Process for patenting and brass plating steel wire

Abstract

It is usually desirable to utilize brass coated steel wires in the reinforcement of rubber articles, such as tires. This invention relates to a process for simultaneously parenting and brass plating a steel wire which comprises: (a) continuously passing the steel wire through a molten mixture of copper and zinc to apply a brass coating thereto, wherein the molten mixture is maintained at a temperature which is within the range of about 930.degree. C. to about 1100.degree. C., and wherein the steel wire has a residence time in the molten mixture which is within the range of about 6 seconds to about 15 seconds which is sufficient for the steel to be austenitized; (b) continuously wiping excess brass from the austenitized steel wire as it exits the molten mixture to attain a brass coated steel wire having a brass coating weight which is within the range of 2 to 8 grams of brass per kilogram of the steel wire; (c) cooling the brass coated austenitized steel wire to a quenching temperature which is within the range of about 500.degree. C. to 650.degree. C. until a transformation from austenite to pearlite takes place; (d) further cooling the patented brass plated steel wire to ambient temperature.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.