Impact of Die Geometry on Microhardness and Grain Size of Cold-Drawn Steel Wire

Abstract Two different heats of heading quality 302 stainless steel wire were drawn through three different conical die geometries. The microstructural response of the material was investigated via measurement of microhardness and grain size. The measurements across the transverse and longitudinal axes of the wires were then compared with strain measurements predicted through finite element modeling. Accuracy of the different measurements are compared, and an optimum “watch-dog” parameter for the verification of the modeling results is proposed.