Cooper-Bessemer: site of the first commercial ductile iron castings.

At the 25th anniversary meeting at the 1973 AFS Casting Congress, foundry manager Doug James recalled the first commercial ductile iron on February 4, 1949 - less than two months after signing license No. 1 on December 20, 1948.

"The Grove City Foundry (Pennsylvania) of Cooper-Bessemer had achieved success with high-strength castings during World War II. During the mid-1940s, the engineering dept. was insisting on better physical properties in order to meet demands of higher working pressures and greater strengths of properties required by our customers. Under Tom Eagan, a committee was given a budget of $100,000/year to improve foundry technology and metals. Executive Vice President Lawrence Williams recognized the value that higher strength cast irons could contribute to the company. He personally encouraged Tom and I to continue to search for improved foundry technology as well as the development of superior materials. The announcement made in 1948 was most welcome news to the committee. We could hardly wait to learn more about this new spheroidal graphite cast material.

Later that same year, 1948, Tom, Williams and I visited INCO laboratories in Bayonne, New Jersey, to witness the actual process, to study laboratory castings, to review research data and discuss the commercial production application of this material for the products. We were anxious to resolve the final question could this process be duplicated on a large-scale commercial basis with the same resulting homogenous material and heavy section complex castings? So before leaving New York, we planned to discuss what would become our first large-scale commercial ductile iron heat. Keith Millis and Al Gagnebin came to Grove City on February 4 1949, to direct and advise us on the final arrangements as well as to witness the treating and pouring of our castings.

There was a great deal of concern on the hazards of introducing such a large quantity of magnesium (Mg) into 3500 lb of molten iron. The addition consisted of 84 lb of nickel-alloy Mg containing 16.9% Mg, 80.5% nickel (Ni), with the balance iron. It would be a 2.4% alloy addition, with a 21 lb post-inoculant of 75% FeSi. A 4000-lb ladle would be placed under the cupola spout on a platform scale and below a large hopper that had been fabricated with a gate opening and a funnel bottom to which the alloy was to be added to the stream during the filling of the ladle.

After alloy addition to the iron, the ladle was to be transferred into a teapot ladle for pouring and the FeSi added. First to be poured would be some keel blocks, then several molds of diesel engine parts, a special pressure cylinder designed by our engineering dept., an 8-in. cube, two 8 in. x 4 in. cylinder liners and finally, more keel blocks. Several smaller chill test samples and arbitration barn were poured for quick microstructures and examination of the fractures. The actual period of time from alloy addition to the final test pieces poured was 8 min.

Thus, on the evening of February 4, 1949, at the conclusion of production with most employees sent home from the foundry, we proceeded to treat the ladle of cupola melted iron with Ni-Mg alloy and pour the castings and test pieces. As some people believed, this occasion was to be the destruction of the foundry and ourselves.

The cupola was tapped and the metal flowed over the spout into the ladle and the alloy was slowly added through the hopper. The heat became so intense that the person operating the hopper was forced to leave his station, shutting off the supply of alloy. Seeing the problem, we immediately picked up a large skimming ladle bar and, at a distance, opened the hopper, and dumped all the alloy into the top of the ladle, creating an even more blinding flash and extreme heat. We did get the entire alloy in before the cupola was stopped, so we did have the proper inoculation.

So despite our warning to all of our employees about the brilliant flash that would ensue, our cupola tender, crane operator, photographer and pouring crew were groping around like blind mice for several minutes before we could start to pour the castings. When the intense heat and flash dissipated, we proceeded to pour our molds and test pieces in the normal fashion. We broke test wedges, examined the white fracture, blew on them, smelled them and said, 'Aaaah, we have finally done it, we have achieved it. We now have produced spheroidal graphite iron.'

A quick examination of the microstructures confirmed this and to celebrate the occasion, Keith, Al, Tom, some associates and I adjoined to a nearby restaurant for cocktails and dinner to celebrate the first commercial castings of ductile iron that we had produced. Later in an article that Tom and I published in Iron Age on December 15, 1949, we stated 'the authors do not wish to imply that ductile iron will take the place of other materials. It does have its place, which appears to be somewhere between malleable iron and cast steel as far as physical properties are concerned.'

I think history has proven Tom and I to be better foundrymen than prophets."

Editor's Note: Those initial heats produced good castings. Tom Eagan recalled in a 1973 modem casting article: "Dour James cast a two-cylinder prototype engine base from either the second or third heat. It was very good, so he had it completely machined. I arranged with the U.S. Naval Experimental Stations to impact test it on their special machine - the largest piece ever tested up to that time. It passed the requirement by a wide margin and ductile iron was approved for engine bases and frames. The Navy then took over and proceeded to do much essential research. "Known today as Cooper-Bessemer Reciprocating, the plant still produces ductile iron castings, primarily for use in natural gas transmission components.

RELATED ARTICLE: Jamestown Malleable: Home of First Foundry Heat

While the first commercial castings were poured at Cooper-Bessemer, the Jamestown (New York) Malleable Iron Div. of Blackstone Corp. also earned a place in history by becoming the first foundry to produce ductile iron on June 14, 1948 - just 39 days after the announcement in Philadelphia. Ford, who wished to evaluate the metal for use in crankshaft production, furnished Jamestown with molds, and a series of castings were produced, including a 1300-lb, 66-in. step block.

In the 1973 modern casting, Metallurgical Engineer Everett Hale recalled that the pour was scheduled for the end of the workday. "However, when the crucial moment arrived, a catastrophe occurred," he said. "The sand bottom of the cupola sprung a leak and all progress came to a complete halt. Needless to say, we were humiliated and suggested that Mr. Arthur Shobeck, our general manager, together with the guests from INCO, retreat to the local hotel to await further developments.

"One of our cupola laborers volunteered to descend into the bed area and replace the sand bottom. We wrapped him in water-soaked burlap and lowered him with apprehension. When repairs were completed, he was hauled up, revived and rewarded with a good dose of liquid stimulant. By 7 p.m., we called the hotel and announced to our INCO guests that we were ready to continue our experiment. Keith Millis made the inoculations, which, I believe was 15% Mg with 85% Ni as the alloy. The successful experiment gave birth to ductile iron castings.

"The remainder of this historical evening showed Don Reese, Keith and Al Gagnebin leaving hurriedly to catch their train for New York City at 10:30 p.m. I'm sure they carried evidence of their foundry visit with perspiring brows and dusty clothes. The test bar was shipped to Cooper-Bessemer in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and Tom Eagan and Douglas James studied it thoroughly, becoming the first licensees."