HEAT – MECHANICAL DEGRADATION OF SURFACES AT THE HIGH TEMPERATURES

The Ph.D. thesis is focused on a surface degradation mechanisms under combined heat and mechanical load. The objects of examination are work rolls from hot rolling mill which suffer such a load. In first chapter, the hot rolling process, the design, the manufacturing process and present materials of work rolls are described. The state-of-the-art study of work roll surface degradation mechanisms – wear, oxidation, thermal and contact fatigue are described in the second chapter. The characterization, the formation, the mechanisms of progression and the effects of each surface degradation mechanism is described step by step. The state-of-the-art study of analytical and numerical models which are related to hot rolling process is described in third chapter together with their limitations and flaws. The next chapters contain design of an analytical, an optimized macroscopic and a microscopic model for study of the work roll stress state. The macroscopic and the microscopic model is based on finite element method and they are implemented in ANSYS Programming Design Language. The models are used to process several case study which are based on previous experimental work of the Heat transfer and fluid flow laboratory. The results from case studies specify and expand the knowledge of work roll stress state. The results show the portion of each loading factor on the whole stress state. In addition, time and depth depended distribution of stress state is presented. The results from macrosferic model illustrate the cause of spalling and a rupture of the work roll. The results from the microsferic model show the cause of creation of the to-surface-parallel cracks within carbides of high chromium irons. Last chapter summarized of all results gathered from case studies together with the goals for further research definition. The necessary steps for further cognition are stated. The thesis contains a large set of appendixes with deeper discussion of several related topics. These appendixes represent the one third of whole the thesis