The ductile iron honor roll.

Key Contributors to the Metal's Advancement

Following is a glimpse of the people who took Keith Millis' lab discovery and turned it into a reality on foundry floors everywhere.

Many "novel" inventions often become relegated to bookshelves, earning a place as no more than a "paper discovery." While Keith Millis, Albert Gagnebin and Norman Pilling planted the seeds for ductile iron, it was nurtured along by countless foundrymen and suppliers who made it possible for the "harvest" of today.

As with any true pioneering endeavor, there was much risk involved in being a "first" in ductile iron. In this case, the risk was one of physical danger as well. Because of the volatility of magnesium (Mg) in molten iron, foundrymen and their plants took on that risk to learn the dynamics of this revolutionary process. They put their futures on the line by waging their existing foundry lines on the promise of ductile iron, and a few years later, foundries banked their reputations on their initial shipments to customers.

This special modern casting list of influential people in ductile iron's history is meant to recognize some of those individuals that have paved the way for the ductile iron foundrymen of today. It is by no means exclusive, as there were literally hundreds upon hundreds of additional worthy individuals who helped move ductile iron along to the engineered metal of choice that it is today.

"We all agree that the acceptance and predominant growth of the material continues to be most unusual," said co-inventor Keith Millis in 1973, at a meeting held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ductile iron. "Sure, there are many inventors of great inventions that have not enjoyed this type of success. You, the producers, have made the difference in this case. There's no doubt that in spite of the importance of this invention, if you had not recognized its importance as early as May 7, 1948 and had not jumped in with both feet, it would still be an insignificant midget instead of the giant that it has become. As of May 7, we were powerless in making something of this discovery. But the foundry industry stepped in with bold confidence and a perseverance that overcame all the tremendous obstacles that cropped up initially."

EARLIEST PIONEERS

While Millis is the most credited individual for the development of ductile iron, Henton Morrogh of the British Cast Iron Research Assn. (BCIRA) is considered by many as the true discoverer with his 1948 paper on the use of cerium to make ductile iron. His research forced the hand of the International Nickel Co. (INCO) hand to reveal its process for production with Mg. "If Morrogh hadn't delivered the classic paper on cerium on May 7 1948, who can say when INCO would've made it?" said Millis in 1973. Although there was some competition between the processes initially, Morrogh realized that the material itself was far more important than who invented it and which processing method was used. As a result, BCIRA made huge contributions in research of ductile iron with Millis' process.

In addition to Millis, there were many at INCO who contributed to ductile iron's growth and development. One of Millis' co-inventors was Albert P. Gagnebin, Millis' "boss" at the time of the invention. Following the discovery, he transferred to New York City in 1949 to establish a group for the commercial development of ductile iron and was commissioned with initiating production in the foundries of the new licensees. He eventually rose to chairman of the board at INCO, Ltd.

Donald J. Reese(*) was the patriarch of research and development, said Ken Kirgin of Stratecasts, who worked at INCO in the 1950s. Reese developed the licensing system that would shepherd ductile iron with the foundries and license them to produce it, giving a firm with a nickel-mining core competency a vested interest in developing the metal.

INCO was perceptive enough to realize that it needed to break down its operations into three distinct groups - applications, process and metallurgy. Ken Kirgin headed up application development, Ralph White(*) handled processing ("He traveled foundry to foundry to teach them how to melt and treat ductile iron," said Kirgin.) and Bob Savage handled metallurgy and alloy development, working with producers on problems such as pinholing and slag formations.

Because Bill Braidwood was commissioned with developing markets overseas for ductile iron, he became known as the "Millis of Europe." He was given the responsibility for licensing all regions outside of North and South America and Japan.

Other key individuals at INCO included Jim Vanick(*), who later went on to fulfill a highly important role as the first technical director of the Ductile Iron Society (DIS) and Warren Spear. Spear, a renowned research metallurgist who joined the labs just prior to the announcement, conducted a lot of alloy work. In addition, Bob Schelleng and Bob Isleib did a great deal of research on alloys and properties under Millis at the Sterling Forest, New York, laboratory.

