26 modern casting / March 1995

Converting Steel Weldments

to Ductile Iron Castings
Working closely with its foundry, this OEM found cost savings by
changing several products to ductile iron cast components.
ue to the com petitive na-
ture of the truck m anufac-
turing industry, cost reduc-
tionw ithout sacrificing qualityis a
continuous challenge, and one of pri-
m ary im portance.
O ne of the m ost effective w ays to re-
duce cost w ith O shkosh Truck Corp.s
(O TC) current designs is to convert steel
w eldm ents into ductile iron castings. W ith
this in m ind, O TC is exam ining its ve-
hicles to determ ine potential areas for
cost reduction through conversion.
Founded in 1917, O TC is a Fortune
500 com pany that m anufactures a w ide
variety of specialized trucks and trans-
port equipm ent. Products are engi-
neered for specific m arket niches w here
a unique, innovative design w ill outper-
form general purpose equipm ent.
The com panys m ajor product cat-
egories include heavy-duty com m ercial
and m ilitary trucks, trailers, proprietary
drive com ponents, service parts, and
m otorized chassis for the m otor hom e,
bus and w alk-in delivery van m arkets.
O TC fills a unique role in the transporta-
tion industry as the w orlds m ajor m anu-
facturer of specialized
heavy-duty trucks.
A m ong the firm s dif-
ferent product lines are
snow rem oval, construc-
tion, airport rescue and
firefighting, refuse collec-
tion, chassis and D epart-
m ent of D efense (D oD )
products. The drive line
com ponents include en-
gineering advances in in-
dependent suspension,
all w heel steer and cen-
tral tire inflation system s.
O TC doesnt operate a
cast iron foundry. Rather,
it relies on the expertise
of its cast iron suppliers
in providing quality cast-
ings that m eet its engi-
neering requirem ents.
Consequently, the con-
version of steel w eldm ents to ductile
iron castings is a team effort am ong
O TCs engineering and purchasing de-
partm ents, and the foundry that pro-
duces the casting.
The m ethodology that goes into a
w eldm ent conversion is com posed of
three prim ary areas, respectively:
engineering design and m aterial prop-
erty requirem ents;
financial justification in converting
the w eldm ent to a casting;
the castability of the geom etry from
the foundrys perspective.
Since each area plays an essential
part in the process, the ability of these
disciplines to w ork as a team deter-
m ines the success or failure of a
w eldm ent conversion.
Design Methodology
In com ponent design, the prototype
is usually produced from a w eldm ent.
W eldm ents generally m ake good proto-
types because of short lead tim es, ease
of im plem enting changes and avoid-
ance of pattern m anufacturing costs.
A fter it is produced, the prototype is
tested on a test stand or on the actual
vehicle at a test course. Test courses
provide accelerated durability inform a-
tion on the vehicle. A 2500-m ile test
course can be designed to represent
100,000 m iles of actual service. A s a
result, the durability of a design for its
projected life can be estim ated on a test
course.
U pon successful com pletion of the
test, the w eldm ent is taken into produc-
tion, w here it rem ains unchanged from
its test configuration. W hile it m ay have
been originally used based on its attrac-
tiveness as a prototype, it continues into
production.
In addition, costs associated w ith the
w eldm ent are carried through each tim e
the com ponent is w elded and absorbed
into the overall vehicle cost. Fabrica-
tion costs (the num ber of different part
num bers that m ake up the w eldm ent)
and the labor hours associated w ith the
w eldm ent increase the com ponents
cost.
A s an exam ple, Fig. 1 show s a steer-
ing gear bracket w eldm ent that consists
of eight separate pieces that m ust be
cut, fabricated and
w elded to produce the
bracket. G enerally, the
costsincluding labor
associated w ith produc-
ing a w eldm ent are 10
20 tim es m ore than the
parent m aterial used to
m ake it. This assum ption
appears reasonable in
light of this exam ple. The
part num ber m ainte-
nance of this w eldm ent
itself can be very costly
com pared to the one part
num ber of a cast bracket.
