Analysis of the roll hunting force due to hardness in a hot rolling process

Abstract

A hot rolling operation is performed to alter the thickness of a metal by passing the material through a pair of rollers, forming a gap that is somewhat narrower than the thickness of the material. Therefore, the quality of the product is a function of the pressure applied by the rollers. However, in this process, a roll hunting force occurs in which the rolling force is irregularly changed during the rotation of the rollers due to various complex mechanisms, which include roll surface hardness, difference in rotational speed between rolls, heat treatment conditions, and roll wear. In this study, roll wear tests were conducted to analyze the roll hunting force caused by variation in the hardness of the work roll. The friction coefficient of the work roll was then examined based on hardness. Then, a two-dimensional finite element model was constructed to investigate the roll hunting force as a function of the change in friction coefficient of the work roll. This finite element model was verified in relation to the theoretical rolling expression. Finite element model analysis was performed for three friction coefficients, and the effect of the roll hunting force was determined based on the reduction ratio and temperature. In addition, the wear depth of the work roll by the hardness was predicted. The influence of the abrasion of the work roll on the hunting force was analyzed.