Rolling

A bloom usually has a square cross-section, at least 150 mm on the side; a slab usually is rectangular in cross-section. Blooms are processed further, by shape-rolling, into structural shapes, such as I-beams and railroad rails Slabs are rolled into plates and sheet Billets usually are square (with a cross-sectional area smaller than blooms) and later are rolled into various shapes, such as round rods and bars, using shaped rolls.

Rolling
Rolling is the main method used to shape into different products after it has been cast.

There are 2 types of rolling :

1. Hot rolling 2. Cold rolling

The rolling process consist of passing the steel between two rolls revolving at the same speed but in opposite directions. The gap between the rolls is smaller than the steel being rolled, so that the steel is reduced in thickness and at the same time lengthened in length.

Rolling

h0 = initial thickness, hf = final thickness w0 = initial thickness, wf = final thickness

Rolling
One set of rollers is called a stand, and in any one mill there can be a number of stands.
One length of steel can pass through a stand a number of times so that it is gradually reduced in size and progressively rolled to the desired shape. A slab 230 mm thick can end up only 1.5 mm thick, but many times longer, after the hot rolling process.

Rolling
1. Hot Rolling

The initial breaking down of an ingot or of a continuously cast slab is done by hot rolling
Slab, billet and bloom from casting process having coarse and uniform grains (cast structure). This structure is usually brittle and may contain porosities Before hot rolling, slabs, blooms and billets are heated in a furnace to about 1200C. This make easier to roll the steel and removes through, flaky surface or scale

Hot rolling converts the cast structure to a wrought structure

Wrought structure has finer grains and enhanced ductility, resulting from, 1) breaking up of brittle grain boundaries 2) closing up of internal defects, especially porosity

Rolling
2. Cold Rolling
Certain types of steel are cold rolled after hot rolling. Before cold rolling the steel is cleaned with acid (pickled) to remove the scale. Cold rolling is carried out at room temperature and is rolled at very fast speeds using lubricants to reduce friction. Cold rolling increases the strength, makes steel thinner and produces a bright smooth surface

Because of the forces that acting on the rolls, rolls undergo certain geometric changes >>>> bending As a result of rolls bending, the rolled strip tends to be thicker (have a crown) at its center than its edge The usual method of avoiding this crown phenomena, is to grind the rolls so that their diameter at the center is slightly larger than at their edges (give them camber) Thus, when the roll bends, its contact along the width of the strip becomes straight and the strip being rolled has a constant thickness along its width

Defects During Rolling Process

Figure a. Wavy edges. The strip is thinner along its edges than its center. Because the edges elongate more than the center, they buckle, because they are restrained from expanding freely in the longitudinal (rolling) direction. Figure b zipper crack. Figure c edge crack The cracks result from poor material ductility at the rolling temperature Figure d - Alligatoring caused by nonuniform deformation during rolling or by the presence of defects in the original cast billet