This exam ple is repre-
sentative of w eldm ents
that m ake good conver-
sion candidates. These
w eldm ents are predom i-
nant in suspension appli-
cations such as beam
Fig. 1. This engineering drawing shows a steering gear bracket consisting of
eight pieces. This component was successfully converted to a one-piece
ductile iron casting.
Robert M. Hathaway
Oshkosh Truck Corp., Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Converting Steel Weldments
to Ductile Iron Castings
modern casting / March 1995 27
hanger brackets, shock
brackets and steering
gear brackets.
They are good candi-
dates not only because
of the extent of w elding
or the num ber of differ-
ent parts, but because
there are usually at least
tw o of these products on
each vehicle. H ence, in-
stead of converting one
w eldm ent per truck, tw o
are changed and pattern
costs can be recouped in
half the tim e. These ap-
plications becom e ideal
candidates for conver-
sion into ductile iron cast-
ings based on piece-part
cost savings and use.
The best opportunity
for converting w eldm ents
to castings is at the begin-
ning of a new vehicles
developm ent. Ideally, the
casting is produced dur-
ing the prototype stage.
This w ould enable it to be tested for
durability and elim inates the conver-
sion step. This is especially im portant
w ith D oD contracts.
W hen a com ponent fails during a du-
rability test, a design change m ay be
initiated to prevent future failures. The
production vehicles m ust reflect the con-
figuration after these changes have been
m ade. Because all vehicles in the fleet
m ust have a sim ilar configuration, if a
w eldm ent is converted to a casting m id-
w ay through production, any vehicles
produced before that conversion m ust
be retrofitted to m aintain consistency.
The other problem arises in having
to test the conversion to show that the
conversion m eets the form , fit and func-
tion requirem ents of the w eldm ent. Both
of these endeavors are costly and re-
flect the im portance of producing a cast-
ing at the beginning of the initial devel-
opm ent phase. O therw ise, the w eldm ent
w ill rem ain throughout the life of the
contract.
Fortunately, technologies such as
stereolithography, lam inated object
m anufacturing (LO M ) and others en-
able the prototyping of castings. These
m odeling techniques can produce m od-
els directly from com puter-aided de-
sign (CAD ) system s that can be used as
patterns for the casting. H ence, rapid
prototyping gives all the benefits of a
prototype w eldm ent w hile also allow -
ing the casting design to be tested dur-
ing developm ent and used in produc-
tion w ithout a conversion step.
Although stereolithography and LO M
techniques are becom ing m ore com -
m on in the developm ent stage, w eld-
m ents exist and continue to be used in
new vehicle designs that could be con-
verted into ductile iron castings.
Conversion
The conversion process begins by
identifying candidate w eldm ents. A
w alk aroundis perform ed on a ve-
hicle w ith representatives from :
Engineeringthose w ho understand
the form , fit and function of the
w eldm ent;
Purchasingsom eone
w ho has know ledge of
the w eldm ents quan-
tities and cost;
Foundry Officialw ho
can identify the cast-
ability of the w eldm ent
and w hat (if any) geo-
m etric changes m ust be
perform ed to enable cast-
ing of the parts geom etri-
c envelope.
Form ing a team , these
individuals w ork to-
gether to understand
com ponents that are can-
didates for conversion.
N ot all w eldm ents are
good conversion candi-
dates. Poor candidates
are w eldm ents that have
a low annual use (unable
to accom m odate the pat-
tern costs), rely on spe-
cific m aterials character-
istics that are unavailable
w ith ductile iron and
w hose geom etries arent
readily castable.
Therefore, the team m ust w ork to-
gether and look at all aspects of the part
to determ ine if the w eldm ent is an ap-
propriate conversion candidate. The
team w alks around the vehicle and iden-
tifies candidate parts for castings. These
candidates are typically com plex
w eldm ents that consist of several pieces,
have a castable geom etry, and are
w elded from a m aterial w hose engi-
neering m aterial properties can be ap-
proxim ated by the foundry.
The tensile properties of the w eld-
m ent are only a fraction of the possible
m aterial characteristics that m ust be
Fig. 2. Fastened to the frame rail of the chassis on OTCs S-Series front
discharge cement mixer trucks, this successfully converted cast axle stop
bracket (r) costs 33% less than the traditional weldment.