"The INCO group was dedicated in its cooperation to the industry," said long-term industry veteran and AFS Vice President Ezra Kotzin. He recalled that Vanick and Spear spent countless hours studying nodules arid the importance of studying a heat prior to pouring. "They used to say 'nothing is worse than ductile that is not ductile.'"

These early research pioneers laid the foundation for ductile iron, which was going to live or die based on what would take place in the foundries. "INCO contributed the patent," said Kotzin. "Others were responsible for taking all the bugs out of the process of making it."

PIPE PRODUCERS

Iron pipe had been around for centuries, yet pipe producers recognized that it could be improved if it could be made stronger. Ductile iron pipe was first cast experimentally in 1948, but was not introduced into the North American marketplace until 1955, according to Ductile Iron Pipe Research Assn. (DIPRA) Highlights. "The decision was confirmed in all respects because it was possible to reduce pipe wall thicknesses as compared to gray iron and to develop pipes that can resist corrosion in the most aggressive soils," said Maurice Grandpierre of Pont-a-Mousson of France, whose firm signed a license as early as 1949.

An MIT grad, Grandpierre is considered one of the pioneers in ductile iron pipe. "He did a hell of a job selling ductile iron pipe," said Kirgin. "He helped everyone get started by telling them what Pont-a-Mousson was doing in France." Carl Loper, Jr., a longtime educator and researcher at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, noting the plant's powerful research facility, added: "He made tremendous contributions in desulfurization, as well as in specs and property information. He was also a strong pusher for the French trade associations to get involved in ductile iron studies - particularly in mechanical properties."

A severe winter in the early 1950s in Montreal and the widespread failure of municipal pipe in the city helped along ductile iron pipe use, as civil engineers examined the prospect of ductile iron water pipes. Canadian Iron Foundries (Canton) officials were contacted to make this pipe, and were told that if they could not produce it, it would be purchased from Pont-a-Mousson. "Quebec was the first city in North America to express such a strong interest in ductile iron for pipes," said Gagnebin at the 1973 meeting.

American Cast Iron Pipe Co. (ACIPCO), Birmingham, Alabama, had been playing with ductile iron along with INCO and BCIRA, and filed for a patent in November 1948, unaware of INCO's five years of experience. ACIPCO's W.R. Kennedy wrote in a 1985 article: "ACIPCO President Ken Daniel told me he was extremely pleased that ACIPCO came in second at the patent office. We, being a comparatively small company, did not have the money to defend a lawsuit against a large company. Instead of wasting our money on such litigation, we were able to concentrate our time and money on development of the ductile cast iron process and equipment for making pipe."

ACIPCO, which received its first order for ductile iron pipe in 1948 (16 pieces of 10-in. ductile iron pipe) and first large order in 1954, was led by Charlie K. Donoho(*) and Sam F. Carter, Jr. "Donoho wouldn't introduce anything until he thoroughly researched it," recalled Kotzin of ACIPCO's chief metallurgist and technical director. Carter was the cupola man at ACIPCO and did a great deal of the early work on the basic slag cupola, which was the most economical method of production for many years. Carter wrote the early quality assurance manual for ductile iron producers, Practical Production to Quality Ductile Iron, and later was named chairman of the DIS research committee. ACIPCO was also known for pioneering the Mag-coke (Mg-coated coke) treatment process, which it marketed to other foundries.

Although today there are a number of pipe-producing foundries, one of the first to recognize the value and contribute to the development were Coshocton, Ohio-based Clow Corp.'s Walt Kruse, an early ductile iron metallurgist, and Sam Clow, technical director and operations manager. Unlike ACIPCO, who perfected the basic slag cupola, Clow, according to Kirgin, was the first company to continually externally desulfurize ductile iron to prepare it for Mg treatment, which is the predominant method used for cupola-melted iron today. "Clow also did a lot of the original work on impact properties of ductile iron," said Loper.

