Prediction of roll force and torque during hot flat rolling of En 2 steel

Abstract

A comparison has been made between the experimentally determined values of roll force and torque produced during the hot rolling of an En 2 steel slab and those predicted by calculation. The latter were obtained using a fourth-order Runge–Kutta technique, originally developed by Alexander. An experimental programme was also carried out, to obtain values of the compressive flow stress, the coefficient of friction between slab and roll, and the temperature distribution in the material during rolling, to provide data for use in the roll-force calculations. The mean level of discrepancy obtained was 6·5% (standard deviation 17%) in the case of roll force and 8·7% (25%) in the case of roll torque, but most of these discrepancies can be accounted/or by uncertainties in the data used in the calculations. It is concluded, therefore, that this method of calculation could provide a realistic prediction of roll force and torque, provided the data used in the calculation are known sufficiently accurately.