The need for a superior steel product became apparent back in the early 1950's when Founder, Harry Dickinson was working as a Mining Superintendent. He became aware of the many problems and great cost to production he suffered because of the downtime and wear of equipment composed of normal grades of steel. After countless discussions with steel producers, it became apparent they could not deliver a product that could deal with the heavy abrasion and impact to which the mining equipment was subjected.
It was at this point that Harry Dickinson began studying metallurgy at night. This endeavor evolved into the obsession to develop a steel that would harden without losing its toughness characteristics. After joining an alloy steel firm, Harry Dickinson soon realized that the firm had no interest in the development of steels stronger than A.I.S.I. 4340 and abrasion resistant steels outside the regular quenched and tempered family of A.R. steels.
Harry Dickinson resigned from the steel company and turned his dining room into a complete steel library and started graphing the effects of one alloying constituent when mixed with two or more of the others. This work led to a formulation of steel that retained high toughness at a high hardness level in resisting wear.
This formulation came about after many trials and failures, many sample heats, and a staggering personal expense. The heat samples were submitted to The Southern Research institute in Birmingham, Alabama and their ensuing study provided the data that a new unique steel was born. This new unique steel was named Astralloy-V; and because of its difference and excellence from all known steels, it was granted a patent by the United States Patent Office for formulation and physical properties on April 23, 1968.
Harry Dickinson, through great effort and personal sacrifice, solved the problems that he was plagued by as a Mining Maintenance Superintendent, at the same time, created a major contribution to the world of steels.
Soon after the patent was granted, Harry Dickinson formed Vulcan Steel Corporation to distribute his new steel product, Astralloy-V. With the help of local metallurgist Sidney G. Holder, engineer in metallurgy for Rust Engineering Company in Birmingham, Alabama, Astralloy-V was launched to the industrial world. Holder devoted much of his attention to promoting Astralloy-V as a superior selection to do the complete job of wear resistance and shock absorption necessary in the wood yards of pulp and paper mills.
In 1972, Vulcan Steel Corp. changed its name to Astralloy-Vulcan Corporation. This name change became the focal point of an aggressive identity and product promotion program and Astralloy began marketing it's products to heavy industrial applications in North America. During the late seventies, Astralloy realized that one product could not meet the needs for all abrasion and impact applications and began adding several new products to it product line, including EB-450 and Linebacker. In 1977, Astralloy also recognized the need to move it’s products and services closer to the marketplace and opened a warehousing and fabrication facility in Salt Lake City, UT. to serve it’s customers in the west.
In 1982, Astralloy-Vulcan Corp. was acquired by Harsco Corp., a fortune 300 company of diversified products and services. Soon after, Astralloy-Vulcan became known as Astralloy Wear Technology. In 1984, Harsco acquired Manganese Steel Forge and merged this operation into Astralloy’s business to compliment and continue expanding it’s product line by adding Rol-Man manganese products. These products are marketed to the railroad industry and to the core industries, which Astralloy already serves in Mining, Steel Production and Pulp and Paper.
The nineties have been focused on strengthening Astralloy’s position in the marketplace with major investments in the areas of personnel, equipment, warehousing facilities and state of the art business systems. Astralloy has concentrated on restructuring the business internally and externally to handle the growth that this company has the potential to realize.
In 1999, International Metal Service (IMS), a leading European metals distribution company headquartered in Paris, France, acquired Astralloy Wear Technology. With this acquisition have come many operational enhancements including major investments in the areas of personnel, equipment, warehousing facilities and state of the art computing systems. Astralloy has concentrated on restructuring the business internally and externally to handle the growth, which this company has the potential to realize.
Astralloy continues adding new products, which now offers the broadest product line to handle the most critical applications in heavy industry. Astralloy provides its customers with nearly four decades of applications experience, working with literally thousands of successful applications in the field. Astralloy started the business of finding solutions to its customer's abrasion and impact problems and is committed to providing the best quality products and services available anywhere in the industry.
