Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a structural improvement in braced frame structures. An exemplary solution involves heat-treating a mid-section region of a steel brace, the steel brace comprising hollow structural sections tubing; after heat-treating the mid-section region, cooling the mid-section region of the steel brace; wherein the heat-treated steel brace has changed mechanical properties due to the heat-treatment, the changed mechanical properties including improved material ductility, work hardening ability, and notch toughness; and coupling the heat-treated steel brace to a gusset plate within a braced building frame structure without need of gusset plate reinforcement.

A continuous wire drawing apparatus includes: a wire releasing scrollbar and a wire collecting scrollbar being respectively a wire releasing end and a wire collecting end of a metal wire material; a wire drawing force control unit and a back force control unit providing a drawing force and a back force to the wire collecting end and the wire releasing end respectively; a heating unit disposed between the wire releasing end and the wire collecting end, and adapted to heat the metal wire material continuously at a heating temperature in a heating area, whereby the metal wire material is deformed by a strength difference between the drawing force and the back force; and a cooling unit disposed between the heating unit and the wire collecting end, and adapted to cool the metal wire material continuously at a cooling temperature in a cooling area.

The present invention relates to a high-strength wire rod superior in impact toughness and a manufacturing method therefor and, more particularly, to a high-strength wire rod having superior impact toughness, which can be preferably used as a material for industrial machines or automobiles exposed to various external load environments, and a manufacturing method therefor.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a wire rod for springs with high strength and excellent corrosion fatigue resistance, in which a combination of Cr, Cu, and Ni content is controlled to an appropriate level, the maximum depth of corrosion pits is set to be below a certain level, and fine carbides containing Mo are set to be at a certain level or greater.

A continuous annealer for wire is disclosed, and specifically for annealing and recrystallizing a wire in a continuous process. The continuous annealer for wire comprises: two contact discs for contacting a first wire portion extending therebetween; an annealing zone situated between the two contact discs; and annealing means for annealing the first wire portion in the annealing zone, as a result of which a first partial recrystallisation process in the first wire portion takes place in the annealing zone. A recrystallisation zone is situated downstream of the second contact disc, wherein, downstream of the annealing zone, the first wire portion passes through the recrystallisation zone as the second wire portion, and a second partial recrystallisation process takes place in the second wire portion. The wire has the opportunity to recrystallize further after leaving the annealing zone without further heating. By extending the recrystallisation time, the recrystallisation temperature can be reduced accordingly. As a result, the same degree of recrystallisation can be achieved overall with a significantly lower input of energy than when the wire is cooled immediately after leaving the annealing zone.

A method of controlled cooling of one or multiple previously heated and substantially straight steel wire/wires of diameter more than 2.8 mm to a predetermined temperature range, comprises the steps: guiding the previously heated and substantially straight steel wire/wires along individual path/paths through one or multiple first coolant bath/baths comprising a bath liquid comprising water and a stabilizing additive. The bath liquid and the multiple previously heated and substantially straight steel wires create a steam film around each steel wire itself along each individual path; directing an impinging liquid immersed inside the first coolant bath/baths towards the previously heated and substantially straight steel wire/wires over a certain length L along individual path/paths, to cool down the previously heated and substantially straight steel wire/wires, the impinging liquid decreases the thickness of the steam film or destabilizes the steam film, thereby increasing the speed of cooling over the length L along individual path/paths; guiding the previously heated and substantially straight steel wire/wires along individual path/paths out of the first coolant bath/baths to be further cooled down in air; after the further cooling in air, guiding the previously heated, substantially straight steel wire/wires along individual path/paths through one or multiple second coolant bath/baths. In the method, the substantially straight steel wire/wires are subjected to a cooling transformation from austenite to pearlite.

A method of continuous controlled cooling of a plurality of heated steel wires having a diameter larger than 2.8 mm and having an austenite microstructure and of transformation to a pearlite microstructure of the steel wires. The method comprises the steps of: a) Providing a first coolant bath comprising a first coolant liquid. The first coolant liquid comprises water and a stabilizing additive. b) Guiding the plurality of previously heated steel wires parallel to each other along individual paths through the first coolant liquid contained in the first coolant bath; and directing impinging liquid immersed inside the first coolant bath towards each of the steel wires over a certain length L. The impinging liquid decreases the thickness of or destabilizes the steam film around each of the plurality of steel wires, resulting in an increase of the speed of cooling over said length L. The intensity of the impinging liquids is individually set and/or controlled for each individual steel wire or for subsets of the plurality of steel wires. c) Guiding the plurality of steel wires parallel to each other through air for further cooling.

The chemical composition of a steel material according to the present embodiment consists of, in mass %, C: 0.50 to 0.80%, Si: 1.20 to 2.90%, Mn: 0.25 to 1.00%, Cr: 0.40 to 1.90%, V: 0.05 to 0.60%, P: 0.020% or less, S: 0.020% or less, N: 0.0100% or less, Mo: 0 to 0.50%, Nb: 0 to 0.050%, W: 0 to 0.60%, Ni: 0 to 0.50%, Co: 0 to 0.30%, B: 0 to 0.0050%, Cu: 0 to 0.050%, Al: 0 to 0.0050%, and Ti: 0 to 0.050%, with the balance being Fe and impurities. In the microstructure of the steel material, an area fraction of pearlite is 90% or more, and in ferrite in the pearlite, a volumetric number density of V-based precipitates having a maximum diameter of 2 to 20 nm is 3000 to 80000 pieces/?m.sup.3.

The invention relates to a cooling device (100) for cooling at least one element (150, 151) passing through said device, comprising a metal block (115), having a first side and a second side, and comprising a cooling channel (130) for cyrogenic gas. The at least one element (150, 151) can be guided along the sides of the first side of the metal block (115), the cooling channel (130) is at least partially in heat conductive connection with the second side of the metal block (115), and the cooling channel (130) has an attachment (131) on a first end for the entry of cryogenic gas and an attachment on a second end for the exit of cryogenic gas. The invention also comprises a hardening device having such a cooling device (100) and a method for cooling at least one element (150, 151) passing through said device.

A method of hardening a clothing wire for processing textile fibers and to an apparatus system therefor. The clothing wire has a succession of teeth arranged in its longitudinal direction, and the clothing wire is guided through a heating region in a pass-through direction for contact with at least one open flame. The heating region is followed by a quenching bath having a quenching liquid and by a subsequent tempering apparatus. The clothing wire moving in the pass-through direction is flushed around with a protective medium in a transition region between the region of contact with the open flame and the entry into the quenching liquid.