Analytical and numerical study of hot rolling railway rail sections with the help of simulation and finite element software

Abstract

Hot rolling of sections is one of the metal forming processes used to shape materials into profiles with a fixed cross-section, such as road rails. Iron is chosen for this process due to its repeatability. Despite the numerous equipment and high costs associated with it, the analysis of this process and its simulation can be highly desirable. In this process, the initial raw piece is passed through several rollers until the desired section's shape is created (1,2). The more passes are made, the greater the reduction in the cross-sectional area, and the tolerances increase. During rail rolling, several key factors play a crucial role, including the length of the workpiece, cross-section change, piece deviation, roller speed, and friction. This article focuses on investigating the effective parameters in this process using simulation software. For the rolling analysis, we use an isothermal and rigid model of rollers, considering the heat transfer between the rollers and the rail during the shaping process. The analysis is performed using thermal stress solutions in Abaqus/explicit. Additionally, the workpiece may deviate due to the asymmetry of the top and bottom shapes. Hence, we examine the effects of the friction coefficient between the part and the rollers on rail deflection, stress values, strain, and rolling force. The results indicate that the maximum stress on the rail's surface occurs below the points of contact with the rollers, leading to a higher percentage reduction.