Use of Taguchi method to develop a robust design for the shape rolling of porous sectioned sheet

Abstract This study applies the Taguchi method to optimize the process parameters for the shape rolling of porous sectioned sheet. A three-dimensional finite element code, DEFORM 3D, is proposed to examine the plastic deformation behavior of the porous sheet at the roll gap during the shape rolling of V-sectioned sheet. The finite element code adopts a rigid-plastic model, in which the rolls are assumed to be rigid bodies and temperature changes during rolling are ignored. The analytical model is used to systematically examine the dependence of the filling ratio at the roll gap, the mean stress and the variation of density at the exit of the rolled product on various rolling conditions, including the inclination of the roll profile, the round arc radius of the inner roll, the rolling radius, and the thickness reduction of the porous sheet, etc. The present simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed robust design methodology for the shape rolling of porous sheets.