Parameter Study of the Roller Straightening Process of Steel Cords Using Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

This paper deals with a parameter study of a roller straightening process of steel cords using finite element analysis. A steel cord which consists of three wires with the diameter of 0.3 mm is selected as a target to be straightened. To perform finite element analysis of the roller straightening process, only two pitches of a steel cord is constructed with a finite element model considering the computing time. Using the constructed finite element model, the parameter study of important process parameters, such as the back-tension, the intermesh and the number of rollers, is carried out in order to evaluate the quality of a steel cord and the life cycle of the roller. The effect of the initial steel cord shape according to the bending direction is evaluated additionally during the parameter study. Finally, the mechanism of the roller straightening process is explained with the residual shear stress distribution of a straightened wire.