Role of Non-Metallic Inclusions in the Fracture Behavior of Cold Drawn Pearlitic Steel

In this paper an exhaustive scientific work is performed, by means of metallographic and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, of the microstructural defects exhibited by pearlitic steels and their evolution with the manufacturing process by cold drawing, analyzing the consequences of such defects on the isotropic/anisotropic fracture behavior of the different steels. Thus, the objective is the establishment of a relation between the microstructural damage and the fracture behavior of the different steels. To this end, samples were taken from all the intermediate stages of the real cold drawing process, from the initial hot rolled bar (not cold drawn at all) to the heavily drawn final commercial product (prestressing steel wire). Results show the very relevant role of non-metallic inclusions in the fracture behavior of cold drawn pearlitic steels.