The effect of a non-circular drawing sequence on delamination characteristics of pearlitic steel wire

In this study, a non-circular drawing (NCD) sequence was applied to investigate the effect of deformation behavior, microstructure and texture evolution on delamination characteristics of pearlitic steel wire under torsional deformation mode. The multi-pass NCD sequence was numerically and experimentally applied up to the 12th pass in comparison with conventional wire drawing (WD). For investigation of the deformation characteristics of the drawn wires, three-dimensional finite element and flownet analyses were carried out. These simulation results indicated that the NCD could impose relatively homogeneous plastic deformation on the wire compared to the WD. From the scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction results, globular cementite and cylindrical texture component, which might increase likeliness of delamination fracture, were rarely observed in the NCD drawn wire. In the torsion test, the delamination fracture was observed in the WD drawn wire for the 10th pass while it did not occur for the 12th pass NCD. In addition, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 2300 MPa grade wire was manufactured by the NCD and the UTS value was 257 MPa higher than the one of the WD. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the multi-pass NCD could impose relatively homogeneous plastic deformation on the wire, resulting in high-torsional ductility with better strength compared to the WD.     

Structure deformation and failure of sintered steel wire mesh under torsion loading

Sintered steel wire mesh materials with total porosities of 36.3–61.8%, which are subjected to torsion loading, have been investigated in terms of deformation mode and failure mechanism. The experiments reveal that the twisted wire’s stretching, moving and rotating are main deformation mode, which leads to most of wires orientating towards the torsion direction. The failure occurs when the oriented wires fracture continuously, and leave behind a 45° fracture surface. The shear strength and shear modulus of the tested wire mesh samples are evaluated in the range of 44–103 MPa and 47–718 MPa, respectively. With an increase in porosity both the shear strength and the shear modulus decrease.     

Overview of the recent performance of DI-BSCCO wire

Sumitomo Electric has been developing the silver-sheathed Bi2223 multi-filamentary wires since the discovery of Bi-based superconductors. DI-BSCCO (Dynamically-Innovative BSCCO) is the high performance wires produced with the controlled-overpressure (CT-OP) sintering technique. The recent R&D activities have enabled to produce the 1000 m-long wires with I_c of 200 A and the maximum I_c reached 250 A at 77 K by short sample. Besides, the fine control of the carrier density with the non-stoichiometric oxygen enhanced the in-field I_c performances at lower temperature. At a magnetic field of 3 T applied normal to wire surface, the I_c of 280 A at 30 K, and 420 A at 20 K were successfully achieved. To meet the growing needs for various high temperature superconducting applications, Type HT wire with high mechanical strength and Type G wire with low thermal conductivity have been developed.     

Evolution of cementite morphology in pearlitic steel wire during wet wire drawing

The evolution of the cementite phase during wet wire drawing of a pearlitic steel wire has been followed as a function of strain. Particular attention has been given to a quantitative characterization of changes in the alignment and in the dimensions of the cementite phase. Scanning electron microscope observations show that cementite plates become increasingly aligned with the wire axis as the drawing strain is increased. Measurements in the transmission electron microscope show that the cementite deforms plastically during wire drawing , with the average thickness of the cementite plates decreasing from 19 nm (ε = 0) to 2 nm (ε = 3.7) in correspondence with the reduction in wire diameter. The deformation of the cementite is strongly related to plastic deformation in the ferrite, with coarse slip steps, shear bands and cracks in the cementite plates/particles observed parallel to either {110}_α or {112}_α slip plane traces in the ferrite.     

Influence of torsion deformation on microstructure of cold-drawn pearlitic steel wire

A comparative microstructural analyse of cold-drawn pearlitic steel wires in as-drawn and after an additional torsion deformation states is presented in this paper. During torsion the temperature of the wire increases to attain 90 °C. Then the microstructure of wires is the result of different events effects, as initial drawing, temperature increase and torsion deformation. Individually or in association, both events influence the stress level and nature in ferrite and cementite lamellae, modify the kinetic of cementite decomposition and change the dislocation mobility in cementite and ferrite. Carbon atoms migration from cementite to ferrite is affected by these thermomechanical treatments inducing a modification of dislocation pinning by carbon atoms and lamellae interfaces. The phases’ determination and quantification, associated with the carbon content variation in each phase was investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy. The evolution of the pearlitic steel wires microstructure will be discussed point-by-point, as a function of applied deformation nature.     

