Abstract
High-carbon steel wires used for bridge cables, tire reinforcement materials and cutting materials of silicon ingot for photovoltaic industry require an extremely fine diameter and high strength. Poor control of centerline segregation, inclusion and microstructure of high-carbon steel is detrimental to drawability and subsequent fatigue performance. Prof. Weiqing Chen’s group at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) has been investigating the quality control of high-carbon steel through a low-cost one-stage hot rolling process since 2000. This paper reviews the main research from this group. The laboratory-scale and industrial results are presented. Intensive secondary cooling, final electromagnetic stirring (F-EMS), final permanent magnetic stirring (F-PMS), and soft reduction are investigated and applied to control centerline segregation, and the application scope is also discussed. A combination of redesign of submerged entry nozzle (SEN) and refining slag, utilization of Al-free refractory and the addition of low-melting-point compounds is studied and applied effectively to control inclusions. Measurements and mechanisms to control network cementite, martensite, banded structure and undesired texture are investigated and discussed. Integration of the above research has achieved industrial application in more than 10 steelworks and was further extended to application in spring steel, welding wire steel and some other wire rods.
Highlights
High-carbon steel wires produced through hot rolling and cold drawing of steel billets are utilized extensively for pre-stressed concrete, bridge cables, wire ropes, etc
High-carbon steel wire rods for saw wires have to be drawn into steel wires with a diameter as low as 0.08 to 5.5 mm [1], and there must be no breakage within 250 km during drawing along with extremely high strength to meet the rigorous utilization demands [2]
Centerline segregation, especially for high-carbon steel, is one of the key quality defects, which leads to non-uniformity in inner compositions and mechanical properties, and has a negative influence on the drawability and fatigue performance of final products
Summary
High-carbon steel wires produced through hot rolling and cold drawing of steel billets are utilized extensively for pre-stressed concrete, bridge cables, wire ropes, etc. As a consequence, controlling the centerline carbon segregation of high-carbon steel before rolling is a fundamental strategy to improve the quality of the final products. Low cleanness is another key quality issue that results in an increase in the breakage rate, and exacerbates the fatigue characteristics. Weiqing Chen’s group from the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) conducted systematic research on a low-cost one-stage hot rolling process of billet, including steelmaking, refining, casting, single hot rolling, and cold drawing, to produce and control the quality of high-carbon steel for steel strands, steel cords, and saw wires since 2000.
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