Analysis of surface roughness of wires to be used for making electroplated wires

Increasing quality demands by clients and the requirement for good electroplating of wires make it necessary for wires to have a good surface finish. There is therefore a need for a technique, which can be used at the client's site to determine the surface roughness of wires so that the clients can take a proper decision on having the wire electroplated.; Until now only visual inspection is performed on wires by the clients of Cargill Steel Wires to assess the suitability of the wire for electroplating.; Cargill Steel Wires makes wires from wire rods manufactured by North Star Steel Texas in Beaumont. The latter has therefore collaborated with the Mechanical Engineering Department of Lamar University in Beaumont to develop a technique to measure surface roughness of wires of different grades, to be used by the clients of Cargill Steel Wires for assessment of the suitability of the wires for electroplating.; A similar procedure is currently being used in Col-Fin Specialty Steel Corporation in Pennsylvania. Valuable suggestions were received from the quality control department of Col-Fin in analyzing the results of the present work. It is evident therefore that the industrial sector is displaying considerable interest in the use of such a test procedure.