Finite Element Simulation of Hot Rolling for Large-Scale AISI 430 Ferritic Stainless-Steel Slabs Using Industrial Rolling Schedules—Part 2: Simulation of the Roughing Stage and Comparison with Experimental Results

Abstract

Modeling hot rolling remains a major challenge in computational solid mechanics. It demands the simultaneous consideration of geometric and material responses. Although the finite element method (FEM) is widely used, multi-pass simulations often treat each pass independently, leading to error accumulation, particularly in flat product rolling, where inter-pass interactions are crucial. Advanced models and remeshing techniques have been developed to address these issues, but substantial computational resources are required. In this study, a previously validated and simplified 3D FEM model was employed to simulate the initial stages of the hot rolling of large-scale AISI 430 ferritic stainlesssteel slabs, using data from an industrial rolling schedule. Specifically, the simulations encompassed preheating and descaling, and seven passes of the roughing stage. Through these simulations, a transfer bar with an approximate length of 16,100 mm was obtained. The simulated thickness and rolling load values were compared with experimental data, demonstrating good agreement in most passes. Subsequently, the temperature, effective plastic strain, and equivalent stress distributions along the rolled material were extracted and analyzed. The results highlighted that the employed model adequately predicted the variations in the analyzed parameters throughout the volume of the rolled material during the different stages of the process. However, discrepancies were identified in the rolling load values during the final passes, which were attributed to the presence of phenomena not considered in the constitutive model used. This model will be refined in future studies to reduce the error in the rolling load estimation.