A prototypal apparatus for flat wires production by roll drawing process

The deformation characteristics of flattened wire produced with flat rolling process are presented. A prototypal apparatus was developed to conduct experimental tests on such a process to analyze the influence of main roll drawing parameters on geometrical characteristics of flattened wires. It was discovered that at small height reductions, flat wires produced with roll drawing show a similar behaviour with those produced with flat rolling in terms of cross sectional geometry. On the contrary, at higher values of height reduction, the lateral spread and the width of contact area between the rolls and the wire of flat wires produced with roll drawing decreases. However, at each process condition, the wires processed with roll drawing exhibit a minor spread, a smaller wire-rolls contact area and a smaller cross sectional area with respect to the ones produced with the flat rolling process. In the present work, an empirical formulation has been developed to relate the height reduction to the wire lateral spread and the width of contact area between the rolls and the wire. These relationships were developed by appropriately modifying the ones existing for flat rolling process.