DEVELOPMENT of cast camshafts at the Campbell, Wyant & Cannon Foundry Co., starting in 1924, proceeded slowly until a material was developed that met all requirements from metallurgical, engineering, and manufacturing standpoints.
“Proferall,” the name given this material, means processed-ferrous-alloyed iron made by the duplexed-electric-furnace process. Camshafts of this material have a Brinell hardness of 262-293, as cast.
A series of tests, equivalent to runs of 46,560 miles, showed that both chemical analysis and hardness affect camshaft-gear wear. Comparative wear tests on bearings showed more than three times as much wear on steel camshafts as cast ones. Other tests showed the cast shafts expanded less than those of steel.
After describing foundry processes the paper concludes by summing up the advantages of cast camshafts, such as the smaller cost of patterns as compared with forging dies and the elimination of heat-treating, copper plating, carburizing, and hardening.