Effects of process parameters on microstructural evolution during hot ring rolling of AISI 5140 steel

Metal undergoes complicated microstructural evolution during hot ring rolling (HRR), which determines the quality, mechanical properties and life span of the ring formed. In this paper, a three-dimensional rigid–plastic and coupled thermomechanical finite element model for HRR was developed and combined with a microstructural evolution model of AISI 5140 steel, on the basis of a DEFORM 3D software platform. The material’s microstructural evolution in the HRR process was thoroughly studied, and the effects of forming parameters (rotational speed of the driving roll, feed rate of the idle roll, initial temperature of the ring and friction factor) on the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization (DRX), DRX grain size, the volume fraction of recrystallization and average grain size were investigated. The results obtained provide a guide for the quality and process control of HRR.