Optimisation of method for reducing residual stresses after cold bar drawing

A new method to reduce the residual stresses after cold bar drawing has been proposed and optimised. This new method addresses the disadvantages of previous methods proposed by the authors, and needs neither the use of an extra finishing die nor an intricate die geometry. The application of axial tension to the bar or wire after drawing is all that is required, and by adjusting the magnitude of the tension it is possible to control the residual stresses in the final product. Axisymmetric elastic-plastic finite element analysis was carried out to examine quantitatively the influence of tension, followed by laboratory experiments using a thick, not thin, bar for convenience of measurement of residual stresses. The optimum value of tension was then determined. The applicability of the proposed method is discussed in the present paper. The new method is especially effective when applied to high speed cold drawing of an extremely thin wire, because the tension applied to the wire after finishing can be readily controlled simply by adjusting the peripheral speed of the rollers/pulleys.