SIMULATION OF T-SECTION PROFILE RING ROLLING BY THE 3-D RIGID-PLASTIC FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD

The three-dimensional rigid-plastic finite element method is used to simulate the open pass profile ring rolling of a T-shaped section from an initially rectangular cross-section. Because the ring rolling process is incremental and the deforming region is restricted to the vicinity of the roll gap, only a ring segment spanning the roll gap is analysed in order to save computation time. As the thickness of the ring is reduced, the mesh system is progressively modified to treat profile development more effectively. Roll separating force, strain distribution, strain rate distribution and cross-sectional configuration of the deformed ring are calculated. Comparisons between computation and experiment show good agreement in roll separating force and cross-sectional configuration of the deformed ring.