Effects of Process Variables on Dimensional Control of Cold Drawn 1526 Grade Steel Tubing

Abstract

Dimensional control is a major concern for producers of cold drawn steel tubing. Producing out of tolerance material can lead to increased costs and manufacturing time. Improving dimensional control leads to better process control and may provide a competitive advantage. The effects of the drawing die entry angle, percent area reduction, and drawing speed on the as drawn dimensions of steel tubes were examined. The minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation of the resulting outer diameters and wall thicknesses were determined. The deviation of the measurements from target values was also analyzed.It was shown that both die entry angle and percent area reduction affect the standard deviation of the as drawn outer diameter and wall thickness. The measurement deviation from target dimensions was shown to be a function of percent area reduction. It was also shown that increasing percent area reduction caused the as drawn outer diameter dimensions to be increasingly biased less than the target.