MEASURING METAL DEFORMATION INTERFACE FORCES AND TEMPERATURES

The development of senors to measure interface forces and temperatures in metal forming processes is described. For surface measurements, a mechanical sensor, which uses strain gauges mounted on a conical canti lever sensing element, has been designed to measure the three forces o f interest at the roll/strip surface, namely: the normal force, the fr iction force in the rolling direction and the frictional force in the direction transverse to rolling. For temperature measurements, a speci ally designed, multi-point sensor capable of measuring temperatures at the workpiece surface, the roll surface and inside the work roll has been developed. Successful bar rolling tests have been conducted, with both sensors, using 1100 aluminum. When integrated through the rollin g are of contact, the forces measured at the roll/strip interface matc h the externally measured torques and roll separating force, thereby s howing the sensor is measuring the interface forces accurately. Some o f the results of these tests are shown. The temperature sensor data al lows the calculation of the interface heat flux and the interface temp erature resistance by inverse heat transfer methods. The senors are di scussed in detail.