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Tensile stress-strain curve of metallic materials can be determined by the representative stress-strain curve from the spherical indentation. Tabor empirically determined the stress constraint factor (stress CF), ψ, and strain constraint factor (strain CF), β, but the choice of value for ψ and β is still under discussion. In this study, a new insight into the relationship between constraint factors of stress and strain is analytically described based on the formation of Tabor's equation. Experiment tests were performed to evaluate these constraint factors. From the results, representative stress-strain curves using a proposed strain constraint factor can fit better with nominal stress-strain curve than those using Tabor's constraint factors.

Prestressing steel wires have excellent mechanical properties but there is a need to improve their durability in aggressive environments. In this work, the influence of residual stresses on the environmentally assisted cracking of these wires is studied. A good correlation has been found between residual stresses at the surface of the wires and the time to rupture during stress corrosion test proposed by the International Federation of Prestressing. Wires with the same microstructure, surface quality and mechanical properties show very different behaviour in aggressive environments depending on their residual stress state. Research shows that environmentally assisted cracking can be improved significantly by acting on the surface residual stresses produced by wire drawing. In addition, in this study a post-drawing treatment to generate compressive residual stresses at the surface of the wires is proposed.

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The mechanical properties and the durability of cold-drawn eutectoid wires (especially in aggressive environments) are influenced by the residual stresses generated during the drawing process. Steelmakers have devised procedures (thermomechanical treatments after drawing) attempting to relieve them in order to improve wire performance. In this work neutron diffraction measurements have been used to ascertain the role of temperature and applied force -during post-drawing treatments -on the residual stresses of five rod batches with different treatments. The results show that conventional thermomechanical treatments are successful in relieving the residual stresses created by cold-drawing, although these procedures can be improved by changing the temperature or the stretching force. Knowledge of the residual stress profiles after these changes is a useful tool to improve the thermomechanical treatments instead of the empirical procedures used currently.

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