High tensile steel wire

A process of manufacturing an elongated steel element, said elongated steel element having a non-round cross-section and being in a work-hardened state, said elongated steel element having as steel composition:

• a carbon content ranging from 0.20 weight percent to 1.00 weight percent,
• a silicon content ranging from 0.05 weight percent to 2.0 weight percent,
• a manganese content ranging from 0.40 weight percent to 1.0 weight percent,
• a chromium content ranging from 0.0 weight percent to 1.0 weight percent,
• a sulfur and phosphor content being individually limited to 0.025 weight percent,
• contents of nickel, vanadium, aluminium, molybdenum or cobalt being individually limited to 0.5 weight percent,
• the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities,
• said steel having martensitic structure that comprises martensitic grains,
• wherein a fraction of at least 10 volume percent of martensitic grains is oriented,
• said process comprising the following steps in order:
• a) austenitizing a steel ingot, a steel wire rod or a steel (drawn or rolled) wire above Ac3 temperature during a period less than 120 seconds,
• b) quenching said austenitized steel ingot, steel wire rod or steel wire below 100° C. during a period less than 60 seconds,
• c) tempering said quenched steel ingot, steel wire rod or steel wire between 320° C. and 700° C. during a period ranging from 10 seconds to 600 seconds,
• d) work hardening said quenched and tempered steel ingot, steel wire rod or steel wire into an elongated steel element.