MODELING OF CONTROLLED THERMO-MECHANICAL PROCESSING OF TUBES FOR ENHANCED MANUFACTURING AND PERFORMANCE

An integrated mathematical model to simulate seamless tube rolling processes has been developed at The Timken Company. The model is capable of simulating the thermal, deformation and microstructure evolution in the piercing, elongating and reducing/sizing and the austenite decomposition in the mill annealing and cooling operations. Finite difference schemes are employed to model cooling, reducing/sizing and stretch reducing, and finite-element schemes are employed to simulate piercing and elongating. The model predicts the thermal history, deformation, rolling load, torque, recrystallization and grain growth in hot tube rolling, austenite decomposition in cooling or annealing, and the final structure-properties. In this paper mathematical models which are employed to describe the thermal, deformation and microstructure evolution along with the modeling results are presented. The developed "tube rolling mill in the computer" provides a powerful tool for engineers for product and process development, process control, process optimization and quality control.