Electropulsing Treatment Overcomes the Strength-Ductility Trade-Off of Cold-Drawn Pearlitic Steel Wire

HC Zhang and YL Chen and YH Sun and ZY Ni, STEEL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL (2025).

DOI: 10.1002/srin.202500788

This work systematically studies the evolution mechanism of the steel wire's mechanical properties and microstructure during electropulsing treatment (EPT) using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic probe tomography, combined with molecular dynamics simulations. The results reveal that, under EPT treatment parameters of 15.8 A mm-2, 300 Hz, and 120 s, the tensile strength of the steel wires increases from 2172 to 2332 MPa (a 7.4% increase), while the elongation to failure improves from 5.5% to 6.0% (a 9.1% increase), achieving a simultaneous improvement in both strength and ductility. Microstructure analysis indicates that the increase in steel wire strength is attributed to the following two reasons: EPT treatment promotes the transformation of amorphous cementite into a nanocrystalline structure, enhancing the dislocation pinning effect. Concurrently, C atoms migrate into the ferrite matrix, resulting in a solid solution strengthening effect. The improvement in plasticity is mainly because EPT disrupts the continuity of the cementite lamellae, thereby weakening its constraint on dislocation slip.

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