WIRE ELECTRODE FOR ELECTRIC DISCHARGE CUTTING PROCESSES.

摘要

The invention relates to a wire electrode (1, 1') for electric discharge cutting processes and a method for the production thereof. The wire electrode (1, 1') has a core (2) containing a metal or a metal alloy, and a coating (3, 4; 3, 4, 5) that surrounds the core (2) and includes one or more coating layers (3, 4, 5), at least one (3) of which contains a phase mixture of ß-brass and/or ß'-brass and γ-brass. In said at least one coating layer (3) containing ß-brass and/or ß'-brass and γ-brass, the ß-phase and/or ß'-phase and the γ-phase are arranged next to each other in a fine-grained structure in which the mean size of the ß-brass and/or ß'-brass grains and the γ-brass grains amounts to a maximum of 5 μm relative to the cross-section extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wire electrode (1, 1'). In order to produce the wire electrode (1, 1'), a wire is used that has a coating layer predominantly containing γ-brass, and a homogenizing step is carried out in which the γ-brass is substantially transformed into a ß-brass having a minimum zinc concentration of 51 percent by weight at temperatures exceeding 600°C, and the wire (1, 1') is finally cooled, a process during which zones of γ-brass are separated from the supersaturated solid solution of ß-brass.