7.

9 FLAT ROLLING

Flat rolling of plates and sheets is essentially a plain-strain compression because the length of
contact between rolls and work piece, L, is usually much smaller than the width of the sheet, w
(Figure 7.8). As the plastic region is thinned by the compressive stress, σz, , it is free to expand in the
rolling direction, x. However lateral expansion in the y-direction is constrained by the undeforming
material on both sides of the roll gap. The net effect is a condition of plane strain, εy = 0 and εz =
−εx, except at the edges.On the inlet side of the gap, the roll surface is moving faster than the work
material, whereas on the outlet side material moves faster than the roll surface (Figure 7.9). This
causes friction to act toward the neutral point, N, creating a friction hill.

94 SLAB ANALYSIS AND FRICTION

7.8. Schematic of the deformation zone in flat rolling.

7.9. On the inlet side, the surface of the roll moves faster than the work piece and on the outlet side
the work piece moves faster. This causes friction to act on the work piece toward the neutral point,
N.

Figure 7.10 shows the roll-gap geometry, where R is the roll radius, h = ho-hf and L is the projected
contact length. It can be seen that

. (7.33)

Neglecting the last term

(7.34)

where the reduction is r = h/ ho

.The frictional effects are similar to those in plane-strain compression. If the curvature of the roll
contact area is neglected, equation 7.16 with L substituted for b and (ho+ hf )/2 substituted for h can
be used to find the average pressure, so

(7.35)

7.10. ROLL FLATTENING

7.10. Geometry of the roll gap.

where σ is the average plane-strain flow stress in the roll gap. If the material strain hardens, a simple
approximation is )/2, where σ and σ are the flow stresses of the material at the entrance and exit if
the roll gap. If front tension or back tension is applied, this has the effect of lowering σ so equation
7.35 becomes

(7.36)

where σ and σ are the back and front tensile stresses. Figure 7.11 illustrates the effects of back and
front tension. The position of the neutral point shifts with front or back tension.

EXAMPLE 7.5: The plane-strain flow stress, σ, of a metal is 200 MPa. A sheet 0.60 m wide and 3 mm
thick is to be cold rolled to 2.4 mm in a single pass using 30 cm diameter rolls. Assuming a coefficient
of friction is 0.075,

(a) Compute the roll pressure.

(b) If front tension of 75 MPa were applied, what would be the average roll pressure?

SOLUTION:

(a) Substituting h = (3 + 2.4)/2 = 2.7 mm and L = (150 × 0.6) = 9.487 mm into equation 7.36, P =
[2.7/(0.075)(9.487)][exp(0.075)(9.487)/2.7](200) = 988 MPa.
(b) P = [2.7/(0.075)(9.487)][exp(0.075)(9.487)/2.7](200 − 37.5) = 803 MPa.

7.10 ROLL FLATTENING

With thin sheets and large roll diameters, the pressure from the friction hill can be very large,
causing P to be very high. The roll separating force per width, F = P L,increases even more rapidly.
The high separating force causes the roll surfaces to elastically flatten much as an automobile tire
flattens under the weight of a car.

96 SLAB ANALYSIS AND FRICTION

7.11. Roll gap (a) showing how the strain (b) and roll pressure (c) vary across the gap. The effect of
front and back tension (d).

The actual radius of contact, R , is larger than R as illustrated in Figure 7.12. Hitchcock derived an
approximate expression for R’

(7.37)
where E = E/(1 – ν ) and ν is Poisson’s ratio. With L = √ Rh the roll separating force per unit length
becomes where

7.10. ROLL FLATTENING

7.12. Roll flattening.

and σ )/2. The roll separating force, F L, may be written ), and (7.40)

The effect of roll flattening is to increase the roll separating force because both P and L increase.
Both F and R can be found by solving equations 7.38 and 7.40. Figure 7.13 is a plot of both equations
for σ = 100,000 lbs, E = 33 × 10 psi, r = 5%, R = 5 in and µ = 0.2. Initial thicknesses of h = 0.100, 0.040,
and 0.020 in were assumed. The intersections give the appropriate values of F and R . There is no
intersection for h = 0.02 because the roll flattening is so severe that that thickness cannot be
achieved. There is a minimum thickness that can be rolled:

(7.42)

where C is between 6 and 7.

With C = 7, and the conditions cited above, h = 0.021 in, which explains why there is no solution for h
= 0.020 in Figure 7.13. Methods of achieving thinner sheets and foils include better lubrication
(lower µ), application of back and front tension (σ and σ ), lower σ (achieved by annealing), and use
of smaller diameter rolls. Small diameter rolls will bend under high separating forces. The use of
back-up rolls lessens this effect. An example is the Sendzimer mill shown in Figure 7.14. Use of
carbide rolls instead of steel rolls increases E

98 SLAB ANALYSIS AND FRICTION

7.13. Variation of roll-separating force vs. R (solid line) and dependence of flattened radius on roll-
separating force (dashed line). A flow stress of 100 ksi was assumed. The intersections satisfy both
conditions. Note that there is no solution for h

7.14. Sendzimir mill. Courtesy of T. Sendzimir Inc. and Loewy Robertson Engineering Co. Ltd., U.K.

EXAMPLE 7.6: A sheet of steel with a plane-strain yield strength of 500 MPa is cold rolled between
25 cm diameter rolls to a reduction of 5%. The plane-strain modulus E = 225 GPa and the initial sheet
thickness is 2.5 mm. The coefficient of friction is 0.15.