Prediction for microstructure and mechanical properties of hot rolled high carbon steel wire

An integrated mathematical model for predicting microstructure evolution in high carbon wire rods during high speed hot rolling and controlled cooling was developed on the base of laboratory research and industrial validation tests. It consisted of many sub-models such as critical strain, static and dynamic recrystallization of austenite, volume fraction of transformed austenite, interlamellar spacing of pearlite, microstructure-to-property relations. Based on these models, a simulating software, which could run on PC computers, was programmed to numerically simulate the physical metallurgy process for high-speed wire production including the temperature distribution, evolution of austenite grains, final microstructure and mechanical properties. The predicted results are agreeable well with the measured ones by industrial tests.