Strain hardening rate dependency of deformation shape,strain distribution,and contact pressure during wire flat rolling

The effect of the strain hardening exponent(n)of a material on the changes in shape,strain inhomogeneity,and contact pressure was investigated during wire flat rolling to understand its effect on the deformation behavior of a flat-rolled wire and to determine the optimal working conditions with materials.The deformation behaviors of wires with various n values were systematically compared using finite element method.The shape of the deformed wire was found to depend on the n value of the material.Both the contact width and lateral spreading of the wire decrease with increasing n,resulting in a large reduction in area with the n value.The strain homogeneity of the wire increases with the n value of the wire.The improvement in the strain homogeneity with the n value is attributable to two factors:a lower strain concentration in the central region and a higher overall elongation as n increases.In addition,the average effective strain of the wire cross section decreases with the n value of a material during wire flat rolling.The contact pressure distribution on the surface of the wire differs significantly depending on the n value.In materials with a low n value,the contact pressure exhibits a higher value at the entry and edge zones of the contact surface.By contrast,materials with high n values exhibit a higher contact pressure at the exit zone.This behavior can be explained by the strain hardening behavior of the material during wire flat rolling.