EVALUATION OF LUBRICANTS FOR COLD ROLLING ALUMINUM STRIPS

Various kinds of base oils were applied to cold rolling aluminum strips on a test mill for evaluationof the influences of these base oils,aromatics contents and viscosity of base oils on their lubricating performances and surface reflectivity of rolled strips at annealing. Results showed that low friction coefficient androlling force were obtained by using the normal paraffins,whereas their contaminations on the annealed stripsurface were the same as those of other saturated hydrocarbons. Aromatics in base oil affected the stir face reflectivity of annealed strips, but the decrease of aromatics in base oil was ineffective to improve rolled stripssurface quality when it is less than 1 %. Base oil viscosity has the great influences on the lubricating performances and surface reflectivity of annealed strips just in this condition.

MENDED GENETIC BP NETWORK AND APPLICATION TO ROLLING FORCE PREDICTION OF 4-STAND TANDEM COLD STRIP MILL

In order to make good use of the ability to approach any function of BP (backpropagation) network and overcome its local astringency, and also make good use of the overallsearch ability of GA (genetic algorithms), a proposal to regulate the network's weights using bothGA and BP algorithms is suggested. An integrated network system of MGA (mended genetic algorithms)and BP algorithms has been established. The MGA-BP network's functions consist of optimizing GAperformance parameters, the network's structural parameters, performance parameters, and regulatingthe network's weights using both GA and BP algorithms. Rolling forces of 4-stand tandem cold stripmill are predicted by the MGA-BP network, and good results are obtained.

STUDY ON STRIP AND ROLL DEFORMATION COUPLING OF COLD STRIP ROLLING ON 4-H MILL

The cold strip rolling process on a 4 h mill is studied by coupling the 3 dimensional plasticity deformation of the strip with the elastic deformation of the rolls. On the conditions of that the width to thickness ratio of the strip is 660 and the exit strip shapes are respectively edge wave, centre wave and good, the computed results of the transverse distributions of the roll gap, the rolling pressure, the inter roll pressure, and the front and back tension agree with the experimental results well. The studing methods and the studied results are of great importance to forming shape theory and guiding the development of shape control technology.

Research and Development Trend of Shape Control for Cold Rolling Strip

Shape is an important quality index of cold rolling strip. Up to now, many problems in the shape control domain have not been solved satisfactorily, and a review on the research progress in the shape control domain can help to seek new breakthrough directions. In the past 10 years, researches and applications of shape control models, shape control means, shape detection technology, and shape con- trol system have achieved significant progress. In the aspect of shape control models, the researches in the past improve the accuracy, speed and robustness of the models. The intelligentization of shape control models should be strengthened in the future. In the aspect of the shape control means, the researches in the past focus on the roll opti- mization, mill type selection, process optimization, local strip shape control, edge drop control, and so on. In the future, more attention should be paid to the coordination control of both strip shape and other quality indexes, and the refinement of control objective should be strengthened. In the aspects of shape detection technology and shape control system, some new types of shape detection meters and shape control systems are developed and have successfully indus- trial applications. In the future, the standardization of shape detection technology and shape control system should be promoted to solve the problem of compatibility. In general,the four expected development trends of shape control for cold roiling strip in the future are intelligentization, coordi- nation, refinement, and standardization. The proposed research provides new breakthrough directions for improv- ing shape quality.

Dynamic characteristics of cold rolling mill and strip based on flatness and thickness control in rolling process

The dynamic model of cold rolling mill based on strip flatness and thickness integrated control was proposed,containing the following sub-models:the rolling process model,the dynamic model of rolls along axial direction,and the compensation model.Based on the rule of volume flow rate,the dynamic rolling process model was built.The work roll and backup roll were taken as elastic continuous bodies,the effect of shear and moment of inertia were taken into consideration,and then the dynamic model of rolls was built.The two models were coupled together,and the dynamic model of rolling mill was built.In the dynamic model,the thermal expansion of the rolls,the wear of the rolls and other related parameters can not be considered.In order to compensate the dynamic model,the coupled static model of rolls and strip was applied.Then,according to the inner relationship of these models,the dynamic model and the compensation model were coupled,and the dynamic model of rolling mill based on the strip flatness and thickness integrated control was built.The dynamic simulation of the rolling process was made,and the dynamic thickness and the dynamic flatness information were obtained.This model not only provides a theory basis for the virtual rolling,but also provides a platform for the application of advanced control theory.