Medium carbon fully pearlitic steel: microstructures and properties after wire drawing

In the current work, fully pearlitic microstructure was initially developed in a medium carbon steel by isothermal holding at different temperatures. Subsequently, these samples were drawn in laboratory scale wire-drawing machine without any intermediate heat treatment. Microstructures and mechanical properties of as-heat-treated and heat-treated plus drawn samples were characterised. The results were also compared with some commercially produced steel. It was found that the new steel can offer a very good wire drawing behaviour. The steel possesses a good combination of strength and ductility along with a high-value torsion, bending and reverse bending properties after drawn condition as well.     

Improved shape memory composites combined with TiNi wire and shape memory epoxy

In order to develop high functionality of shape memory materials, the shape memory composites combined with TiNi wire and shape memory epoxy were fabricated, and the mechanical and thermomechanical properties were studied. The results showed that TiNi wire can compensate for the stiffness decrease of SMPs at elevated temperature, and the strength of interface and strength of interface matrix were important to further increase elevated temperature mechanical properties. The recovery stress of composites could be adjusted by changing the pre-strain, and the maximum recovery stress was obtained at 8% which was TiNi wire maximum recoverable strain. The addition of 1 vol% TiNi wire could increase the maximum recovery stress from 1.36 MPa to 4.04 MPa, which was almost 3 times of the matrix and at the same time maintained the rates of shape fixity and shape recovery close to 100%.     

Investigation the parameters for torsion ductility of bead wire

Torsion testing is used to determine the quality of steel wire used for beads in pneumatic tires. However, strain aging (dynamic and static) caused by interstitial carbon and nitrogen atoms bound to mobile dislocations increases yield strength and decreases bead formability. Processing parameters of bead wire, such as line speed, lead bath temperature and wire diameter, were investigated, and theoretical calculations were made to estimate the effect of these parameters on strain aging. Nitrogen concentration was measured in bead wire samples with varying numbers of twists to failure during torsion testing. Surface morphologies of twisted bead wires were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Experimental data showed that torsional properties of bead wire were a function of stress relief temperature on and theoretical calculations showed that line speed and temperature have to be optimized for optimum torsion ductility.     

Tailoring the synthesis of stainless steel wire mesh-supported ZnO

The aim of this work was to synthesise different nanostructures of zinc oxide supported on a stainless steel wire mesh, using hydrothermal processes in which several conditions were applied. The effect of the different synthesis parameters on the final properties of the samples (yield and geometrical dimensions) were analysed and discussed. The ZnO nanomaterials obtained exhibit a homogeneous distribution over the metallic wire mesh, with mass yields in the range of 3–30 wt.%, a prismatic morphology with a hexagonal cross-section, lengths between 700 nm and 6 μm and widths in the 70 nm–2.3 μm range. These nanomaterials are intended to be applied in photocatalytic reactions and as catalyst supports.     

Impact behavior of entangled steel wire material

Entangled steel wire (Q195F) with total porosity of 36.3 ± 1.3 to 61.8 ± 2.4% and pore sizes of 15–825 µm have been investigated in terms of the porous morphologies, impact deformation and failure behavior. The results reveal that the impact toughness increases with the decrease of the porosity. The sintered entangled steel wire materials with 61.8 ± 2.4% porosity exhibit an average of 11.8 J/cm² impact toughness. With 36.3 ± 1.3% porosity, the sintered materials have an average of 45.5 J/cm² impact toughness. Impact absorbing energy and impact toughness have been obtained by Charpy impact testing. Essential impact deformation and failure mechanisms such as pore edges (i.e. fibers) bending, bulking, rotating, yielding, densification and fracture, as well as break (or avulsion) of sintering points in the steel wire framework contribute to the excellent energy-absorbing characteristics under impact loading condition.     

Failure analysis of a ropeway accident focussing on the wire rope's fracture load under lateral pressure

The bi-cable reversible aerial ropeway had been built as a winch system exclusively for goods transport. During upwards transport the winch was brusquely stopped by the operator. This caused the winch rope to slack and eventually to fracture at the moment of the jerky stretching by the backward rolling carriage. The brakeless carriage sped downhill along the track rope and finally crashed into the lower station leading to the unfortunate death of the farmer sitting unlawfully in the carriage. The steel wire rope (∅ 6 mm, type 6 × 7-FC) showed no indication of the typical failure mechanism of moving ropes, i.e. fretting fatigue. The single wires were broken in almost the same cross section showing a mixture of conical and shear fractures. This unusual fracture pattern could have been either the consequence of a local pre-damage or of an excessive lateral pressure and bending at the cross point of two windings on the winch. The latter alternative was evaluated by a test setup, allowing continuous increase of the deflection angle β until fracture of the rope.As a rule of thumb for β < 25°, the deflection angle in degree is numerically roughly equal to the caused load capacity reduction of the rope in percentage, e.g. a deflection angle of 10° reduces the load capacity by approximately 10%. Based on this empiric relationship, along with the calculated critical back-roll velocity of the carriage, it could be proven that the jerkily stretched rope could have fractured without being necessarily pre-damaged.The quantified susceptibility of the rope's ultimate load to lateral pressure at sharp bending can also support future investigations of similar failure cases and risk analyses.     

