Abstract
Hypoeutectoid cold drawn wires are not suitable for cold forming because of their duplex ferrite and pearlite structure and high tensile strength, therefore the wires are spheroidise annealed with a prolonged heat treatment cycle to produce a spheroidised structure which is relatively soft and ductile. However, the complete spheroidisation process and elimination of lamellar carbides could not be achieved in the cycle. In the present study, a fuel efficient spheroidise annealing cycle was adopted based on a combination of heating rate and soaking time to obtain a microstructure comprising finely divided well dispersed spheroidal carbides in a fine grain ferritic matrix desirable for cold forming. The new SA cycle has been implemented in the plant and the wire from this reduced annealing cycle has become a regular supply to textile industries.
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