Abstract
This article focuses on the analysis of the evolution of inclusions present in eutectoid pearlitic steel subjected to a real cold drawing process. To this end, wires belonging to different stages of the manufacture chain were studied, starting from an initial hot rolled bar (not cold drawn at all). In addition to the information obtained through visual inspection, a quantitative analysis of the microdefects generated by these inclusions was carried out. The analysis was performed using materialographic techniques, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the image analysis program (AnaliSYS 3.1®).
Highlights
The inclusions present in steel have been the subject of many scientific studies, focusing mainly on their composition, size and morphology [1,2,3,4]
For the study of the evolution of the inclusions in progressively drawn pearlitic steel, the following wires were used: initial hot rolled bar and the wires from the second, fourth, sixth and seventh steps (E0, E2, E4, E6 and E7, respectively) of the cold drawing process. This family of steels has been characterized in previous studies by the Fracture and Structural Integrity Research Group (FSIRG) of the University of Salamanca (USAL) [30], extracting from these the following data indicated in Table 2: the corresponding diameter (D), the plastic deformation [7] that acquires the material at the exit of each corresponding die/stage of the cold drawing process, the Young’s modulus (E), the yield stress and the ultimate tensile stress for each of the wires under study
The distribution of the inclusions is a parameter that is of vital importance in order to understand the mechanical and fracture behavior of steels
Summary
The inclusions present in steel have been the subject of many scientific studies, focusing mainly on their composition, size and morphology [1,2,3,4]. The most recent research deals with the analysis of the different types of inclusions and their influence on the mechanical properties of steel [14,15,16,17]. The inclusions of chemical compositions such as MnS and Al2O3, in steels with a presence of V and N, are enhancers of the nucleation of the intergranular ferrite [24]. The inclusions chemically analyzed in the pearlitic steel wires belong to the group of endogenous or second phase inclusions, which have their origin in alloying substances added to enhance the nucleation of perlite. Special attention is paid to the generation and evolution of the microcracks that occurs around the inclusions when the pearlitic steel wire goes through the different dies of drawing; such microcracks can have an influence on the steel’s behavior in fracture [7]. The study of the inclusions was carried out from the characterization of the same through the analysis of their chemical composition, as well as a quantitative morphological study
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