Processing of a new high strength high toughness steel with duplex microstructure (Ferrite + Austenite)

In this investigation a new third generation advanced high strength steel (AHSS) has been developed. This steel was synthesized by austempering of a low carbon and low alloy steel with high silicon content. The influence of austempering temperature on the microstructure and the mechanical properties including the fracture toughness of this steel was also examined. Compact tension and cylindrical tensile specimens were prepared from a low carbon low alloy steel and were initially austenitized at 927 °C for 2 h and then austempered in the temperature range between 371 °C and 399 °C to produce different microstructures. The microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical metallography. Test results show that the austempering heat treatment has resulted in a microstructure consisting of very fine scale bainitic ferrite and austenite. A combination of very high tensile strength of 1388 MPa and fracture toughness of 105 MPa √m was obtained after austempering at 371 °C.     

Characterization and fracture behavior of bismuth–tin thermal fuse alloy wires produced by the Ohno continuous casting process

Bismuth–tin binary alloys containing high bismuth concentrations of 40 to 77% were continuously cast into wires of approximately 2 mm in diameter with casting speeds between 15 and 150 mm min^?1 using the Ohno Continuous Casting (OCC) process. The microstructure was examined and tensile tests were performed for wires cast at various speeds. It was found that for slowly cast wires containing large primary bismuth dendrites, bismuth fracture occurring along the (111) plane exerted a key role in wire fracture, while microstructures with refined bismuth dendrites exhibited a mixture of bismuth cracks and inter-phase decohesion, allowing the accommodation of larger strain before wire fracture. For wires with microstructures containing primary tin dendrites, inter-phase decohesion played a key role in wire fracture.     

State of the art powder-in-tube niobium–tin superconductors

Powder-in-tube (PIT) processed niobium–tin wires are commercially manufactured for nearly three decades and have demonstrated a combination of very high current density (presently up to 2500 A mm^?2 non-Cu at 12 T and 4.2 K) with fine (35 μm), well separated filaments. We review the developments that have led to the present state of the art PIT niobium–tin wires, discuss the wire manufacturing and A15 formation processes, and describe typical superconducting performance in relation to magnetic field and strain. We further highlight successful applications of PIT wires and conclude with an outlook on possibilities for further improvements in the performance of PIT niobium–tin wires.     

Carbon/epoxy composite delamination analysis by acoustic emission method under various environmental conditions

New multifunctional materials for aerospace industry with exceptional properties must be tested under various environmental conditions to find out possible scatter factors for evaluated properties. Delamination is a typical damage mode observed for laminated composites. Therefore, reliable information regarding the delamination growth behaviour is needed for all operational environments of an aircraft operated at cryogenic and elevated temperatures. In this paper, delamination crack growth monitoring in a climatic chamber on double-cantilever beam (DCB) specimens using optical devices and acoustic emission (AE) techniques is described. A relationship between cumulative AE energy, events localization, clusters, and crack growth in a plain-weave carbon fibre–reinforced epoxy is investigated under constant displacement rate loading at + 80 °C, and − 55 °C. Test results are evaluated for specimens with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) in the microstructure and for a reference material. The mechanical properties during delamination are represented by fracture toughness G_IC, and they are also correlated with the AE data. The elevated test temperature caused a decreased rate of released AE energy. The crack growth in material with more significant fibre breakage caused increase of the AE release rate.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a low carbon carbide-free bainitic steel co-alloyed with Al and Si

A low carbon, low alloy steel has been investigated for producing low carbon carbide-free bainitic microstructure by co-addition of alloying elements of aluminum and silicon. The influence of heat treatment process on microstructure, impact toughness as well as tensile properties was investigated by light optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mechanical property tests. The results demonstrate that the co-addition of aluminum and silicon in the investigated steel plays an effective role in suppressing the precipitation of cementite. A desired microstructure consisting of mainly fine-scale carbide-free bainitic ferrite and thin film-like retained austenite located between the ferrite laths was obtained and accordingly an excellent combination of toughness, ductility and strength was achieved by optimized heat treatments, i.e. by isothermal treatment at 320 °C for ∼84 min or more. The microstructure-mechanical property relationships are discussed.     

