High-carbon steel wire rod and wire excellent in drawability and methods of producing the same

A method of producing high-carbon steel wire rod excellent in drawability which comprises,

• rolling into wire rod a steel slab of a composition which
• contains, in weight percent,
• C:
• 0.90-1.10%,
• Si:
• not more than 0.40% and
• Mn:
• not more than 0.50%,
• is limited to
• P:
• not more than 0.02%,
• S:
• not more than 0.01% and
• Al:
• not more than 0.003%,
• the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities,
• cooling a rolled wire rod from the temperature range of 1100.degree.-755.degree. C. to a temperature range of 350.degree.-500.degree. C. at a cooling rate of 60.degree.-300.degree. C./sec, and
• holding it in this temperature range for a specified time period within the range in which bainite transformation does not begin or within a range from after the start of bainite transformation to prior to completion of bainite transformation, and
• increasing the temperature and holding it until bainite transformation is completely finished.

A method of producing high-carbon steel wire excellent in drawability which comprises,

• heating to a temperature range of 1100.degree.-755.degree. C. wire of a composition which
• contains, in weight percent,
• C:
• 0.90-1.10%,
• Si:
• not more than 0.40% and
• Mn:
• not more than 0.50%,
• is limited to
• P:
• not more than 0.02%,
• S:
• not more than 0.01% and
• Al:
• not more than 0.003%,
• the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities,
• cooling the heated wire to a temperature range of 350.degree.-500.degree. C. at a cooling rate of 60.degree.-300.degree. C./sec, and
• holding it in this temperature range for a specified time period within the range in which bainite transformation does not begin or within a range from after the start of bainite transformation to prior to completion of bainite transformation, and
• increasing the temperature and holding it until bainite transformation is completely finished.