Hot-dip process for patenting and brass coating of steel wires

The conventional fire cord manufacturing process involves patenting pickling and sequential plating of steel wires. This multiple-step-processing route renders itself to loss of material through scale formations as well as waste generation from pickling and electroplating. To overcome these drawbacks and to improve qualify of the final product, a new process has been developed by using molten brass. The process eliminates the need for multiple-step processing by combining patenting and brass coating in one step. The process results have also demonstrated improved adherence of brass to steel through diffusional bonding and better corrosion resistance.