Development of High Reduction Pre-Press Technique for Decreasing Crop Loss in Sizing Process

Abstract

In the sizing process, rolling width reduction of more than 50% occurs, resulting in a significant increase in the slab head and tail crops, which is a major factor contributing to reduced productivity. As a countermeasure, the pre-press technique has been applied in the sizing press. A decrease in slab end deformation using the pre-press technique is already known in the hot rolling process; however, the maximum width reduction achieved is approximately 30%. Thus, it is unclear if a similar decrease could be obtained under high width reduction conditions. Prior to the application of the pre-press technique, its effect under high width reduction conditions was evaluated using finite element method (FEM) analysis and experiments. In this study, the effectiveness of the FEM for analyzing slab end deformation and of the pre-press technique in reducing the slab crop under high reduction conditions has been demonstrated.