Surface quality of cold rolling aluminum strips under lubrication condition

The effects of oil film on the rolled surface, including surface roughness and topography, were investigated during cold rolling of aluminum strips. Various mineral oils with viscosities from 0.10 to 1.6 Pa.s were used to obtain different oil film thicknesses. Results from experiment and calculation show that the thicker oil film protects the initial roughening surface so that it leads to an increase in roughness of the rolled surface, in particular when the surface roughness has the character of direction. The rolled surface roughness was determined by 2, which is the ratio of oil film thickness to the combined surface roughness. When 2 〉 3, the rolled surface roughness increases rapidly with the increase in oil viscosity, whereas the surface roughening has already occurred when 2 〈 3, but the increase of the rolled surface roughness with increasing viscosity is not distinct.

Preset model of bending force for 6-high reversing cold rolling mill based on genetic algorithm

The hydraulic roll-bending device was studied, which was widely used in modem cold rolling mills to regulate the strip flatness. The loaded roll gap crown mathematic model and the strip crown mathematic model of the reversing cold rolling process were established, and the deformation model of roll stack system of the 6-high 1 250 mm high crown （HC） reversing cold rolling mill was built by slit beam method. The simulation results show that, the quadratic component of strip crown decreases nearly linearly with the increase of the work roll bending force, when the shifting value of intermediate roll is determined by the rolling process. From the first pass to the fifth pass of reversing rolling process, the crown controllability of bending force is gradually weakened. Base on analyzing the relationship among the main factors associated with roll-bending force in reversing multi-pass rolling, such as strip width and rolling force, a preset mathematic model of bending force is developed by genetic algorithm. The simulation data demonstrate that the relative deviation of flatness criterions in each rolling pass is improved significantly and the mean relative deviation of all five passes is decreased from 25.1% to 1.7%. The model can keep good shape in multi-pass reversing cold rolling process with the high prediction accuracy and can be used to guide the production process.

Study on Tribological Properties of the Rolling Fluid Containing Nano-MoS_2 for Cold Rolling of Steel Strip

The nano-MoS2 particles were adopted to substitute for the extreme-pressure and anti-wear additives to the rolling fluid for steel strips.An optimal formulation and technical process for adding nano-MoS2 particles to the rolling fluid were obtained through orthogonal experiments with three factors at three levels.The tests have led to the following conclusions:(a) the nanoparticles should be added to a base oil with high saponification value;(b) the concentration of nanoparticles in rolling fluid should be equal to 0.6%;and (c) when the reaction time needed for surfactants (oleic acid,for example) to modify the nanoparticles was 40 min,the rolling fluid could have the best tribological properties.The lubricity of rolling fluid was verified by using a 4-high cold rolling test mill which showed that the rolling fluid with nano-MoS2 particles had the excellent lubricant performance to improve the surface quality of the steel strip remarkably.The mechanism of nano-MoS2 particles in the rolling process has been investigated by a series of characterization instruments,which have showed that,with its fullerene-like structure,the nano-MoS2 particles have self-lubricating properties and extra-low friction coefficient,and can easily form a protective film with low shear strength on the surface of friction pairs.

Research on Lubrication Behaviors and Mechanism of Nano-Copper Used in Emulsions for Strip Cold Rolling

In this paper,nano-Cu particles with an average size of smaller than 20 nm were dispersed under ultrasonic agitation in emulsions for cold rolling of steel strips.The tribological properties of the cold rolling emulsion doped with nano-Cu particles were evaluated by using a four-ball machine,and the worn surfaces of the steel balls were checked by an optical microscope.A JC2000C1 wetting angle tester was also applied to study the variation in the emulsion's wetting performance when nano-Cu particles were incorporated.Furthermore,the lubricity of the emulsion doped with nano-Cu for steel strip cold rolling was evaluated on a four-high rolling mill for comparison with the emulsion without using nano-Cu particles.Test results indicated that nano-Cu particles as the additive used in cold rolling emulsion were able to improve the wetting property,friction-reducing,anti-wear,and extreme pressure performance of the base stock significantly.At the same time,nano-Cu particles also showed good lubricity to the cold-rolled steel strips.Namely,the cold-rolled steel strips under the lubrication of the cold rolling emulsion containing nano-Cu particles had considerably decreased the after-rolling thickness and achieved excellent surface quality as well.Finally,the lubrication mechanism of nano-Cu particles in the emulsion for cold rolling of steel strips was discussed.

