Investigation of closure of internal cracks during rolling by FE model considering crack surface roughness

Internal cracks often appear in cast slabs, and their evolution during hot deformation directly affects the product quality. In this paper, the authors investigate the closure behavior of internal cracks during plate rolling using a finite element (FE) model that takes into account the roughness of the crack surface. Influences of the roughness and reduction ratio on the closure of cracks are analyzed. The simulated results show that the models with consideration of the initial crack roughness can be used to investigate the formation of residual voids around the crack after rolling. The simulation results are validated by experimental observations. Finally, we propose an explanation of the crack closure mechanism during rolling.