Another company that was interested in ductile iron pipe was Lynchburg, Virginia's Lynchburg Foundry (which signed the second license in 1949), but did not enter the ductile iron pipe market until 1959. Rather, its initial efforts were geared ward engineered ductile iron castings. The Lynchburg Foundry team was prolific at research and included the three-headed team of metallurgists Wally W. Levi(*) and Harvey Henderson and general manager Max Kunlansky(*). Lynchburg's Radford plant produced the first ductile iron pipe.

Chief Metallurgist Levi was known for his achievements with the cupola. "The work of Levi, Kuniansky and Henderson in the late 40s and 50s was fantastic, in-depth, 'on the line' research," said Kotzin. Lyle Jenkins, DIS technical director, added, "Levi had an instrumental influence on ductile iron production via cupola melting." Loper recalled that Levi was instrumental in the development of a modified keel block, which produced the "Levi bars."

Henderson was among the first to understand the balance between carbon and silicon in making acceptable quality ductile irons and developed a graph that showed the relationship. "The Metals Research & Development Foundation had him run Charpy impact values and set the curves," said Jenkins. In an award nomination letter from H.M. Lownie, Jr., it was stated: "Harvey traveled extensively to perfect the use of ductile iron in new applications, frequently working with ductile iron cast in a shell mold to obtain special dimensional control, and as a result,substituted ductile iron for steel weldments...In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he chaired ASTM Subcommittee A4.04 on ductile iron, which had general and specific jurisdiction over all specifications for ductile iron castings."

When Lynchburg was purchased by Columbus Foundries to form Intermet Corp. under the leadership of George Mathews, it grew into one of the nation's largest independent foundry organizations. Recognizing the continuing need for ductile iron R&D, Mathews hired Bob Warrick, who had an illustrious career at Ford, which included in-mold experience as well as engineering applications. Currently, he is Intermet's vice president of R&D and manufacturing support.

Lynchburg was known for its willingness to share its knowledge with everyone. Millis credited Lynchburg Foundry with pioneering the basic cupola, carbide injection in the forehearth and use of the shaking ladle.

In Japan, Kuboda was a very large manufacturer of ductile iron pipe, which it too helped pioneer. "Mr. Tanaka shared a lot of Japan's experience in ductile iron pipe production with the U.S.," said Kirgin.

ENGINEERED CASTING PRODUCERS

Engineered casting producers, particularly the gray iron foundries, knew that if they could produce spheroidal graphite in the as-cast condition, it would have "the world by the tail." After INCO and BCIRA showed them how it could be done, the new iron was embraced by industry like no other material ever had before.

Interestingly, two of the early non-pipe firms to jump on ductile iron were Cooper-Bessemer and Beloit Corp., both producers of large, heavy castings. Today, the majority of the non-pipe shipments are in the smaller parts. Cooper-Bessemer signed the first license on December 20, 1948. Less than two months later, on February 4, 1949, Millis and Gagnebin arrived to view the first commercial heat of ductile iron at Grove City, Pennsylvania. Instrumental influences Cooper-Bessemer were Doug James, Tom Eagan and Bill Gilchrist. Today, Cooper-Bessemer Reciprocating is still making ductile iron castings, primarily for natural gas transmission components.

Beloit Foundry, South Beloit, Illinois, also recognized the potential of delivering customers with the higher strength performance offered by the material. In 1972, a Detroit supplier of automotive truck frames broke a steel die shoe and couldn't afford the lengthy lead-time for a replacement. Beloit Foundry took on the 30,000-lb casting job and treated 50,000 lb of iron - five times more than previously attempted. Despite fears that the foundry would burn down, President Milt Bacon and his team produced a good casting with the desired properties. The achievement accelerated the interest in the application of ductile iron, as it showed there was no upper limit to the size ladle that could be treated with Mg.

