The effect of 3D and 2D deformations on flattened wires

To investigate the effect of 3D and 2D deformations on flattened wires, the effective strain fields of flat rolled and sidepressed wires are predicted using the combined finite and slab element method (FSEM) and two-dimensional finite element method (TDFEM), respectively. The validity of the calculated strain fields are verified using the Vickers microhardness test. Utilizing the calculated strain fields, the strain inhomogeneity of the flat rolled and sidepressed wires are investigated. To assess the effects of height to width ratio and frictional condition on the strain inhomogeneity, an inhomogeneity factor (IF) is defined. The results show that for both the flat rolled and sidepressed wires the strain inhomogeneity is increased with increasing the height to width ratio and friction factor. Moreover, for a specific height to width ratio and frictional condition, the strain inhomogeneity of flat rolled wire is lower than that of sidepressed wire. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.