An integrated model for prediction of thermo-mechanical behaviour of metal and work-rolls during hot strip rolling process

In this paper an integrated model has been developed that is capable of considering the effects of process parameters on the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the work-roll and the strip during hot rolling operations. The commercially finite element package ABAQUS is utilized to solve the governing equations, while an elasto-viscoplastic material behaviour is utilized in the model. The model may be employed in single-pass as well as multi-pass rolling layouts. Various aspects of the hot rolling process are predicted including temperature field and thermo-mechanical stresses within the work-roll as well as temperature, strain, and residual stresses distributions within the strip. To assess the accuracy of the model, predicted results have been compared with experimental data and good agreement has been observed.