Edge profile during initial passes of aluminium slab rolling

Abstract

The results of an investigation into the development of edge profile in aluminium slab rolling are presented. Data were collected from both laboratory and industrial trials. It is shown that the profile produced can be represented by a fourth-order polynomial and that the constants in the polynomial are continuous functions of the geometric variables. There is substantial agreement between the results obtained from the industrial experiments and those obtained under laboratory conditions. It is shown that the transition from double-barrelled to convex edge profile can be predicted by a dimensionless group (involving deformed roll radius and initial slab thickness), and it is concluded that the edge profile may be controlled by a suitable selection of reduction geometry.