Analyses of thermal hydrodynamic lubrication in high-speed rolling. Part I: the effect of the roller's elastic deformation

A study of thermal hydrodynamic lubrication for high-speed strip rolling, which includes the roller's elastic deformation, was developed for a lubricant whose rheological behaviour satisfies the Barus' model. The difference in lubricating performances between an elastic roller and a rigid roller was assessed using parameters such as film thickness and pressure; temperature distributions in the fluid film, roller, and workpiece; separating force and shear torque. The elastic roller was made either of a unique material or its substrate was coated with one layer of a harder material to improve the wear resistance. The elastic deformation of the roller was obtained with the aid of Hitchcock's elastic-deformation theory and the biharmonic equation of Airy's stress function. It was found that the elastic deformation produces a substantial effect on some rolling characteristics.