This paper presents a numerical investigation of the effects of lamination orientation on the fracture behaviour of rectangular steel wires for civil engineering applications using finite element (FE) analysis. The presence of mid-thickness across-the-width lamination changes the cup and cone fracture shape exhibited by the lamination-free wire to a V-shaped fracture with an opening at the bottom/pointed end of the V-shape at the mid-thickness across-the-width lamination location. The presence of mid-width across-the-thickness lamination changes the cup and cone fracture shape of the lamination-free wire without an opening to a cup and cone fracture shape with an opening at the lamination location. The FE fracture behaviour prediction approach adopted in this work provides an understanding of the effects of lamination orientation on the fracture behaviour of wires for civil engineering applications which cannot be understood through experimental investigations because it is impossible to machine laminations in different orientations into wire specimens.

The effects of the miniature channel-shaped scratches not detectable by the present inline electromagnetic defect detection system employed for wires’ surface defect detection on the fracture behaviour of the wires for civil engineering applications were investigated numerically. Finite element analysis revealed that both miniature channel-shaped across-the-thickness and across-the-width scratches change the fracture behaviour of the wires in terms of the fracture initiation locations and fracture process sequence. However, miniature across-the-thickness scratches does not affect the fracture shape of the wire while miniature across-the-width scratches changed the wires’ cup and cone fracture to a fracture shape with a predominantly flat fracture. These results provide an understanding of the fracture behaviour of wires with miniature scratches and serve as an alternative or a complimentary tools to experimental or fractographic failure analysis of wires with miniatures scratches which are difficult to carry out in the laboratory due to the sizes of the scratches.