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Oct. 22, 2026
Prestressed steel wire is made from high-strength eutectoid steel. It works well under high tensile stress — but that same strength makes it vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement (HE). HE causes delayed fracture: the wire does not break during loading, but breaks hours, days or months later under steady stress. For a prestressed product, that risk is unacceptable. This article explains where hydrogen comes from and how we control it in production.
Pickling: acid cleaning of 82B wire rod is a classic source. Acid reacts with the steel surface and releases atomic hydrogen that diffuses inward.
Phosphating / coating processes: acid baths and electrocoating can load hydrogen.
Patenting and drawing: residual stress from cold drawing increases sensitivity even without new hydrogen.
Environment: in service, hydrogen can come from corrosion, acid rain, soil chemistry or cathodic protection nearby.
Pickling control. Minimize acid concentration and immersion time. Add inhibitors. Avoid over-pickling.
Post-pickling baking. Low-temperature baking drives diffusible hydrogen out before drawing.
Drawing practice. Control die reduction and lubrication to limit residual stress.
Coating choice. For galvanized or epoxy-coated wire, use hydrogen-friendly processes and bake after coating.
Incoming rod quality. 82B rod with clean microstructure and low inclusion content reduces trap sites for hydrogen.
We produce prestressed steel wire and PC strand with documented pickling, patenting and drawing controls. Ask for our HE resistance test reports and rod chemistry sheet for the grade you need. We will reply you as soon as possible.
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Yuanxian High-tech Material is a company serving a worldwide customers base providing innovative and reliable product solution that recognizes the value of customer care.
+86 180 2006 1362
Haitai Huake Third Road No.1, Huayuan Industrial Zone, Binhai High Tech Zone, Tianjin, china
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