Basic analysis of dieless drawing

Dieless drawing involves continuous pulling of a tensilely stressed rod through a source of heat so as to allow local stretching of the heated softened metal. The dieless technique has particular potential for low carbon steel drawing. The general features and basic theory of dieless drawing are reviewed, and a practical model is set forth to guide process development The key to the model is the projection of the deformation zone length. A detailed application of the model to low carbon steel is presented including a notation of the improvements in strength and fracture resistance. Fundamental concepts for practical control are discussed, with emphasis on gauge and structure/property consistencies.