Steel Casting Opportunities David Poweleit Steel Founders’ Society of America 780 McArdle Drive Unit G Crystal Lake, IL 60014 815-455-8240 poweleit@aticorp.org www.sfsa.org

Logical Opportunity for Steel Foundries Steel Construction Use steel already Weight not a concern Need cost-effective connectors Weldability, strength, flexible geometry Architectural “look” important Steel Castings Safety critical applications Demanding environments Significant loading requirements Welded into fabricated structure Economical and reliable Connectors for structural elements

Castings Are Tough Steel Castings in Red

Construction Problems Tolerances Erection costs/welding Aesthetic flexibility Minimize footprint Crane time Design freedom

Existing Applications Crystal Cathedral ATLSS connector Shelf brackets Ornamental components

Bridge Applications Cable clamps Sockets Splices Equalizer beams Links Rockers Bearings Drains Will be used on new Bay Bridge and new Tacoma Narrows Bridge

German Applications Munich Olympic Arena Highway Bridge Stuttgart Airport

The Challenge Why haven’t castings been used Paradigm shift in design Castings offer flexible geometry Must fully utilize geometry to obtain cost savings Must analysis cost savings beyond cost of part Concerns with cast material How to specify How to ensure quality/performance Need to build mutual understanding for casting and construction requirements Develop sample parts Compile casting design guide

SF/SC Project Joint project between SFSA, AISC, and Robert Fleischman at the University of Arizona Objective is to identify and design cast parts for building construction to dramatically reduce cost or provide a new capability NSF funded GOALI project to provide $347,000 over three years for casting applications in building construction R&D

Steel Casting Construction Consortium (SC3) Members Sivyer Atchison Harrison North Star Soutwest Varicast Atlas Pacific A.G. Anderson Huron ACIPCO Fimex