Recent developments in flat rolling technologies

In this paper, a survey of four relatively recent rolling technologies is presented. The merits and drawbacks of each technique are examined. These techniques are: (1) Heated Roll Rolling, and the suitability of this technique for magnesium sheet production; (2) Asymmetric Cryorolling, which has potential for large-scale industrial production of nanostructural materials; (3) Variable-Gauge Rolling, used for production of flat products with variable thicknesses; and (4) Through-width Vibration Rolling, used for fabrication of ultrafine material sheets. Where possible, computer simulations of the rolling processes are described. Among the interesting simulation results obtained is the finding that the shear strain distribution in strips produced using the Through-width Vibration Rolling technology is more uniform and shows higher shear strain values, when compared with the conventional rolling technology.