Early Iron and Steel production in Sri Lanka: A Scientific Perspective

This work investigates the nature of technological development and the viability of applying an evolutionary approach to the early development of iron production in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this paper is to use modern techniques in the fields of Physics and Engineering to investigate the wind-driven furnace used in early iron and steel producing industry dating to 300 B.C. In order to study the scientific aspects of the furnace, several theoretical calculations were carried out. Some of the crucial parameters and their optimal values are presented.