Background

In metalworking, rolling is a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through one or more pairs of rolls to reduce the thickness and to make the thickness uniform. However the majority of rolling machines fail to target the grain-size refinement in the core of the metal sheets and focus more on the surfaces. This in turn causes metal sheets to display variable grain sizes in cross-sections.

Technology Overview

SER is a manufacturing method, which adds a special shear-stage to existing rolling stages. Its function is to enhance plastic ‘shear deformation’ across cross sections of rolled metallic billets, thereby improving grain size uniformity. The distinctiveness of this invention is in its ability to target grain-size refinement in the core of a billet more than the surfaces, which is rendered possible only by our introduction of “longitudinal shear” (the first of its kind in the field of rolling), and is induced by carefully designed “transverse forces”. This is a unique mechanism by which grain size uniformity across the billet cross section becomes possible, with an added benefit that the produced net average grain size is also significantly decreased for the same number of rolling passes (). 

Stage of Development

Built Prototype SER station and ran samples to calibrate the setup.

Benefits

• Enhances plastic shear in the core of the billet
• Higher strength
• Higher Damage tolerant rolled sections
• Especially effective in thick cross-sections
• Higher degree of control over designing for strength, ductility, and toughness

Applications

A Shear Enhanced Rolling method to enhance grain size uniformity in rolled alloy billets for metal forming and manufacturing.

Opportunity

• Available for exclusive and non-exclusive licensing
• Exclusive/non-exclusive evaluation for defined period (set up for options).
• Collaborative/supportive research