Influence of Initial Microstructure on Cold Drawing Damage in LX82A High‐Carbon Steel Wires

To suppress the damage accumulation and reduce the wire breakage rate of high‐carbon wire during the drawing process, this study investigates the influence of initial microstructure, specifically pearlitic lamellar morphology and inclusion characteristics, on the damage evolution during the cold drawing of LX82A high‐carbon steel wires. With increasing strain, cementite lamellae that are favorably aligned with the drawing direction undergo elongation and thinning into fibrous morphologies, while unfavorably oriented lamellae are prone to bend or kink. At high‐strain levels, the steel with lower strength (82AL) with coarser pearlite lamellae shows significantly less cementite twisting and fragmentation compared with the high‐strength steel (82A). Finite element simulations suggest drawing deformation induced less damage in the 82AL steel than its higher strength counterpart, 82A. Experimental observations and corresponding finite element simulations further reveal that hard inclusions act as local stress concentrators during drawing, promoting damage accumulation and void formation. These voids are shorter and less severe in 82AL steel, correlating with less local damage values, resulting in a lower wire breakage rate during cold drawing. This microstructural strategy offers a promising approach for improving the defect tolerance and drawability of high‐strength steel wires.