Table 1. Rolled Steel vs. Ductile Iron Material Comparisons
Properties Hot Rolled Ductile Iron Ductile Iron
AISI 1020 Grade 65-45-12 Grade 60-40-18
ASTM A830 ASTM A536 ASTM A536
Tensile Strength (KSI) 48 min. 65 min. 60 min.
Yield Strength (KSI) 27 min. 45 min. 40 min.
% Elongation in 2" 36 12 min. 18 min.
Hardness (Bhn) 96140 156217 143187
Modulus of Elasticity x 10
6
psi 29.5 24.4 24.5
Poissons Ratio 0.33 0.29 0.29
Specific Damping Capacity, % 1.5 9.9 9.9
Density, lb/in.
3
0.2839 .2565 .2565
Machinability Rating, % of 78 @ feed 4283 @ feeds 67108 @ feeds
Cutting Speed for B112/1212 of 0.17 of 0.25-0.50 of 0.25-0.50
mm/rev. mm/rev. mm/rev.
Charpy V-Notch Impact 140 and 30 17 and 2 20 and 4
Energy at R.T. and -40
o
F, J
Unnotched Endurance ASTM A36, E60S-3 30.5 30
Limit, KSI Double -V
Butt Weld 20
28 modern casting / March 1995
considered w hen evaluating conversion
candidates. Table 1 show s a com pari-
son of m aterial characteristics that m ay
need to be considered for any applica-
tion. For a typical 1020 steel w eldm ent
w ith a m inim um tensile strength of 48
ksi, 27 ksi yield strength, and hardness
ranging betw een 96-140 Bhn, the con-
version to a 65-45-12 or 60-40-18 grade of
ductile iron increases tensile strength
properties.
N orm ally, com ponents are designed
to yield strength characteristics w ith an
added safety factor. But because m ost
failures occur from repeated applica-
tion of loads (fatigue) that generate
stresses below the m aterials yield
strength, notch geom etries and m icro-
structural transitions inherently present
in the w eldm ent becom e the critical
factor in the survivability of the com -
ponent. In m ost cases, the casting
offers increased durability and resis-
tance to fatigue failure by reducing
or elim inating these discontinuities.
A lthough low er in ductility and
toughness than steel, ductile iron of-
fers reduced density and increased
dam ping characteristics. In addition,
the elim ination of w eldm ents pro-
vides the com ponent w ith im proved
function through m ore uniform load-
ing in the casting cross section.
Optimizing Design
Exam ination of a w eldm ent for po-
tential casting conversion also provides
an opportunity to optim ize the
com ponents design. As part of the cast-
ing conversion process, a finite elem ent
analysis should be perform ed and con-
firm ed w ith actual testing. D uring this
activity, the design can be optim ized for
a particular application and load case.
Tim e m ay not have been available
during the prototype stage to perform
this type of in-depth analysis. Instead,
reliance w as placed on experience and
a liberal safety factor. H ence, exam in-
ing it for a casting conversion provides
a unique opportunity to reinvestigate
the part. A redesign m ay im prove its
function or m erely im prove its cosm etic
appearance.
Casting the w eldm ent w ill also result
in few er internal stresses, depending on
how it is cooled, w hich results in less
distortion during subsequent m achin-
ing operations. This w ill aid in m ore
accurate dim ensional conform ance.
W eldm ents inherently contain re-
sidual tensile stresses that can ap-
proach the m aterials yield strength.
Rem oving m aterial during m achining
operations has a tendency to relieve
these residual stresses and generate
distortion. O nly if the w eldm ent is
stress-relieved before m achining can
the distortions be elim inated. These
benefits lend justification to convert-
ing the w eldm ent into a casting.
Austempered Duc tile
Iron
In addition to the 65-45-12 and
60-40-18 ductile iron grades avail-
able, the onset of austem pered
ductile iron (AD I) provides a con-
version m aterial that can accom -
m odate w eldm ents produced
from high-strength, low -alloy,
quench and tem pered steel plate,
such as those grades referenced
in A STM A 514.