Stretching behaviors of entangled materials with spiral wire structure

The entangled materials with spiral wire structure have been investigated in terms of the stretching behavior, mechanical properties, and stress–strain hysteresis effect. The results indicate that these materials are much more flexible than that with non-woven wire structure. They exhibit 1.05 MPa yielding strength and 5.7 MPa Young’s modulus in average at the porosity of 60%, and 2.47 MPa yielding strength and 12.3 MPa Young’s modulus in average at the porosity of 45%. Under tensile loading the materials exhibit a unique stress–strain behavior that goes through a long strain period after yielding and follows a quick stress increase on the stress–strain curve due to the ‘unclosing’ and ‘straightening’ mechanism of the spiral wire structure. In addition, these materials exhibit obvious stress–strain hysteresis effect. Their energy dissipation values determined according to the stress–strain hysteresis loops are 28.6 mJ/cm³ at the porosity of 60% and 102.3 mJ/cm³ at the porosity of 45%, which are much larger than that of the polymer foam, implying their promising applications for the energy absorption.     

Texture evolution in Fe–3% Si steel treated under unconventional annealing conditions

The present work investigates texture evolution stages in grain-oriented steel heat-treated using unconventional conditions. The Fe–3%Si steel taken after final cold rolling reduction from an industrial line was subjected to a laboratory isothermal annealing at different temperatures. The annealing temperatures were varied in a range of 850–1150 °C. During the annealing each specimen was heated at 10 °C/s and kept at the stated temperature for 5 min. Development of microstructure and texture in the annealed specimens were followed by the DC measurements of magnetic properties. The grain oriented steel, taken from the same industrial line after final box annealing was also analyzed and compared with the laboratory annealed specimens. It was shown that there is an optimal temperature region that, with combination of a fast heating rate, led to the best conditions of a drastically reduced development time of the {110} < 001 > crystallographic texture in the cold rolled grain-oriented steel. Materials heat treated below the optimum temperature region account for a primary recrystallization, while applying heat above this region leads to a secondary recrystallization without abnormal grain growth. Moreover, in the optimum temperature range, there was a particular temperature leading to the most optimal microstructure and texture. The magnetic properties, measured after the optimal heat treatment, were close to that measured on specimens taken after the final box annealing. The electron back scattered diffraction measurement technique revealed that sharpness of the {110} < 001 > crystallographic texture, developed at the optimum temperature is comparable to the steel taken after the industrial final box annealing. This fact is evidence that there is a temperature where the abnormal grain growth proceeds optimally.     

Effect of temperature on low velocity impact damage and post-impact flexural strength of CFRP assessed using ultrasonic C-scan and micro-focus computed tomography

The effect of temperature on the low velocity impact resistance properties and on the post-impact flexural performance of CFRP laminates were studied. With this aim, 150 × 75 mm cross-ply carbon fibre/epoxy laminates with a [0/90/90/0]_2s layup, therefore with a total of sixteen layers, were impacted at ambient temperature (30 °C) and at elevated temperatures (55, 75 and 90 °C) at a velocity of 2 m/s using a drop weight impact tower. This was followed by flexural tests carried out at ambient temperature using a three-point bending rig. Damage assessment of impact and post-impact behaviour were carried out using ultrasonic C-scan and microfocus X-ray computed tomography (μCT). Interrupted flexural tests using μCT allowed delamination propagation to be observed. In general, lower projected damage was observed at elevated temperatures, which resulted also in a possible hindrance to delamination and shear cracks propagation during impact and in a greater amount of retained flexural strength after impact.     

High temperature mechanical properties of low alloy steel foams produced by powder metallurgy

Cu–Ni–Mo and Mo based steel foams having different porosity levels for high temperature applications were produced by the space holder-water leaching technique in powder metallurgy. Steel powders were mixed with binder (polyvinylalcohol) and spacer (carbamide), and compacted. Spacer in the green compacts was removed by water leaching at room temperature and porous green compacts were sintered at 1200 °C for 60 min in hydrogen atmosphere. The successful application of foams at higher temperatures requires a good understanding of their high temperature mechanical properties. Compression tests were carried out on steel foams with different porosities at temperatures varying from room temperature to 600 °C in argon atmosphere. Effect of high temperature on compressive properties of the steel foams was investigated. It was found that the compressive strength of steel foams was greater at elevated temperatures than that at room temperature. This occurs across a range of temperatures up to 400 °C. Beyond this point the compressive strength decreased as the temperature increased. The reason for the enhancement of the compressive strength of Cu–Ni–Mo and Mo based steel foams is expected to be due to the effect of the dynamic age-hardening.