BTI1133

Manufacturing Processes
LECTURE 04 – METAL ROLLING PROCESSES AND EQUIPMENT

Reference: Kalpakjian, S. & Schmid, S. Chapter 13: Manufacturing Engineering Technology in SI Units, 7th Edition

Ann Suhaimi, Semester II 2021/2022

PART III: Forming and Shaping Processes and
Equipment
“Forming” indicates changing the shape of an existing solid body
PART III: Forming and Shaping Processes and
Equipment
For forming processes, the starting material may be in the shape of a
plate, sheet, bar, rod, wire, or tubing of various cross sections
Shaping processes involve the molding and casting of molten
materials and the finished product is near the final desired shape
Molten metal is cast into individual ingots or continuously cast into
slabs, rods, or pipes
Cast structures are converted to wrought structures by plastic-
deformation processes
Chapter Outline
Introduction
The Flat-rolling Process
Flat-rolling Practice
Rolling Mills
Various Rolling Processes and Mills
Introduction
Rolling is the process of
reducing the cross section
of a long workpiece by
compressive forces
applied through a set
of rolls
The Flat-rolling Process
Flat-rolling process is shown
Friction forces act on strip surfaces
Roll force, F, and torque, T, acts on the rolls

h
The Flat-rolling Process
As the surface speed of the rigid roll is constant, there is relative sliding between the
roll and the strip along the arc of contact in the roll gap, L
At neutral point or no-slip point, the velocity of the strip is the same as that of the
roll
The maximum possible draft is defined as the difference between the initial and final
strip thicknesses, which is a function of coefficient of friction, , between the strip and
the roll radius R

From the relationship, the higher the friction and the larger the roll radius, the greater
the maximum possible draft
Roll Force, Torque, and Power Requirements
Rolls apply pressure on the flat strip to reduce its thickness, resulting in a roll force, F
Roll force in flat rolling can be estimated from
L = roll-strip contact length
w = width of the strip
Yavg = average true stress of the strip
Total power (for two rolls) is
Roll Force, Torque, and Power Requirements
EXAMPLE 13.1
Calculation of Roll Force and Torque in Flat-rolling
An annealed copper strip 250 mm wide and 25 mm thick is rolled to a
thickness of 20 mm in one pass. The roll radius is 300 mm, and the
rolls rotate at 100 rpm. Calculate the roll force and the power required
in this operation, given that annealed copper true stress is 80 MPa in
unstrained condition, and 280 MPa at true strain of 0.223.
Roll Force, Torque, and Power Requirements
Solution
Roll-strip contact length is calculated through geometry,

𝐿= 𝑅(ℎ! − ℎ" ) = 300(25 − 20) = 38.7 𝑚𝑚

𝑙 25
Absolute true strain of the strip is, 𝜀 = ln 𝑙 = ln 20 = 0.223
!

Average true stress is average true stress when the strip is in unstrained and strained
condition

The roll force is

Roll Force, Torque, and Power Requirements
Solution
With 100 rpm, the total power is calculated from

Force and the power requirements is difficult to obtained due to (a) the exact geometry
between the roll and the strip and (b) coefficient of friction and the strength of the
material in the roll gap
Roll Force, Torque, and Power Requirements
Reducing Roll Force
Roll forces can cause deflection and flattening of the rolls
The columns of the roll stand may deflect under high roll forces
Roll forces can be reduced by:
1. Reducing friction at the roll–workpiece interface
2. Using smaller diameter rolls
3. Reduce the contact area
4. Rolling at elevated temperatures
5. Applying front and/or back tensions to the strip
Various roll arrangements
Geometric Considerations
Roll forces will bend the rolls elastically during rolling
When the roll bends, the strip has a constant thickness along its width
The heat generated by plastic deformation cause the rolls to be slightly
barrel shaped (thermal camber)
Roll forces also tend to flatten the rolls elastically
Geometric Considerations
Spreading(铺展)
Increase in width is called spreading
Spreading increases with:
1. Decreasing width-to-thickness ratio of the
entering strip
2. Increasing friction(增加摩擦)
3. Decreasing ratio of the roll radius to the strip
thickness
Vibration and Chatter
Vibration and chatter have effects on product quality and the
productivity of metalworking operations
Chatter defined as self-excited vibration
Occur in rolling and in extrusion, drawing, machining, and grinding
operations
Chatter results from interactions between the structural dynamics of
the mill stand and the dynamics of the rolling operation
Chatter can be reduced by increasing the roll radius, strip-roll friction
and incorporating dampers in the roll supports
Flat-rolling Practice
Initial rolling steps (breaking down) of the material is done by hot
rolling
A cast structure is dendritic and is brittle and porous
Hot rolling converts the cast structure to a wrought structure with
finer grains and enhanced ductility
Product of the first hot-rolling operation is called a bloom, a slab, or a
billet
To improve flatness, the rolled strip goes through a series of leveling
rolls
Changes in grain structures of cast or of large-grain wrought metals during hot rolling

