Application of Finite Element Simulation in Predicting Slab Cambers During the Width Sizing Process

To investigate the effect of the equipment factors of the sizing press and the slab temperature on the camber of a slab, considering the elastic bending, flattening deformation, and torsion of multiple rollers with different characteristics, based on the Chaboche model, a finite element model was carefully constructed for an asymmetrical thermal sizing press, by comparing the field experimental data, and the proposed model with high prediction accuracy is verified. Under conditions of both uniform and non-uniform temperature distributions on both sides of the slab, the effects of misalignment of incoming slabs and misalignment of anvils on the camber are discussed and compared. Results indicate that the impacts on cambers can be prioritized in descending order: anvil horizontal tilt, slab centerline offset, slab horizontal tilt, and anvil centerline offset. Further research reveals that when the uneven temperature is coupled with these asymmetric factors, maintaining the influence value within 30 mm, and positioning the high-temperature side of the slab on the side opposing the tilt direction, while aligning the offsets of the slab and anvil in the same direction contributes to reducing the camber. Besides, by controlling the slab heating process and implementing related precision control measures for the sizing press, the cambers of the sizing slabs can be significantly reduced. Consequently, the camber qualification rate of rough-rolled intermediate billets routinely exceeds 80% each month, improving the overall quality of succeeding slabs.