The Effect of Annealing on Single Crystal of 6N OCC Wire

Recently we were asked whether single crystal of OCC wire is affected by annealing process which is very important and unavoidable process, Our answer is NO. Here are some reasons.

Annealing is a crucial process in the treatment of single crystal copper materials. It is essential to understand that annealing does not have an impact on the quantity of single crystal copper crystals. When a single crystal copper undergoes annealing, the primary purpose is to relieve the thermal stress within the material. This process occurs without any alteration in the number of crystals. The crystal structure remains intact, neither increasing nor decreasing in quantity.

In contrast, the process of drawing has a significant influence on the crystal morphology. If drawing is applied to single crystal copper, a short and thick crystal may be compressed into a long and slender one. For instance, when an 8mm rod is drawn to an extremely small diameter such as a few hundredths of a millimeter, the crystals may experience fragmentation. In an extreme case, a single crystal could break into two, three, or more fragments depending on the drawing parameters. These parameters include the drawing speed and the ratio of the drawing dies. However, even after such fragmentation, the resulting crystals still maintain a columnar shape and continue to extend in a certain direction.

To sum up, annealing is a process that solely focuses on stress relief without modifying the number of single crystal copper crystals. It is drawing that can cause changes in crystal morphology and potentially lead to crystal fragmentation. Understanding these differences is vital for the proper handling and utilization of single crystal copper materials in various industrial applications. Manufacturers and researchers need to carefully consider the appropriate processing methods based on the specific requirements of the end products. Whether it is to maintain the integrity of the single crystal structure or to achieve a desired crystal shape and size, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of annealing and drawing is indispensable in the field of single crystal copper material processing.