Table 2 provides a sum m ary
Fig. 3. This impeller housing hub (l) and impeller shaft support used on OTCs HB-Series
snow blower are examples of former weldment components that are now more cost-
effectively produced via casting.
Table 2. Steel Plate vs. Austempered Ductile Iron Material Comparisons
Properties ASTM A514, Grade B, Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)
Quench and Per ASTM A897,
Tempered HSLA Grade 150-100-07
Ultimate Tensile Strength (KSI) 110130 150 min.
Yield Strength (KSI) 100 min. 100 min.
% Elongation in 2" 18 min. 7 min.
Hardness (Bhn) 235293 302363
Elastic Modulus x 106 29.5 25.7
Density lb/in
3
.2839 .2620
Unnotched Fatigue Strength (KSI) 55 66; 100 w/ fillet
rolling or shot peening
Impact Energy, Ft/lb @ 72
o
F Notched 20 long., Unnotched: 80
15 tran. Notched: 8.59.0
Notched Impact Energy, Ft/lb @ -50
o
F 15 long. N/A tran. 6
Plane-Strain Fracture Toughness Klc 150177 for similar 73.4
(KSIin.1/2) at R.T. ASTM A517 Grd. F
4
Critical Crack Size 1.51.8" for similar 0.4"
(Klc/Y.S.)2 (ac) ASTM A517 Grd. F
Cost per lb. $0.41 $1.10
Specific Stiffness (*106 in.) 104 98
Modulus/Density
Table 3. Generic Candidates for Ductie Iron Conversions
A B C D E F
Current Weldment Cost $150.00 $135.00 $47.00 $79.00 $147.64 $123.45
Casting Cost $39.47 $46.84 $30.24 $26.67 $76.77 $123.45
Piece Part Savings $110.53 $98.16 $16.76 $52.33 $70.87 $195.01
Number Per Truck 2 2 2 2 2 2
Total Savings Per Truck $221.06 $196.32 $33.52 $104.66 $141.74 $390.02
Usage Per Year 89 89 89 89 89 89
Savings Per Year $19,674.34 $17,472.48 $2983.28 $9314.74 $12,614.86 $34,711.78
Tooling Cost $6557.00 $6365.00 $4425.00 $4900.00 $4950.00 $4770.00
Total First Year Savings $13,117.34 $11,107.48 $1441.72 $4414.74 $7664.86 $29,941.78
modern casting / March 1995 29
These are examples of successful casting conversions and the respective benefits and savings that are available.

Courtesy of Ductile
Iron Group, Cost Savings Ideas, Designs in Ductile Iron.
of m aterial characteristics available.
Keep in m ind that the base m etals
strength has little effect on the as-w elded
fatigue strength. Although A D I is low er
in ductility and toughness, the tensile
properties of a 150-100-07 grade are com -
parable to the ASTM A514 m aterial. The
low er hardness A D I grades are com -
m only used in structural applications,
w hile the higher hardness A D Is are ex-
cellent for w ear applications.
It is essential to thoroughly under-
stand the w eldm ents specific applica-
tion, and the critical m aterial properties
prior to converting it to a casting. Each
team m em ber m ust be involved in the
decision process. Som e w eldm ents m ay
be ideally suited for conversion to AD I,
such as those designed specifically to
yield strength characteristics; w hile oth-
erssuch as those designed specifically
to accom m odate shock loading at low
tem peraturesm ay not.
Cost J ustific ation
W hile there are m any benefits and
options to consider before a conversion
can be m ade, the bottom line is cost
justification. Q uestions such as H ow
m uch w ill the casting tooling cost?and
H ow m uch w ill be saved on the piece
parts per annum ?are the team s prim ary
concerns.
A fter candidate w eldm ents are se-
lected during the w alk around,a for-
m al cost study is done to assure that the
casting offers an annual savings in com -
parison w ith the w eldm ents cost.
Table 3 contains six generic w eld-
m ents that O TC determ ined to be good
candidates for conversion. The w eld-
m ents consist of various steering gear
and beam hanger brackets.
