Effect of processing routes in a multi-pass continuous hybrid process on mechanical properties, microstructure, and texture evolutions of low-carbon steel wires

Abstract

In this work, a multi-pass continuous hybrid (CH) process was experimentally applied with up to five passes with three processing routes, A, B-c, and C, to check the practicality of the processing routes and investigate their effect on the mechanical properties, microstructure, and texture evolutions of low-carbon steel wires. According to the present investigation, the wires processed by the 5(th) pass CH process with route A showed the highest ultimate tensile strength value (762 MPa) compared to those for routes B-c (718 MPa) and C (720 MPa), respectively. Based on the compression test results, the CH processed wire showed good workability when the aspect ratio was smaller than 2.4 for all the processing routes. According to the microstructure and texture evolutions, the grain sizes of the 5(th) pass CH processed wires decreased for all the processing routes than that of the initial specimen, and the wires showed mixed texture distribution of shear and drawing texture components. From the present investigation, it was concluded that the processing routes of the CH process could strongly affect the microstructure and texture evolutions, resulting in changes of the mechanical properties and workability of the low-carbon steel wires.