Deformation inhomogeneity in flattened copper wire

The deformation inhomogeneity in flattened wire produced by the wire flat rolling process is studied. Utilizing the combined Finite and Slab Element Method (FSEM), the effective strain fields in the flattened wire are calculated at different reductions in height and frictional conditions and compared with experiment. The calculated and experimental results exhibit that the deformation is inhomogeneous and macroscopic shear bands are appeared in the cross section of flattened wire. Using the results of the analysis, it is shown that the deformation inhomogeneity, introduced by an Inhomogeneity Factor (IF), is different on the x-axis and y-axis in the cross section of the flattened wire. By decreasing the reduction in height of wire and increasing the friction factor, the deformation inhomogeneity is increased and the effect of friction factor is more pronounced at large reduction in height. The variation in IF with the reduction in height is presented by a fourth order polynomial. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.