Optimal design of a split roll pass through numerical simulation

Split roll passes represent one of the more interesting ways to cut roll sequences since the tremendous reduction of cross sectional area achieved during the process. Actually, the employment of a grooved roll with a seabird-wing profile to process flat or oval bars incrementally reduces the height of the bar at the cross section central slice until it divides into two nearly circular/oval bars. Experimental tests of such a roll pass followed by numerical optimization were conducted to analyze the material flow during process. The experimental data were used to validate a FE model; therefore, several simulations were performed varying the dimensions of the incoming bar and the roll clearance. Moreover, since a rolling pass efficiency is somehow connected to the material elongation in the rolling direction, also the evaluation of the cross sectional area was performed.