Determination of Two-Stage Heat Treatment Parameters in Industrial Conditions in Order to Obtain a TRIP Structure in Low-Alloy Carbon Steel Wires

The research presented in this article aimed to obtain a semi-finished product in the form of TRIP wires, which in further research will be used to produce fasteners in the form of KPS-6 screws used in the construction industry. At present, the process of manufacturing this type of fastener (from wire rod to the finished product) involves two technological lines: one for carrying out the drawing process and obtaining a semi-finished product in the form of a wire with appropriate properties, and the other for the production of fasteners. Semi-finished product wires with a ferritic-perlitic structure obtained after the drawing process are the starting product for the production of fasteners, the tensile strength of which is approximately 450 MPa. In order to be able to obtain fasteners characterized by an increased level of properties in 8.8 grade, after the screw manufacturing process, heat treatment should be carried out by hardening and tempering. The new technology proposed in the article includes: a drawing wire rod with a semi-finished product diameter, two-stage heat treatment on the line for pass-through heating and cooling, ensuring the obtaining of a TRIP-type structure in drawn wires, and calibration drawing. The product of this process was a wire whose tensile strength was in the range of 700–800 MPa with a TRIP structure. Thanks to obtaining a TRIP-type structure with the assumed amount of retained austenite, we obtained wires with higher strength properties and very high plasticity in relation to wires with the same chemical composition and ferritic and perlitic structure. The research carried out in the article also allowed us to obtain, in the semi-finished product wires, a favourable relationship between the strength properties and plasticity of the material, expressed by the value of the R(e)/R(m) coefficient (yield strength/tensile strength) and the so-called yield ratio, which determines the material′s susceptibility to cold deformation; the smaller these coefficients, the greater the yield strength. The subsequent stages of the research will include the development of forming fasteners in the form of KPS-6 screws used in the steel construction industry with TRIP structures, with increased properties of products in the 8.8 property class, without conducting heat treatment by hardening and tempering. It is assumed that the resulting product will have an additional usable feature: preserving a certain amount of retained austenite in the structure of the finished fasteners, which will be transformed into martensite during operation, and thus affect the longevity of the fasteners.