Nucleation and growth process of sticking particles in ferritic stainless steel

Nucleation and growth process of sticking particle in ferritic stainless steels was investigated using a two-disk type hot rolling simulator. The sticking behavior was strongly dependent on the surface roughness of a high speed steel roil (HSS) and the oxidation resistance of the ferritic stainless steels. A sticking occurrence was more sensitive for the steels containing higher chromium. There was a critical value which was found to be 3 mu m of scale thickness in the suppression of the sticking phenomenon. It was also illustrated that the initial sticking particles were nucleated at the scratches formed on the roll surface and were served as the sticking growth sites. As rolling proceeded, the sticking particles grew by the process that the previous sticking particles provided the sticking growth sites.