Research on Decarburization of Steel Wire SAE 51B35 during Heat Treatment

Abstract

Statistical methods have been used to improve processes and accelerate technological development. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the variables of heat treatment process of steel wires SAE 51B35 and seek the best condition of certain process parameters adjustment to reduce the depth of decarburization superficial. Four factors were identified as potentially important to the quality of the material. Each of these factors was studied at two levels and all experimental races were held in the production environment. To conduct this survey of classic way would require a large number of experiments, which involve high cost, however, by using the method of design of experiments, structured in a fractional saturated array, it was possible to reduce the financial cost. The study made it possible to conclude what the factors and interactions were causing decarburization problem and what are the best settings to minimize the problem.