OptiLam: design of optimised rolling schedules

Abstract

Nowadays il is known that the Ihennomcchanical schedules applied during hot rolling of fIal products provide the steel with improvcd mechanical properties. In Ihis work an oplimisation tool, OptiLam (OptiLam v.l), bascd on él predictive software alld capabIe oC generating optimised rolling schedulcs to obtain Ihe dcsired mechanical properties in the fiual product is described. OptiLam includes somc well-knowll Illctallurgical modcls which predict microstmctural evolution duril1g hot rolling and the trnnsConnation austenite/ferrite during the cooling. Furthennore, an oplimisation algorithlll, which is bascd 011 the gradient mclhod, has been added, in order to design thermoI11cchanical sequences whell a spccific final grain size is desired. OptiLam has been used to optimise rolling parameters, such as slmin and tempcrature. Here, some of the results of Ihe software validation performed by means of hol torsion tests are presented, showing also the fUllctionality of the tool. Finally, the application of classical optimisatiol1 1U0dels, based 011 Ihe gradient melhod, lo hot rolling operations, is al so discussed.