The first Canadian licensee was Otaco, Orillia, Ontario, which created new markets through its efforts in converting farmers to ductile iron plowshares. Led by Glen Phelps, president, Otaco was also the first supplier of heavy-transporting sleighs used in the Antarctic. This application showed that not only did it have strength, but also it had superior toughness. According to Millis, the foundry was the first, if not the only, ductile iron foundry at the time to have received a special U.S. Naval Award for service.

Another major developer in ductile iron was Grede Foundries, Milwaukee. Vice President Harold Ruf(*) was part of the original group that met on ductile iron and wrote specifications. Millis once said that if it hadn't been for Ruf's convincing marketing efforts, ductile iron might have stayed this "nice little invention" that never amounted to much. During the early days, said Ruf, Grede salesmen brought back 488 patterns for 166 customers in 11 months. "Needless to say, said Ruf, scrap was high and profit was low." Under Ruf, Grede devised a system to show the differences in micro, structure between thin, fast cooling sections vs. much thicker, slower cooling sections.

Later, Grede director of quality assurance Paul Mikelonis was known for developing melting and process controls for electric furnace-melted iron. Also, Al Alagarsamy, a corporate-wide technical manager, was instrumental in developing ductile iron at Grede and became an expert in Mg treatment. "He made tremendous contributions in dissemination of information and modified the converter process at Grede," said Loper, noting that not many people have worked at Grede as well as Intermet and Citation, where Alagarsamy is presently employed.

Another Wisconsin foundry instrumental in ductile iron was Neenah Foundry Co., of Neenah. Director of metallurgy and technology Jack Goodzwaard was also a member of the original committee working on testing and specifications. He convinced the municipal casting producer that the strength demands for all castings would increase as time goes on, said Kotzin. Today, because of his efforts, Neenah produces ductile iron castings for the truck and automotive segments, as well as continuing to produce for its core construction markets.

John Deere Co., although heavily interested in ductile iron and using jobbing sources, did not start producing the metal in-house until 1957. Between 1959 and 1973, its use of ductile iron increased 25-fold. In recognizing the need to perfect the ductile iron process, John Deere operated a research group for years in East Moline, Illinois, with William Dell, Bob Christ, Al Rauch(*) and Norm Lillybeck. Numerous papers were published by the group.

Kirgin dubbed Deere's Hy Bornstein(*), director of research of research and testing laboratories, as one of the great original metallurgists. Added Loper: "He was a malleable iron guy who switched his allegiances to ductile. That took a lot of courage at the time - many people thought it was a 'flash in the pan.' "Dell and Christ's 1964 paper on in-mold inoculation aroused worldwide interest and led to the production of special commercial mold in-oculants to spread the use of ductile iron into areas previously not thought possible (thin-section castings).

The innovative spirit of Henry Ford was still alive in its casting operations when ductile iron arrived on the scene. Ford was the first of the automakers to embrace ductile iron in the production of crankshafts, an application that enormously boosted ductile iron's place among casting shipments. It was also the first to go in-mold, providing higher nodule count and eliminating the fading of the Mg treatment. Key individuals at Ford were Chief Metallurgist Harold Bogart, who was well-known in developing the ductile iron crankshaft, Art Adams(*), who was head of quality control and metallurgy at the Dearborn Specialty Foundry, and Harold Grant(*), the top casting executive who pushed for the construction of the-short-lived ductile iron foundry in Flat Rock, Michigan.

With several foundries, International Harvester paved its own ductile iron road initially and became a major ductile iron producer. With the support of management, the firm had a crack research group in Memphis, Tennessee, with A.P. Alexander and Art Spengler(*), who were focused heavily on improving process controls that did a lot of the original research on ductile iron. The tandem was known for pioneering nodularizing and post-in-oculating techniques.

