Abstract: A new method—the stream surface strip element method (SSSEM) for simulating the three-dimensional deformations of plate and strip rolling process is put forward. The rolling deformation zone is divided into a number of stream surface (curved surface) strip elements along metal flow traces, and the stream surface strip elements are mapped into the corresponding plane strip elements for analysis and computation. The longitudinal distributions of the lateral displacement and the altitudinal displacement of metal are respectively constructed to be a quartic curve and a quadratic curve, the lateral distributions of them are expressed as the third-power spline function, and the altitudinal distributions of them are fitted to be the quadratic curve. From the flow theory of plastic mechanics, the three-dimensional deformations and stresses of the deformation zone are analysed and formulated. Compared with the streamline strip element method (SSEM) that is put forward, the stream surface strip element method takes into account the uneven distributions of stresses and deformations along altitudinal direction, and realizes the precise three-dimensional analysis and computation. The simulation examples indicate that the method and the model accord with facts, and provide a new reliable engineering-computation method for the three-dimensional mechanics simulation of plate and strip rolling process.

Key words: Friction stress, Plate and strip rolling, Rolling pressure, Stream surface strip element method, Tension stress, Three-dimensional analysis, Selective laser melting Microstructure Surface topography Sliding wear