G ood conversion candidates need
enough use in production to accom -
m odate the tooling cost associated w ith
the casting pattern. A m ortizing the pat-
tern cost into the casting cost produces
a paperw ork nightm are for both the
foundry and the original equipm ent
m anufacturer (O EM ). A m uch sim pler,
m ore cost-effective approach is to m ain-
tain a tooling budget to purchase the
patterns up-front.
After evaluation, the six parts in Table
3 result in a potential first year savings of
about $66,246after the cost of the pat-
terns are subtracted. H ence, a financial
justification exists in all cases to convert
the candidate w eldm ents to castings.
Figures 23 show additional con-
versions to w eldm ents on O TCs prod-
uct line. (See sidebar below for m ore
com plex exam ples of successful cast-
ing conversions.)
OEMFoundry Partnership
It is essential that the foundry be in-
volved during the early stages of the
conversion process and participate in
the w alk around.The foundry under-
stands its ow n capabilities and can of-
fer valuable insight w hen choosing con-
version candidates.
Poor Candidates for
Casting Conversion
parts w ith low annual use (unable
to accom m odate the pattern
costs);
parts that rely on specific m ateri-
als characteristics unavailable
w ith ductile iron;
parts w hose geom etries arent
readily castable.
30 modern casting / March 1995
As a m em ber of the conversion team ,
it is im portant that the O EM w orks w ith
its foundry on the project. The foundry
understands its casting processes and
the m ethods and geom etries that w ork
best in its facility, and can provide in-
sight into any changes that can be m ade
to increase the parts castability.
The foundry can predict how m uch
shrinkage can be expected, the toler-
ances available, the m inim um section
thickness that can be poured, how m uch
m achine stock should be left, the draft
angles, and how to orientate the pattern
so the parting line doesnt reside in a
high-stress area. Prediction of these vari-
ables is critical to the w eldm ent
conversions success.
Casting the com ponent also offers
the ability of casting in logos and prod-
uct num bers that arent available w ith
w eldm ents.
H ow ever, because m ost standard
steels provide better w eldability w hen
com pared w ith ductile iron, w hen the
conversion candidate is subsequently
w elded onto another structure, retaining
the w eldm ent m ay be m ore desirable.
Com m unication betw een the foundry
and O EM should be open and honest to
optim ize the benefits and recognize the
draw backs. Since all foundries vary, w hat
w orks w ell for one m ay not for another.
The process of converting w eldm ents
into castings is a partnership effort be-
tw een the custom er and the foundry.
Design, Manufac turing & Cost
Conversions are advantageous to the
product engineer and the m anufactur-
ing plant. Conversion candidates m ust
offer im proved value, low er piece price
or im proved installed cost by solving
other m anufacturing problem s.
Converting w eldm ents to ductile iron
castings:
elim inates w eld zone defects;
provides m ore uniform loading
throughout the part;
im proves strength to w eight ratio (es-
pecially w ith A D I);
reduces internal residual stresses;
im proves m achinability, dam ping
characteristics and appearance
through redesign;
provides parts consolidation.
W elded brackets are costly in both
the num ber of pieces required to m ake
the w eldm ent and the labor hours asso-
ciated w ith the joining process. M
This article was written following a presenta-
tion given by Robert Hathaway and Tim
Fleming, Oshkosh Truck Corp., and John
Young, Ohio Cast Products, Canton, Ohio, at
ASM/ TMS 1994 Materials Week.
For a free copy of this article circle No. 344 on the
Reader Action Card.
Referenc es
J. D oering and R. W ilson, N odular Iron Conver-
sions at John D eere,Metal Progress, (July
1974), pp 83-86.
J.R. Laub, Austem pered D uctile Iron Com es of
Age,Metalworking News, April 23, 1990, p 21.
Cost Saving D esign Ideas,Designs in Ductile
Iron, The D uctile Iron G roup.
J.M . Barsom , S.T. Rolfe, Fracture and Fatigue Con-
trol in Structures,Applications of Fracture Me-
chanics, Second Edition, (1987), pp. 93.
Good Candidates for
Casting Conversion
com plex w eldm ents that consist
of several individual pieces;
parts that have a castable geom etry;
parts w elded from a m aterial
w hose engineering m aterial prop-
erties can be approxim ated by the
foundry.