Study Of The Influence Of Process Parameters On Radial- Axial Ring Rolling Forming

Radial-axial ring rolling is an advance metal forming technology for manufacturing seamless rings with various dimensions, materials and cross-sections. In the process, the roller motions, the roller sizes and the blank sizes have a significant impact on not only ring roundness, final diameter, strain and temperature distributions, but also force and power parameters, and energy consumption. However, the Radial-axial ring rolling is a highly nonlinear problem under coupled effects of multi-fields and multi-factors, which is characterized by three-dimensional incremental deformation, unsteady state and asymmetry. And it is difficult to conduct a comprehensive study through the theory analysis, experience summary and tests. So, the finite element simulation and experiment method were adopted to analyze and reveal the influence of process parameters on radial-axial ring rolling forming. The main content in this paper are as follows:Based on the working principle of the radial-axial ring rolling process, a FE model for radial-axial ring rolling is explored using DEFORM-3D software by solving some key technologies, such as: roller motion control, geometric modeling, meshing and boundary conditions. Then the FE model was verified through the comparison between numeric simulation and actual rolling. The numeric simulation of radial-axial ring rolling process was achieved; then, the strain distribution and temperature distribution of rolled ring and the changing laws of force parameters were investigated. The results show: the strain distribution is nonuniform, the strain gradually decreases from the surface region to the central region of the ring cross-section, and the region with the largest strain locates at the edge region, while the region with the lowest strain locates at the central region; the temperature distribution of rolled ring is inhomogeneous, the temperature gradually decreases from the central region to the surface region of the ring cross-section, and the edge region has the lowest temperature. In the initial stage of rolling, the rolling force and rolling torque are rapidly increases to maximum, and then in stable stage and ending stage of rolling, rolling force and rolling torque are fluctuation and decrease gradually.The design of the roller motions, the roller sizes, and the blank sizes were completed and reasonable comparison schemes were established. By completing a series of numeric simulations, the effect of process parameters including the roll motions, the roll sizes and the blank sizes on ring forming effect and energy consumption in radial-axial ring rolling process were systematically studied.The main conclusions were as follows: with the increase of the drive roller rotation speed and the drive roller diameter, the smaller roundness error and the final diameter closer to ideal diameter; with the increase of the mandrel roller feed rate, the mandrel roller diameter and the ratio of radial to axial feed amount, the strain distribution becomes more uniform; with increase of the mandrel roller feed rate, the drive roller rotation speed and the driver roller diameter, the temperature distribution becomes more homogenous; with increase of the mandrel roller feed rate, the mandrel roller diameter, the roll ratio and the ratio of radial to axial feed amount, the energy consumption of mandrel is increase; with increase of the mandrel roller feed rate and the roll ratio, the energy consumption of axial roller is increase; with increase of process parameters except the drive roller rotation speed, the energy consumption of the drive roller is increase.