Properties and Performance of Ductile Iron Poles

While the Iron Age spanned between 1200 and 600 B.C., significant advances have been made in iron manufacturing over the last 60 years, allowing for new applications which capitalize on its performance properties. One of these applications includes ductile iron poles. Consisting of an older, proven metal, ductile iron has been transformed into a relatively new pole product through the application of state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and an engineered product design. While ductile iron has seen widespread use in various applications since the 1940s, its application as a pole material has only been experienced in the past dozen years, making it a relative newcomer to the utility industry. Ductile iron is like A588 steel, with just a few percent differences in iron content. But that is where the similarity ends. There are distinct structural performance differences between steel and ductile iron that need to be understood if one is to utilize ductile iron poles as a structural support. This paper provides a basic study of the properties and performance of ductile iron as a pole material technology, with comparisons to other materials, and is intended to provide engineers and designers with a basic understanding of the pole technology when considering their use and application for everyday or new design challenges.