a) Method of roller leveling to flatten rolled sheets, b) Roller leveling to straighten drawn bars
Defects in Rolled Plates and Sheets
Defects may be present on the surfaces or there may be internal structural defects
They are undesirable as they compromise surface appearance and adversely affect
strength, formability, and other manufacturing characteristics
Surface defects may be caused by inclusions and impurities in the original cast
material
Wavy edges on sheets are
the result of roll bending
Cracks are due to poor
material ductility at the
rolling temperature
Other Characteristics of Rolled Metals
Residual Stresses
Residual stresses develop in rolled plates and sheets due to nonuniform deformation
of materials in roll gap
Other Characteristics of Rolled Metals
Dimensional Tolerances
Thickness tolerances for cold-rolled sheets range from ±0.1~0.35 mm
Flatness tolerances are within ±15 mm/m for cold rolling and ±55
mm/m for hot rolling

Surface Roughness
Cold rolling can produce a very fine surface finish
Cold-rolled sheets products may not require additional finishing
operations
Rolling Mills
Automated mills produce close-tolerance, low cost and high quality plates and sheets
at high production rates
Rolling Mills
Two-high rolling mills are used for
hot rolling in initial breakdown passes
(cogging mills) on cast ingots or in
continuous casting
In tandem rolling, the strip is rolled
continuously through a number of
stands to thinner gages with each
pass
Rolling Mills
Roll Materials
Basic requirements for roll materials are strength and resistance to wear
Forged-steel rolls have higher strength, stiffness, and toughness than cast-iron rolls
Rolls made for cold rolling should not be used for hot rolling as they may crack from
thermal cycling (and spalling

Lubricants
Hot rolling of ferrous alloys do not need lubricants
Water-based solutions are used to cool the rolls
Various Rolling Processes
Shape Rolling
Straight and long structural
shapes are formed at elevated
temperatures by shape rolling
Figure shows steps in the
shape of rolling an I-beam part.
Various Rolling Processes
Roll Forging
Cross section of a round bar is shaped by passing it through a pair of
rolls with profiled grooves, also known as cross rolling
Various Rolling Processes
Skew Rolling
Similar to roll forging and used for making ball bearings
Another method is to shear pieces from a round bar and then upset
them in headers between two dies with hemispherical cavities
Various Rolling Processes
Ring Rolling
A thick ring is expanded into a large-diameter thinner one
Thickness is reduced by bringing the rolls closer together as they rotate
Short production times, material savings and close dimensional tolerances
Various Rolling Processes
Thread Rolling
Thread rolling is a cold-forming process by which straight or tapered threads are
formed on round rods or wire
Threads are formed with rotary dies at high production rates
Various Rolling Processes
Thread Rolling
Thread-rolling process has the advantages of generating threads with
good strength without any loss of material
Internal thread rolling can be carried out with a fluteless forming
tap, produces accurate internal threads with good strength
Various Rolling Processes
Rotary Tube Piercing
Also known as the Mannesmann process
It is a hot-working operation for making long, thick-walled seamless
pipe and tubing
The round bar is subjected to radial compressive forces while tensile
stresses develop at the center of the bar
Various Rolling Processes
Tube Rolling
Diameter and thickness of pipes and tubing can be reduced by tube rolling, which
utilizes shaped rolls
Various Mills
Integrated Mills
Integration process starts from production of hot metal to the casting and rolling of
finished products to shipping

Minimills
Scrap metal is:
1. Melted in electric-arc furnaces
2. Cast continuously
3. Rolled directly into specific lines of products