Structural integrity of hot strip mill rolling rolls

The highly demanding service conditions of rolling rolls used in the manufacture of hot strip mills was analysed. These rolls must be able to carry out extreme actions: very high thermal stresses and wear, along with mechanical stresses due to normal rolling loads. These actions lead to the development of cracks, which means that sufficiently high fracture toughness is also an important requirement. The different high alloy ferrous products currently used in the manufacture of these rolls are described, comparing their microstructures and most important properties. Finally, the in-service behaviour of all these products is evaluated, as well as the microstructure modifications recommended in order to improve their performance in this particular application. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.