Determination of Optimal Work Roll Profile for Cold Strip Mill

The model of predicting distribution of strip thickness at the exit and tension stress is established by using weighted residual method and variational method with consideration of rolled metal lateral flow.A New method of calculating loaded roll gap in relation to target tension stress is proposed.The minimum square summation of loaded roll gap deviation is used as an objective function for the first time to optimize initial work roll profile.

Neural Network Friction Model for Cold Strip Rolling

A neural network friction model with very good prediction accuracy was developed on the basis of industrial data. Simulative calculation indicated that the accuracy of rolling force and motor power calculation can be improved using the calculated friction coefficient. It was found that reduction ratio and deformation resistance of strip has more effects than other parameters, and the effects of most parameters are affected by rolling speed.

Slip Line Field Solution for Second Pass in Lubricated 4-High Reversing Cold Rolling Sheet Mill

The development of a possible slip line field (slf) for theoretical calculations of the deforming pressure (load) in a second pass of a lubricated cold rolling sheet mill and validation using values from an aluminium sheet rolling mill was done in this work. This will be relevant in the manufacturing industries providing an easy method for determining necessary applied rolling load. Experimental rolling was carried out to observe the shear lines in the deformation field. Construction of possible slip line field model was developed adhering strictly to assumptions of rigid plastic model. Calculation of the deforming force/load was achieved using Hencky’s equation. Results showed that the load calculations for constructed slip line field using aluminium sheet rolling as an example tallied with values obtained from Tower Aluminium rolling mill. Slip line fields constructed for the second pass described adequately the rolling pressure in the cold rolling process, giving a valid solution of the exact load estimates on comparison with the industrial load values. Roll pressure along the arc of contact rose fairly linearly from the entrance to a maximum at the exit point. This work showed that slf for the first pass in a cold rolling mill cannot be used for subsequent passes;it requires construction of slfs for each pass in the cold rolling process.

Effects of cold rolling and heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of AA 5052 aluminum alloy

The microstructures and mechanical properties of homogenized-rolled AA5052 aluminum alloys with different rolling reductions and following annealing treatments were investigated by optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, micro-hardness and tensile tests. The results show that with increasing rolling reduction, the equiaxed grains are elongated along the rolling direction obviously, and accumulation of rolling reduction increases the work hardening effect, which results in the enhanced strength and degraded plasticity. When rolling reduction is 87%, the ultimate tensile strength reaches 325 MPa but elongation is only 2.5%. There are much more secondary phase precipitates after annealing treatment. With an increase of annealing temperature, the amount of precipitates increases and work hardening diminishes continuously. The elongation is improved to ~23% but the tensile strength is decreased to 212 MPa after annealing at 300 °C for 4 h, which are comparable to those of as-homogenized alloy.

FEM Analysis of Rolling Pressure Along Strip Width in Cold Rolling Process

Using 3-D elastic-plastic FEM, the cold strip rolling process in a 4-high mill was simulated. The elastic deformation of rolls, the plastic deformation of the strip, and the pressure between the work roll and the backup roll were taken into account. The distribution of rolling pressure along the strip width was obtained. Based on the simulation results, the peak value of rolling pressure and the location of the peak were analyzed under different rolling conditions. The effects of the roll bending force and the strip width on the distribution of rolling pressure along the width direction were determined.

Research and Application of Non-symmetrical Roll Bending Control of Cold Rolling Mill

The existing research of the flatness control for strip cold rolling mainly focuses on the calculation of the optimum adjustment of individual flatness actuator in accordance with the flatness deviation, which can be used for general flatness control. However, it does not work for some special rolling processes, such as the elimination of ultra single side edge-waves and the prevention of strip break due to tilting roll control overshooting. For the purpose of solving these problems, the influences of non-symmetrical work roll bending and intermediate roll bending on flatness control were analyzed by studying efficiencies of them. Moreover, impacts of two kinds of non-symmetrical roll bending control on the pressure distribution between rolls were studied theoretically. A non-symmetrical work roll bending model was developed by theoretical analysis in accordance with practical conditions. The model was applied to the revamp of a 1250 6-H reversible universal crown mill (UCM) cold mill. Theoretical study and practical applications show that the coordination utilization of the non-symmetrical work roll bending control and tilting roll control was effective in flatness control when there appeared bad strip single side edge waves, especially when the incoming strip was with a wedge shape. In addition, the risk of strip break due to tilting control overshooting could be reduced. Furthermore, the non-symmetrical roll bending control can reduce the extent of uneven distribution of pressure between rolls caused by intermediate roll shifting in flatness control and slow down roll wear. The non-symmetrical roll bending control technology has important theoretical and practical significance to better flatness control.

