The work hardening of pearlite during wire drawing

An advanced Taylor type polycrystalline model has been developed for simulation of the evolution of flow stress and deformation texture of pearlitic ferrite in forming processes. Due to its generality it lends itself well for the study of the work hardening of pearlite. The influence of microstructural parameters, e.g. the crystallographic texture, the initial ferrite spacing and the distribution of obstacles, on dislocation glide in the ferrite can be assessed. The macroscopic stress required for the plastic deformation of an aggegate of pearlite colonies has been predicted for wire drawing deformation. A distinction has been made between the surface layers and the central layers of the wire because of different constraint conditions. The predictive capabilities of the model have been evaluated by comparing the numerical simulation results with the work hardening properties revealed by experimental studies.