General Motors lived up to its leadership position of the automakers after some initial resistance, spent the most on ductile iron. Because GM had patented ArmaSteel (a tempered martensitic malleable iron) on a variety of parts, they were first reluctant to introduce a competing metal. But by 1959 or 1960, said Kirgin, GM decided to produce a ductile iron crankshaft and built an experimental foundry in Saginaw, Michigan, under Ed Cole(*), who later became president of General Motors. Both Chevrolet and Defiance started ductile iron plants (both 2000 tons/day shops) for crankshafts in 1966 - single-handedly adding 4000 tons/day of ductile iron capacity into the U.S.

A few of the process innovations that GM perfected included: replacing steel punchings with 50% FeSi as cover material, developing ultrasonic nondestructive testing of ductile parts, and successfully designing and producing the as-cast ductile iron steering knuckle - the first safety critical part used in production and the industry standard today.

GM's conservatism is best illustrated by the 2000 trial heats in 1966 that studied MgFeSi levels of 5% vs. 9%. The result was a 25% cost reduction with the 5% level, and the 9% alloy soon disappeared. From 1965-1973, its Central Foundry Div. alone shipped 1 million tons of ductile iron castings - differential carriers and cases, bearing caps, crankshafts, disc brake calipers and knuckles - all of which were previously steel components.

Elmer Braun was general manager of Central Foundry Div., John Ikner(*) was head of the Saginaw Nodular Foundry and Bill Goudritz was his superintendent.

Decatur, Illinois-based Wagner Castings Co. was among the earliest and largest suppliers of automotive ductile iron castings. Once GM designed a steering knuckle, Wagner was given the job, and became the first to employ a vertically-parted automated molding line for ductile iron. It also produced the first production austempered ductile iron (ADI) part in 1972 - a crankshaft for Tecumseh Products. Jack Wagner(*) set the tone by allowing Lyle Jenkins and his staff the freedom to conduct the dynamic testing of parts vs. test bars, and Wagner has enjoyed a long history of proficiency in ductile iron cast conversions. Said Wagner: "Lyle was responsible for our original work in the production of high-production as-cast ductile iron castings and is probably a world leader in this area. He was also one of the first metallurgists to realize the importance of dynamic properties of our materials and he spent a lot of time developing techniques for measuring and understanding dynamic properties." Added Loper: "He is a tremendous thinker and innovator."

Wagner took the lead in many of the trade societies such as AFS, Metals Research & Development Foundation, ASTM, SAE and DIS. When Jenkins retired and became technical director of the DIS, P.H, Mani picked up and continued Wagner's preaching in the industry that proper testing must be conducted.

Another important ductile iron producer was Wells Manufacturing, Woodstock, Illinois. It recognized the value of the material and began offering it through continuous casting methods, making bar feed-stock available for customers who wished to make one piece or a prototype.

EDUCATORS

Educators were key players not only for taking on much of the research critical to ductile iron's understanding, but also for their roles in bringing talent to the industry. In addition, their lessons to future equipment engineers and purchasing agents on the new material no doubt helped along application development.

Howard F. Taylor(*), of Massachusetts Inst. of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, did a lot of the original work for INCO. "He and Mert Flemings excelled at educating future foundrymen," said Kotzin. Incidentally, AFS' award for the research paper showing the longest-range impact is named after Taylor. Taylor also organized the first ductile iron conference, which helped pave the way for acceptance in the early 1950s.

Richard Flinn(*) was remembered for his work at the Univ. of Michigan, which Loper recalled included studies on the solubility of Mg in ductile iron.

The Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison's Carl Loper, Jr., found his start in ductile iron in hopes of complementing colleague Richard Heine's expertise in malleable iron. Extremely active in the AFS committee structure, Loper's contributions included establishing principles for heavy section ductile iron castings. Heine, meanwhile, did a great deal of early work in geometric risering of ductile iron, as well as slag and dross formation for ductile iron.

Loper said that Jack Wallace, of Cleveland's Case Western Reserve Univ., was a major factor in ductile iron research and development. He and Loper likely have published more on ductile iron than anyone else in history.