Transverse Distributions of Front and Back Tension Stresses in Cold Strip Rolling

In this paper,such a new lateral displacement function is proposed that the lateral flow velocity is con- tinuous at the entry and the exit of deformation zone.A new kind of finite strip method—the third power B-spline finite strip method—is put forward to simulate strip rolling process.Front and back tension stresses are formulated.The computed results of the transverse distributions of the front and back tension stresses are close to the experimental results.The paper lays a foundation for further analysing the three-dimensional stresses and deformations of strip rolling.

Backup roll contour of a SmartCrown tandem cold rolling mill

SmartCrown was a new system developed by VAI for improving the strip profile and flatness control first applied in 1700 mm tandem cold rolling mills at Wuhan Iron ＆ Steel （Group） Corporation （WISCO）. After tracing and testing, the application of the conventional crown backup roll matching the SmartCrown work roll of the production mill led to heavy and nonuniform wear, and the edge spalling of the backup roll often occurred. A 3-dimension finite element model of roll stacks was established, which was used to analyze the above-mentioned problems, and it was found that the main reason was the highly nonuniform contact pressure distribution between the work roll and the backup roll. A new FSR （flexible shape backup roll） was developed and applied in 1700 mm tandem cold rolling mills. A lot of good actual effects of FSR, such as evident improvement in profile and flatness of strips, non-occurring edge spalling, wear uniform, and remarkable decrease in roll consumption were validated by long-term industrial applications.

Industrial shape detecting system of cold rolling strip

A high-precision shape detecting system of cold rolling strip is developed to meet industrial application, which mainly consists of the shape detecting roller, the collecting ring, the digital signal processing （DSP） shape signal processing board and the shape control model. Based on the shape detecting principle, the shape detecting roller is designed with a new integral structure for improving the precision of shape detecting and avoiding scratching strip surface. Based on the DSP technology, the DSP shape signal processing circuit board is designed and embedded in the shape detecting system for the reliability and stability of shape signal processing. The shape detecting system was successfully used in Angang 1 250 mm HC 6-high reversible cold rolling mill. The precision of shape detecting is 0.2 I and the shape deviation is controlled within 6 1 after the close loop shape control is input.

Formation mechanism and control of aluminum layer thickness fluctuation in embedded aluminum-steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding process

The influences of rolling reduction and aluminum sheet initial thickness(AIT)on the thickness fluctuation of aluminum layer(TFA)of embedded aluminum?steel composite sheet produced by cold roll bonding were investigated,the formation mechanism of TFA was analyzed and method to improve the thickness uniformity of the aluminum layer was proposed.The results showed that when the reduction increased,TFA increased gradually.When the reduction was lower than40%,AIT had negligible effect on the TFA,while TFA increased with the decrease of AIT when the reduction was higher than40%.The non-uniformities of the steel surface deformation and the interfacial bonding extent caused by the work-hardened steel surface layer,were the main reasons for the formation of TFA.Adopting an appropriate surface treatment can help to decrease the hardening extent of the steel surface for improving the deformation uniformity during cold roll bonding process,which effectively improved the aluminum thickness uniformity of the embedded aluminum/steel composite sheets.

Improvement on strip flatness of cold temper mills by modifying roll contour shape

A study on roll gap profile (strip profile) control was accomplished in a1700 mm single-stand temper mill. Some critical problems such as the deviation of work roll contourcaused by grinding and wear, the effectiveness of work roll bending were discussed. Using a finiteelement model, the effects of roll contours (ground and wear) on strip profile were investigated.The roll bending effect on strip thickness was also analyzed. It is pointed out that there are somespecial features of flatness control in the temper mill: during temper rolling, roll deformation isslight due to small rolling load, and the loaded roll gap profile mainly depends on work rollcontour, while the backup roll has a little effect on gap crown; the effect of bending force ongauge can not be ignored due to the coupling between flatness control and gauge control. A new rollcontour arrangement adaptable to the mill was presented and has been put into practical production.The application of the new set of rolls showed some good results: larger crown control range of workroll bender, higher rolling stability, better strip profile and flatness quality.