The Mechanics of Longitudinal Rolling of Tube through Grooved Rolls

Summary

Earlier theoretical analyses of longitudinal tube rolling have been based on equilibrium methods but such analyses have not yielded relationships which correlated satisfactorily with experimental results. Consequently a new approach, incorporating strain energy, the constant shear stress principle for friction, and the apparent strain concept, has been developed to enable roll load and other parameters to be predicted.

To simulate the hot rolling of steel, lead tubes, without internal support were rolled through two grooved rolls and measurements were made of pressure distribution, roll separating force, torque and other parameters.

The energy method shews an improvement over the equilibrium method as there is good agreement between the new theoretical predictions and the test results. The theory can be relied on for design or operational purposes.