Thermo-mechanical modeling of thin slab direct rolling of Nb steels

This study presents the application of thermo-mechanical modeling of thin slab direct rolling on Nb-steels to improve mechanical and metallurgical properties of hot rolled steel strips. An integrated software model has been developed to predict and optimize final product properties based on rolling process parameters. The model calculates different rolling parameters, such as strain (e), critical strain (ec), and peak strain (ep), together with a type of recrystallization softening. The effect of changing rolling finishing temperature and interpass time on microstructure behavior and final product mechanical properties is considered. The model can handle steels with different micro-alloying elements, but only Nb-steel is presented here. The developed model has been validated online on a six-stand hot rolling line. Samples were taken from the final product and examined for mechanical properties and microstructure. Very good matching has been observed between predicted properties and corresponding values ob...