Stainless steel wire product

A stainless steel product, consisting essentially of:

• 0.01-0.10 wt % of C,
• 0.1-1.0 wt % of Si,
• 0.30-1.50 wt % of Mn,
• 0.010-0.040 wt % of P,
• 0.001-0.030 wt % of S,
• 18.0-30.0 wt % of Cr,
• 3.0-8.0 wt % of Ni,
• 0.1-3.0 wt % of Mo,
• 0.10-0.4 wt % of N, and
• the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities,
• wherein said stainless steel product comprises a first phase and a second phase, said first phase is ferrite and said second phase is austenite, and a volume ratio of said ferrite, to said austenite and said ferrite, is 35 to 65%,
• said stainless steel product is a wire, grains of said first and said second phases are extended along the length of said wire, and said stainless steel product has a mean slenderness ratio of 12-14.

A product produced by a process comprising:

• heating a first wire, thereby homogenizing said wire;
• drawing said first wire until the cross-sectional area is reduced by 40-97%, thereby forming a second wire;
• wherein said second wire consists essentially of:
• 0.01-0.10 wt % of C,
• 0.1-1.0 wt % of Si,
• 0.30-1.50 wt % of Mn,
• 0.010-0.040 wt % of P,
• 0.001-0.030 wt % of S,
• 8.0-30.0 wt % of Cr,
• 3.0-8.0 wt % of Ni,
• 0.1-3.0 wt % of Mo,
• 0.10-0.45 wt % of N, and
• the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities,
• said second wire comprises a first phase and a second phase, said first phase is ferrite and said second phase is austenite,
• a volume ratio of said ferrite, to said austenite and said ferrite, is 35 to 65%,
• grains of said first and said second phases are extended along the length of said wire, and said wire has a mean slenderness ratio of 12 to 14.