A THREE DIMENSIONAL THERMOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF STEADY FLOWS IN HOT FORMING PROCESSES. APPLICATION TO HOT FLAT ROLLING AND HOT SHAPE ROLLING.

Few studies exist which adequately treat the forming of shape rolling, primarily because the process is so difficult to model and control. So, several years ago, the CEMEF developed a computer program, based on the Norton-Hoff model of viscoplastic behavior, to simulate three dimensional flow during the hot rolling process. Since then, the finite element techniques utilized in the program have been modified to account for the geometric deformations, thermal effects, and stresses occurring within the product. In this paper, we review the aforementioned techniques and discuss their successful application to flat rolling and hot shape rolling processes.