Gutter broom wire comes in two distinct styles, oil tempered and oil quenched.
Oil quenched steel wire is cold rolled steel that is covered in a lubricating oil to help reduce rust and friction. This type of steel wire is cheaper and may wear faster. This is most commonly used for road sweeping. This type of gutter broom wire should never be used for airport maintenance as pieces of the wire left over from sweeping could be embedded or laying on the asphalt.
Oil tempered steel wire is tempered after the forming process which aligns the steel molecules into a lattice. This heating process allows the wire to retain it's memory and makes it far more resilient. Oil tempered wire is the only steel wire used in sensitive applications like airport maintenance and runway clearing.
Oil quenched steel wire is cold rolled steel that is covered in a lubricating oil to help reduce rust and friction. This type of steel wire is cheaper and may wear faster. This is most commonly used for road sweeping. This type of gutter broom wire should never be used for airport maintenance as pieces of the wire left over from sweeping could be embedded or laying on the asphalt.
Oil tempered steel wire is tempered after the forming process which aligns the steel molecules into a lattice. This heating process allows the wire to retain it's memory and makes it far more resilient. Oil tempered wire is the only steel wire used in sensitive applications like airport maintenance and runway clearing.