In this work an analytical model based on the slab method was built to analyze the lubrication during cold rolling of aluminum strips. Some process variables were studied like the rolling speed, the cross-section reduction, and lubricant viscosity. Numerical results are presented for pressure variation and film thickness at the inlet and work zones. The loads necessary to separate the rolls are also estimated. Some experimental results are shown for the surface roughness of the rolled products. It is shown that analytical results are in good accordance to experimental results, and that rolling pressure, lubricant film thickness and surface roughness are strongly influenced by rolling conditions, especially the lubricant viscosity and the area reduction.

O desenvolvimento de processos de conformação para a melhoria da qualidade dos produtos, bem como a diminuição das perdas de matéria-prima e, também, da energia são os principais enfoques de várias pesquisas no Brasil e no exterior. Entre essas pesquisas está o processo Cross Wedge Rolling (CWR), que vem sendo estudado nos últimos anos para a substituição do recalque horizontal a quente na fabricação em uma única operação de eixos escalonados, pinos, eixos excêntricos e outros componentes. Esse processo é caracterizado pela deformação plástica de um tarugo cilíndrico pela ação de ferramentas em formato de cunha montadas sobre placas planas que se movem tangencialmente uma em relação à outra. O objetivo desse trabalho foi analisar o comportamento termomecânico de um aço laminado no CWR por simulação numérica e a evolução microestrutural dada pela simulação física. Os resultados mostram um comportamento do material de recristalização dinâmica e suas microestruturas do campo austenítico com aspectos de alto grau de refinamento.

The improvement of manufacturing processes to assure product quality and reduce the amount of raw material and energy is the main objective of many recent researches. Some of them study cross wedge rolling (CWR) as a substitute to hot upsetting in the manufacture of stepped shafts, pins, eccentric shafts and many other mechanical parts. In this process a cylinder is deformed by two wedge tools assembled on plane plates that move tangentially one against the other. The main objective of this work is to study the thermomechanical behaviour of medium carbon steel during hot CWR by means of a numerical analysis. The numerical results will be compared to the microstructure of microalloyed steel samples which were submitted to CWR experimental tests. The results suggested that dynamic recrystallization was present during CWR and that microstructures in the austenitic region were very refined.

The demand for more efficient manufacturing processes has been increasing in the last few years. The cold forging process is presented as a possible solution, because it allows the production of parts with a good surface finish and with good mechanical properties. Nevertheless, the cold forming sequence design is very empirical and it is based on the designer experience. The computational modeling of each forming process stage by the finite element method can make the sequence design faster and more efficient, decreasing the use of conventional "trial and error" methods. In this study, the application of a commercial general finite element software - ANSYS - has been applied to model a forming operation. Models have been developed to simulate the ring compression test and to simulate a basic forming operation (upsetting) that is applied in most of the cold forging parts sequences. The simulated upsetting operation is one stage of the automotive starter parts manufacturing process. Experiments have been done to obtain the stress-strain material curve, the material flow during the simulated stage, and the required forming force. These experiments provided results used as numerical model input data and as validation of model results. The comparison between experiments and numerical results confirms the developed methodology potential on die filling prediction.