thomas Gilchrist” process for making steel from,phosphoric pig iron.
Career
This enabled the production of low-phosphorus steel from local high-phosphorus ores by changing the standard acidic process to a basic process which meant that steel became cheaply available to British industry — low phosphorus ores being available by importation only. lieutenant involved melting pig iron in a converter similar to that used in the Bessemer process and subjecting it to prolonged blowing. The oxygen in the blast of air oxidized carbon and other impurities, and the addition of lime at this stage caused the oxides to separate out as a slag on the surface of the molten metal.
A side benefit was that the phosphorus containing slag could be used as an agricultural fertilizer.
He was elected vice-president of the Iron and Steel Institute and in 1891 a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in 1935.
Membership
Fellow of the Royal Society. Member of Institution of Civil Engineers. Member Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Associate Royal School of Mines.
Club: Reform.
Connections
Spouse 1877, Nora, 2nddaughter of late Captain L. North. Fitzmaurice, Royal Navy
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Born
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Died
December 16, 1935 (aged 83) -
Nationality
United Kingdom