Computer-aided analysis of metal flow and stresses in plate rolling

Abstract

A computer-aided design (CAD) system for predicting metal flow and roll stresses in plate rolling was developed. This CAD system utilizes information on material flow stress and interface friction and is capable of predicting: (i) The lateral spread, elongation, boundaries of the deformation zone, and the location of the neutral plane. (A modular upper-bound method was utilized for this purpose.) (ii) The stresses, roll-separating force and roll torque in rolling of plates. (The slab method of analysis was utilized for this purpose.) The validity of the computerized models was evaluated by conducting plate-rolling experiments with mild-steel (AISI 1018) plates in the laboratory under cold- and hot-working conditions. The predictions of the metal flow, the stresses, load, and torque were found to be in good agreement with the measured values. Thus, the CAD system is considered to be valid for practical engineering purposes and can be utilized in design and analysis of the process for plate-rolling mills.