Galvanized steel wire is made by drawing high-quality carbon structural steel such as 45 #, 65 #, and 70 #, and then galvanizing (electrogalvanizing or hot-dip galvanizing).
Galvanized steel wire is a carbon steel wire that is galvanized on the surface using hot dip or electroplating methods. Its performance is the same as that of straightening and tempering steel wire.
It can be used as unbonded prestressed reinforcement, but at least 200-300g of zinc should be plated per square meter of area. Commonly used as parallel steel wire cables for cable-stayed bridges. (In addition, flexible cable sleeves are also used as outer protection)
Drawing Process
Plating followed by drawing process: In order to improve the performance of galvanized steel wire, the process of drawing the steel wire to the finished product after lead annealing and galvanizing is called plating followed by drawing. The typical process flow is: steel wire – lead quenching – galvanizing – drawing – finished steel wire. The electroplating followed by drawing process is the shortest process in the drawing method of galvanized steel wire, which can be used for hot-dip galvanizing or electroplating followed by drawing. The mechanical properties of hot-dip galvanized steel wire after drawing are better than those of hot-dip galvanized steel wire after drawing, and the drawing after electroplating makes the zinc layer dense and resistant. Both can obtain a thin and uniform zinc layer, reducing zinc consumption and reducing the load on the galvanizing operation line.
Medium plating and post drawing process: The process flow of medium plating and post drawing is as follows: steel wire – lead quenching – primary drawing – galvanizing – secondary drawing – finished steel wire. The characteristic of intermediate plating after drawing is to draw lead quenched steel wire once, then galvanize it, and then draw it twice to the finished product. The galvanization is between the two draws, so it is called “intermediate plating”. The zinc layer of steel wire produced by electroplating and then drawing is thicker than that produced by electroplating and then drawing. Hot dip galvanizing can provide a high total compression rate (from lead quenching to finished products) after plating, which is better than the performance of steel wires coated first and then drawn.
Mixed plating and drawing process: To produce ultra-high strength (3000 N/mm2) galvanized steel wire, the “mixed plating and drawing” process should be adopted. The typical process flow is as follows: lead quenching – first drawing – pre galvanizing – second drawing – final galvanizing – third drawing (dry drawing) – water tank drawing of a finished steel wire. The above process can produce ultra-high strength galvanized steel wire with a carbon content of 0.93-0.97%, a diameter of 0.26 millimeters, and a strength of 3921 N/square millimeter. The zinc layer during drawing provides protection and lubrication to the surface of the steel wire, and no wire breakage occurs during drawing.
