Tailored Strips by Welding, Strip Profile Rolling and Twin Roll Casting

Abstract

Conventional strips can be converted into tailored strips by further processing such as rolling and welding. Tailored strips have a thickness or thickness distribution which is designed according to the expected loads. A new approach for the production of tailored strips is the twin roll casting of profiled strips. This technology combines the advantages of direct strip casting and the production of steel strip with an optimized cross section. In this paper the achievable process limits regarding the geometry of tailored strips with varying thickness in the cross section made by strip profile rolling, twin roll casting and welding are discussed and compared. Furthermore, experiments to demonstrate the suitability of twin roll casting to produce tailored strips made of AISI 304 stainless steel are treated. A selected tailored strip geometry of 150 x 1.5 mm2 (width x thickness) with a difference in strip thickness of 33% over the width was cast.