Percy Gilchrist | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 December 1851 |
| Died | 16 December 1935 (1935-12-17) (aged 83) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Felsted |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | chemistry |
Percy Carlyle GilchristFRS[1] (27 December 1851 – 16 December 1935) was a British chemist and metallurgist.
Gilchrist was born inLyme Regis, Dorset, the son ofAlexander andAnne Gilchrist and studied atFelsted and theRoyal School of Mines. He caughtscarlet fever from his sister and was very ill. His father then caught the disease and died in November 1861.[2]
He is best known for his collaboration with his cousin,Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, on theGilchrist–Thomas process, which became the standard "basic process" for makingsteel. 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 requiring dearer importation. He developed the process, 1875–77, together with his cousin.[3] It involved melting pig iron in a converter similar to that used in theBessemer 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 (dross) on the surface of the molten metal. A side benefit was that the phosphorus-rich slag was an agricultural fertilizer.
He or his family had him admitted to well-appointed private asylum,Holloway Sanatorium from 5 March 1899 for just under one year, then discharged into single care.[4] Noted are "eccentricities" and his role as an inventor.[4]
He was elected vice-president of theIron and Steel Institute and in 1891 aFellow of the Royal Society.[5]
He died in 1935. He had married Nora, the daughter ofCaptain L N Fitzmaurice of theRoyal Navy.
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