In addition, the team of Warren Jeffery and Doc Farabee at the Univ. of Alabama played a big role in providing talent for the ductile iron shops of the South. "For 15 years or so, I'll bet they turned out more practical foundrymen down there than anywhere else," said Billy Quenelle, retired from Miller & Co. Jeffery later helped McWane launch ductile iron pipe production.

While not a traditional educator, former foundryman Bill Shaw helped Iron Casting Research Institute member foundries grow and develop in ductile iron. Said Loper of the executive director of the Columbus, Ohio, organization, "He has done a tremendous job of disseminating and managing technology to his group."

SUPPLIERS

As ductile iron began to mature the need for more R&D increased exponentially. As more ferrous foundries recognized the potential income from producing ductile iron castings, there was a louder cry for technical service and support in education and training. Several suppliers to the ferrous foundry industry answered the call. Each of the following maintained technical staffs dedicated to research, development, training and information transfer to existing and newly interested ductile iron producers. While many suppliers have played an important role in advancing ductile iron, the following are some of the early participants.

Union Carbide, Niagara Falls, New York, later to become Elkem, conducted valuable research into treatment alloys, inoculants, desulfurization methods and overall process control. Ralph Carlson, Tom McCluhan and Lorne Whitney were among the early innovators and technical support engineers that developed alloys and processes and transferred them to the foundry floor. Union Carbide was especially instrumental in developing and teaching desulfurization methods for base ductile iron. Continuous desulfurization allowed cupola melt foundries to treat ductile iron as easily as electric-melt shops.

Another raw materials supplier, Quebec Iron and Titanium (QIT), Sorel, Quebec, which is now known as Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium, staffed its regional sales and marketing offices worldwide with technical service metallurgists. These engineers added value to newly-formed, high-purity iron units that were developed as a by-product from the company's titanium dioxide smelters. Steve Karsay(*), previously a member of the INCO team, was the first hired and was then assisted by a research staff in Canada, becoming the industry's foremost gating and risering expert. His publications on ductile iron production and gating/risering principles have been translated into at least eight international languages. The worldwide staff of technical support today boasts six field engineers in addition to the research staff. Walter Gruver, former general manager of the Chicago office, committed engineers' time and financial resources to advance foundries' production as well as to disseminate properties and application information to the design community.

Chicago's Miller & Co., with full support of its president, Jack Miller, built a technical support staff to complement its principal lines of ferroalloys, carbon raisers, high purity iron units and other melt materials. Bob Doelman and Carl Joseph(*) were early technical support staff members. Art Spengler(*), previously noted for his work at International Harvester, served as the firm's technical director for many years. Spengler continually updated Miller's "Ductile Iron Compendium," which is regarded as the "bible" for ductile iron production. After his retirement, Miller brought Bill Henning into its ranks, where he serves today as vice president of technology. Henning had worked at Chevrolet's Motor Div. foundries, as well as with Union Carbide/Elkem.

As ductile iron production surpassed 1 million tons, the cry for technical support grew even louder, and no one answered the call sooner than Pickands Mather o f Cleveland. Woody Holden was responsible for bringing the in-mold and Flotret processes from Europe to the U.S. Jerry Mercer(*), technical manager, became known as one of the leading forces in ductile iron treatment processes. Along with Henning, he co-authored the AFS Ductile Iron Handbook, today regarded as the most complete guide for the production of ductile iron.

From an inoculant and treatment perspective, Foote Mineral Products, Extort, Pennsylvania, left an indelible legacy. Vern Patterson's(*) Foote Foundry Facts can be found on every ductile iron foundry's bookshelf. Joined later by Mike Lalich, Patterson never missed an opportunity to speak at an AFS chapter, regional or national event. He conducted informational and technical seminars at countless foundries across North America. He also made the iron-carbon diagram as easy to understand as a cupola constitutional or chill wedge, and also insisted that both were equally important.

