1989 Volume 75 Issue 8 Pages 1378-1385
The article has proved the possibility of replacement of lead patenting in wire production from two respects of theory and practice, and pointed out that lead patenting in wire production should be not considered isothermal quenching operation, while ought to be visualized as continuous cooling heat treatment. The development of hot water quenching for wires and the relevent deta were evaluated, and so the reason was discussed that the hot water quenching of wires could not be expaned. A new procedure of hot water quenching was invented by theoretical analyse and a great of experiments, in which wires heated to 1 1931 223 K are first immersed in hot water for a certain time ( > 2/3 total boiling time), and then taken from the hot water, transferred to a brittleproof furnace at 773873 K and cooled in air after austenite has decomposed. The results obtained in laboratory and wire production have confirmed enough that the new operation can ensure the quality of hot water quenched wires to keep up with or to exceed the average levels attainable with lead patented wires.