“We are always innovating to find better solutions.”
Municipal Innovation A round cast iron disk and a frame
to go around it sounds simple. But it must withstand the fluctuating condi- tions of the surrounding pavement due to the expansion and contraction of ground water. Tis fluctuation eventu- ally will cause cracks in the pavement. Once too many cracks appear, the manhole needs to be replaced and repairs must be made to the road. With the autostable, less cracking means fewer repairs. “We’ve introduced new castings
and different ways of designing the manholes and their installation,” said Mathieu Frechette, plant manager, Fonderie Laperle. “We make castings that float with the asphalt.” Fonderie Laperle’s floating man- hole (also called autostable) was the result of many discussions with munic- ipalities. It’s a thicker, deeper frame that withstands asphalt chipping away around the manhole without it moving too much and cracking. “If you install a standard manhole
frame and cover, after a year, you’ll see a crack,” Leonard said. “With
According to Fonderie Laperle, with the autostable manhole installation (left), the frame responds to the changes in level caused by traffic and frost action. Traffic weight is distributed horizontally at the road surface and not transferred directly to the structure beneath, as is the case with conventional installation (right).
autostable, a year later, you won’t see a single crack. It costs 60-70% more, but you don’t have to replace it.” Fonderie Laperle also works with
municipalities to customize the instal- lations to accommodate the water levels at specific locations. “We perform testing for how much
water will enter the storm grate and then customize the pattern with the best fit for that water flow,” Frechette said. Further innovations include
bicycle-safe storm drains and grates, heavy duty castings for concrete high-
ways and airports, and new designs for water captation to bring more water down a storm drain during a heavy downpour. “Fonderie Laperle is here because of
our quality and traceability,” Leonard said. “Any municipality can come in here.
Flexibility in the Melt Department
Fonderie Laperle began in the late 1800s and changed ownership a few times over the years. More recently, in 1987 it was sold to Bibby Ste-Croix. When Bibby was later acquired by McWane, Fonderie Laperle was part of the deal. As a McWane company, the
Saint-Ours metalcasting facility is outside the standard water and sewer pipe product line of its parent, but McWane has shown willingness to invest long term in its Canadian and Quebec plants. And if Fonderie Laperle, which was melting iron with a coal-fueled cupola furnace, wanted a long-term future it needed to become more energy efficient, both from a cost and emissions standpoint. “We started playing with the num- bers of our melting costs (at Fonderie Laperle). We were buying coke from the U.S. and operating on one shift,”
An automated transfer car carries a recently filled crucible from the furnace to the molding line for pouring.
MEDIA RESOURCE For a video of the new melting area at Fonderie Laperle, go to
www.metalcastingtv.com.
March 2017 MODERN CASTING | 31
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