electric-arc furnace
- noun
- /ɪˈlɛktrɪk ɑrk ˈfɜrnɪs/
- Specialized
:
horno de arco eléctrico
- To reduce costs and emissions, the factory switched to using an electric-arc furnace for recycling scrap steel.
- steel manufactured in electric-arc furnace
The steel used to make nuclear submarines and parts for nuclear power stations is made by Sheffield Forge Masters, once again in electric arc furnaces.
- The steel used to make nuclear submarines and parts for nuclear power stations is made by Sheffield Forge Masters, once again in electric arc furnaces.
Examples
-
Shifts towards electric arc furnaces in steel production, for example, served to increase electricity use.
Academic text (1991) -
The company invested in an electric-arc furnace to improve the efficiency of their steel production process.
-
You take scrap metal, electric arc furnace, slag on top, remelt, purify, and then it goes back into the marketplace.
-
In laboratories near Fontainebleau, fly ash is fed into an electric arc furnace equipped with a graphite electrode.
Academic text (2000) -
In modern steelmaking, an electric-arc furnace plays a crucial role in melting and purifying raw materials.
Synonyms
93
4.1
A closed chamber that makes very high heat for melting metal, burning waste or heating buildings
1
3.9
A machine that uses electricity to make heat instead of burning fuel
An electric furnace that uses a strong spark of electricity to heat metal to make steel
How Hot
- Specialized
3
5.6
- Specialized
- Specialized
69
5.4
- Specialized
20
6.3
93
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
electric-arc + furnace
The noun is a straightforward modifier+head compound: an 'electric-arc' describes the heat source and 'furnace' names the device, so the meaning 'a furnace that uses an electric arc as the source of heat' is directly derivable from the parts. Although slightly technical, the composition follows regular English compound patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The noun electric-arc furnace is named for how it heats metal: a strong electric arc, a bright, very hot spark that jumps between metal rods, makes the heat inside and melts the metal. That's why the name means a furnace that uses an electric 'arc' as the heat source to melt scrap metal and 'make steel'.