Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
(OP)
Problem: Customer produces drawn steel wire. It is rusting after being outside for one day. Rust inhibitor claims protection for 1 year. Problem just started recently.
Goal: Figure out why and put measures in place to prevent problem in the future.
Current Info: Obviously, water and oxygen are getting to and reacting with the metal more quickly than before and the first question is what has changed? I am going on the initial site visit this afternoon. I'll know more then, but right now I am looking for ideas and how to's.
i.e. if it could be biological. How do we know? Is there a type of bug we should try to isolate or a threshold bacteria count to look for in the bath?
Are there tests that we can run on the metal itself to narrow down possibilities?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Goal: Figure out why and put measures in place to prevent problem in the future.
Current Info: Obviously, water and oxygen are getting to and reacting with the metal more quickly than before and the first question is what has changed? I am going on the initial site visit this afternoon. I'll know more then, but right now I am looking for ideas and how to's.
i.e. if it could be biological. How do we know? Is there a type of bug we should try to isolate or a threshold bacteria count to look for in the bath?
Are there tests that we can run on the metal itself to narrow down possibilities?
Thanks in advance for your help.





RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
1. Did we change our anti-rust compound or drawing compound with rust inhibiter? Has this ever happened before, and if yes, what were the issues surrounding the problem. How did we resolve it then.
2. Do we have a new operator at the machine which might have caused: a lack of draw lube / inhibiter, improper draw lube concentration, or not physically turning on the system that adds the inhibiter or some other process related parameter.
3. What is the process and are we following it? Make them show you the process book on the floor and show you the related information concerning the application of the compound, the supplied form to the operator, the settings to used for the material, etc. If this not spelled out very specifically then there are problems not just with this process but with many other that they have.
I hope the problem is no deeper than these simple questions. Additionally, is there any way for the final inspection of the wire spools to verify the presence of the rust inhibiter? If not, then some addition to the process information book is in order. I Hope this helps.
jck26
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
For the corrosion to be happening that quickly, there has to be some contaminate that is accerating the corrosion process. Therefore you need to isolate the source(s). Split a batch of wire into several areas and see if they are all corroding to a similar level. If so then the source is process related, if not, that would push me toward an enviromental issue.
If process related, pay really close attention to the process water (if there is any) or where else contamination is getting onto the wire.
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
tnatale, they are thinking along the same lines as you are that something must be accelerating the corrosion. There are no visible problems with the wire after annealing. The last step is applying a water soluble oil/rust proofing. The thought is that either there is a contaminant on the wire that is activated when the oil is applied, or something in the made down oil is accelerating the corrosion.
Since our lab primarily works with water samples, we are running a battery of tests on the finishing oil, the water used to make it down and the made down solution. Since we have no background data it's hard to say what the results will tell us, but at least we can give them some information.
We also have samples of the wire at various points in the process. However, are at a loss as far as how to use them to get information. What contaminants would be of particular concern? Is there a way to look for them on wire samples? Is there a way to determine the cause of corrosion from an already rusted wire sample? Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
Some environmentally-friendly aqueous cleaners use microbes to digest oils & greases lifted off metal parts by surfactants, giving much longer bath lives than emulsifying cleaners. One such bacterium naturally present in soil & water and found in oils & greases pseudomonas stutzeri www.biocleanus.com/pdfs/AESFWeek2001.PDF
Similar products are used in greasetraps, plumbing drainlines, bilges of boats, e.g., Super Grease Eaterâ„¢ http:/
There are biocides available for protecting solutions. These people have one of the few that is compatible with dye solutions used on anodized aluminum:
http:
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
Thanks,
TheBoss646
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems
Traces of free steel particles contaminating surface?
RE: Drawn Steel Wire Rusting Problems