Effect of process parameters in copper-wire drawing

The efforts to increase the operating speed of the wire drawing process play a crucial role regarding the industrial productivity. The problem is closely related to various features such as heat generation, material plastic deformation, as well as the friction at the wire/die interface. For instance, the introduction of specific lubricants at the interface between the die and the wire may efficiently reduce the friction or in another context, induce a difference in friction among different regimes, as for the case of hydrodynamic lubrication. The present study systematically explores various aspects concerning the drawing process of an electrolytic tough pitch copper wire. To be specific, the drawing speed, drawing force, die temperature, lubricant temperature, and stress distributions are analysed by using experimental as well as numerical approaches. The obtained results demonstrate how the drawing stress and temperature are affected by the variation of the friction coefficient, die geometry, and drawing speed. It is argued that such a study might help in optimizing the operational parameters of the wire drawing process, which further leads to the improvement of the lubrication conditions and product quality while minimizing the energy consumption during the process.