Cold Working

Many wrought metal products such as sheet metal, plates, and bars are produced by rolling and drawing. Cold work occurs when a material plastically deforms below the temperature needed for recrystallization or annealing. The affects of cold work are studied in the lab using the Rolling Mill. Brass wedges are rolled to achieve steps of cold work ranging from 10% to 75%. Hardness measurements using the Rockwell Hardness Testers quantify results for the specimen. Heat treatment is performed on the specimen using the furnaces to study the effects of the annealing process. The hardnesses of the specimens are remeasured for comparison. Mechanical properties that change during cold work include electrical resistivity, hardness, tensile strength, and % elongation.