While not a raw material supplier, American Colloid Co., Skokie, Illinois left a mark in history through the efforts of George Di Sylvestro. Through the support of president Clyde Sanders, Di Sylvestro worked hard at combating unique sand and core problems that arose in ductile iron. "His writings have been excellent contributions to the entire industry," said Kotzin.

* deceased

Other Contributors to Ductile Iron

Following are a few others who must not be forgotten for their contributions.

Several foundrymen were instrumental in growing specific applications. Bill Lange of Teledyne, LaPorte, Indiana, was a pioneer in large ductile iron castings for engine applications. Bert Parker of Youngstown Foundry, Youngstown, Ohio, and Bert Baptist of Beloit Iron Works Beloit, Wisconsin were both instrumental in developing steel mill applications for ductile iron - including rolls. Today, there are several ductile iron foundries doing nothing but rolls. Morris Bean, Yellow Springs, Ohio, led by the efforts of Bill Beatty, was the first to adopt ductile iron to produce precision tire permanent molds. Now with Richmond Casting, Ken Guise was a metallurgist at Kuhns Brothers, Dayton, Ohio, and did a great deal of work in valve applications and valve metallurgy and was involved in writing valve specifications. "He was a big pioneer in ductile iron valves and fittings," said Kirgin.

Several foundrymen also appeared to attain regional notoriety. Taylor & Fenn's Art Avedisian (Windsor, Connecticut) became an expert on ductile iron properties, "He worked for a small foundry but was very active in disseminating information," said Loper, "and was a very important asset at technical meetings."

The South found experts in Neil Mingledorff of Savannah Foundry & Machine Co., Savannah, Georgia (later known as DICOA - Ductile Iron Company of America), which became the first non-pipe licensee in the region.

Red Bryant of Newbury Manufacturing, Talladega, Alabama, was another major producer of ductile iron in the South, which went 100% ductile in 1953. Another player in the South was Bob Morris, who, after learning the ropes of ductile iron at Newbury, helped introduce it at Columbus Foundries and later purchased and ran Alabama Ductile, Brewton, Alabama. At Alabama Ductile, with a wide range of molding capabilities, he attempted to create a one-stop shop for all ductile iron needs. A large number of individuals he trained went on to be big-time contributors to ductile iron. "He was a strong contributor in the business sense," said Loper. "He pushed ductile iron in every potential job."

The Southwest saw Lufkin Industries, Lufkin, Texas, and Robert Lange, chief metallurgist, was a pioneer in developing large gear applications for the oil field market. Trailblazers on the West Coast included Lane Currie(*) of Berkeley, California-based Macauley Foundry and John Schuyten of Vulcan Foundry, Oakland. Vulcan was the first Meehanite foundry to become licensed with ductile iron. Both foundries, said Kirgin, were instrumental in spreading the ductile iron gospel on the West Coast - away from much of the active development of the East and Midwest.

Like GM and Alabama Ductile, American Brake Shoe, led by Jack South, also served as a springboard for talent in the ductile iron business. At one time, American Broke Shoe had about 10 ductile iron foundries.

The talent of Hamilton Foundry & Machine, Hamilton, Ohio, included both Jim Voss(*) and Charlie Mooney. Voss, said Kirgin, was instrumental in writing material specifications, and Loper added he was a successful "salesman" when it came to conversions. Mooney later went on to Buck Foundry, a malleable iron shop in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, that he turned on to ductile iron. "Hamilton Foundry is an example of a plant that had excellent quality far before the ISO procedures of today," said Kotzin.

Also, foundry entrepreneur Ray Witt of CMI International, Southfield, Michigan, provided much support of early research activities and later established his own technical center to study the properties and performance of its own materials. "He was very active in the commercial development of ductile iron as a major company that produced the metal from the beginning," said Kirgin.

In addition to his spot in history as the first president of the DIS, Bob Thompson, HP Deuscher Co., Hamilton, Ohio, was one of the original licensees. Kotzin recalled: "That the firm was another good foundry producing ductile iron in the early days."