Wiredrawing Temperature

Ductility of carbon steel wire can decrease considerably as a result of strain aging if wire temperature is not kept down. For example temperature must not exceed 160°C (320°F) when drawing 4.4 mm (.173 in.) in diameter, patented 0.75% carbon steel wire. Since a temperature rise of 120°C (248°F) per pass can be expected when using reductions of 20 percent, effective inter pass cooling is essential, especially as the drawing machines used generally have very little wire accumulation on the block. The temperature can be reduced by several methods: water-cooling of the die, by an air jet, or by air or water-cooling of the capstan.