Process monitoring of wire drawing using vibration sensoring

Automating the detection of processing conditions that may lead to defects in the wire during the wire drawing process is of high interest to the industry. Current practise is based primarily on operator experience. Increasing demands on product quality and process robustness emphasises the need for development of robust in-process detection methods. This work is focusing on investigating the potential of using vibration monitoring to detect process deficiencies or variations that may lead to defects in the product. Wire drawing of a carbon steel in different lubricating situations was used to investigate vibration signal response together with force measurements and surface investigation of the wire product. The results show that vibration measurement is capable of detecting loss of lubrication that leads to poor surface quality of the wire.