Texture and Microstructure of Ag Core MP35N Wire with NDR Process

Fort Wayne Metals (FWM) is a major provider of MP35N and Ag-cored MP35N conductor wires for leads in medical device application. Recently, FWM produced MP35N and Ag-cored MP35N wires using a special, proprietary process. Wire produced with this special process has unique mechanical properties: lower ultimate tensile strength compare to conventional wire, higher tensile yield strength, extremely high elongation, and a lower Young's modulus. Because of its unique mechanical properties, the wire becomes an interesting material for microstructure investigation. An EBSD analysis was conducted on a Ag-core MP35N wire with the NDR process. The analysis was performed to determine crystallography texture, grain size and grain boundary characterization. In this study, the modulus of MP35N wire along <111> and <001> direction were estimated from its strong textured wire property.