Numerical analysis and experimental trial of axial feed skew rolling for forming bars

Axial feed skew rolling (AFSR) is a novel flexible forming process suitable for the production of multi-specification and small-batch bars. This work presents a systematic investigation of AFSR process via numerical analysis and experimental method. The finite-element (FE) simulation was conducted to analyze the distributions of strain and stress, temperature evolution, axial feed motion, rolling force and torque. The results show that the stress state of the workpiece central in the deformation zone is compressive in radial direction and tensile in axial and tangential directions. During the whole process, the workpiece temperature remains in hot-rolling temperature range. The bite stage lasts less than 1 s, and the initial thrust required is about 3.17 kN (rolling from Ø 60 mm to Ø 40 mm). The axial sliding coefficient of workpiece is determined to be 0.63 via comprehensive analysis of simulation results and theoretical calculation. Moreover, based on the single-factor design, the effects of process parameters on axial feed velocity, rolling force, and torque were studied by FE simulation. The axial feed velocity, rolling force, and torque increase with increasing feeding angle and sizing length, but decrease with increasing forming angle. The experiments were performed on a newly designed rolling mill, and experimental results show consistency with FE simulation results. No central defects are observed, while there are surface helical grooves and end concave centers on the rolled piece. The diameter deviation of rolled piece is within ± 0.3 mm. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) is increased by about 58 MPa.