Introduction

What is rolling?
Process of reducing the thickness
(or changing the cross-section) of a
long workpiece by compressive
forces applied through a set of rolls

Chapter 13 What is rolled?

Plates

Rolling of Metals
Thickness > 6mm
Used for structural applications
Sheets
Thickness < 6mm
Alexandra Schonning, Ph.D. Used for aircraft and automobile
bodies, appliances, food and
Mechanical Engineering beverage containers
University of North Florida Boeing 747: 1.8 mm skin thickness
Aluminum beverage cans: 0.28 mm
Aluminum foil: 0.008 mm
Figures by
Manufacturing Engineering and Technology Processes
Kalpakijan and Schmid Flat rolling
Shape rolling

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Flat Rolling Flat Rolling

Strip (h0) enters the roll
gap and reduces to (hf).
Each of the rollers is
powered through a shaft
and a motor
Velocity of the rolls
surface is constant
Frictional Forces High friction
Relative sliding occurs between high forces and power
the roller and the strip requirements
The velocity of the strip Neutral Point (no sliding point) May damage the surface
increases through the Before neutral point friction
aids the motion
Compromise is necessary
process Draft: difference in initial and
After the neutral point, friction
breaks the motion final thickness
Fluid must flow faster Net frictional force must be in ho-hf=2R
through a converging the direction of motion: h: initial and final thickness
channel Friction is necessary : coefficient of friction
Highest velocity at exit
R: Roll radius

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Roll Force and Power Requirements Reducing Roll Force

Force is required F acts in the middle of Why are roll forces bad?
perpendicular to the L Can cause deflection and flattening of
material to reduce the A = L/2
the rolls
thickness The roll stand (housing, bearings etc.)
may stretch
Roll force in flat rolling: Torque per roll:
What can be done to minimize roll
F=L**Yavg F*a forces?
F: the applied force Power: Reducing friction
L: roll strip contact length Using smaller diameter rolls to reduce
w: width of the strip F L N contact area
Power kW
Yavg: average true stress on 60000 Smaller reductions per pass
strip Rolling at elevated temperatures
F L N Apply longitudinal tension forces to
Power Hp strip during rolling
33000
Front tension
Applied to increase the rotational speed
of the take-up reel
Back tension
Breaking action is applied to the reel
supplying the sheet (pay-off reel)

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1
 Geometric Considerations
Roll forces bend the rolls
during rolling
High elastic modulus of
roll material lower
deflection of roll
Result
The rolled strip is thicker
at the center
Called a crown
How to avoid crowning
Grind the rollers so that
the center diameter is
larger than the edge
diameters.
This is called: giving the
roller camber
Apply bending to the rolls
Flat Rolling Practice
Initially through hot
rolling
Above recrystallization
temperature
Converts the cast structure
to a wrought structure
Finer grains
Enhanced ductility
Defects in Rolled Plates and Sheets
Scale, rust, scratches,
gouges, pits, cracks
Wavy edges
Strip is thinner along
edges then its center
Cracking
Poor material ductility at
the rolling temperature
Alligatoring
Defects in the original cast
billet
Poor flatness
Corrected by leveling rolls
Geometric Considerations (cont.)
Thermal camber
May occur due to heat
generated during the Spreading
plastic deformation of the The increased width
strip resulting from rolling
This results in strips that
are thinner in the center Low for: high width to
thickness plates have
Controlled by varying the
location of the coolant High for: square cross
sections
Can be prevented using
vertical rolls
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Flat Rolling Practice (cont.)
First hot rolling operation
results in
Bloom
Conditioning
The bloom/slab/billet is conditioned
Square cross section (>150
mm) Scarfing to remove heavy scale
Processed further by shape
rolling Pickling with acids: removal of scale developed during hot
I-beams rolling
Slab Cold rolling
Rectangular cross section
Processed further by rolling
At room temperature
plates or sheets Better surface finish than hot rolling
Billets Pack rolling
Square, smaller than blooms
Rods, wire Two or more metals are rolled together
Ex: Aluminum foil (matte on the Al-Al side, shiny on
Al-roller side)
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Other Characteristics
Residual stresses
Small diameter rolls result in larger plastic deformations than
large diameter rolls
Compressive residual stresses can be beneficial
Dimensional tolerance
Cold rolling flatness: +/- 0.1 mm to +/- 0.35 mm
Hot rolling flatness: +/- 0.1 mm to +/- 0.35 mm
Surface roughness
Cold rolling produces fine surface finishes
Hot rolling produces surface finish similar to sand casting.
Gage numbers
The thicker the sheet the lower the gage number
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2
 Rolling Mills Rolling Mill

Figure 13.10 A general

view of a rolling mill.
Rolled product may be Tandem rolling Source: Inland Steel.
Up to 5 m wide
Thin as 0.0025 mm Rolled through numerous
Roll setup rolls in one pass. The
Two-high, Three-high
thickness is reduced with
Used during the initial hot each pass
rolling
Three-high
Rolls
Reversing mill Made of cast iron, cast
Material movement is reversed steel, forged steel
after each pass
Four-high and cluster mills
Small diameter rolls
Lower roll forces and power
requirements
Replacements of rolls is less
expensive

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Shape-Rolling Operations Shape-Rolling Operations (cont.)

Variable cross Ring Rolling

sections can be Ring shaped blank
rolled At room or elevated
temperature
Advantage:
Material saving
Close tolerances
Short production times

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Shape-Rolling Operations (cont.) Production of Seamless Pipe and Tubing

Thread rolling Rotary Tube Piercing

Cold forming process
Threads are shaped on rods or Process used for making long, thick walled pipe and tubing.
tapered rods Radial compressive forces cause tensile forces to develop at the
Volume is constant during
operation center of the bar a cavity begins to form
Good strength due to cold Internal mandrel helps in expanding the hole
working
Types
Flat reciprocating dies
Rotary dies
Soft material: rolling is used to
form threads
Hard material: threads are
machined
Spur and helical gears can be
produced using cold rolling

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