Modelling of cold roll forming of steel strip

Good roll pass design is the key to successful roll forming. To reduce forming defects and trial production costs, computer aided simulation of cold roll forming is employed. In this paper, a theoretical model, based on the updated Lagrange method of deformation mechanics and using the elastic–plastic large deformation B-spline finite strip method, is presented. The model is applied to analyse progressive roll forming of a channel section: the three-dimensional displacement field, strain field, and stress field between two stands during multiple cold roll forming are calculated. The results indicate that deformation is greatest in the leg and corner regions of the channel section. The principal deformation is in the transverse direction, the longitudinal deformation being small. The program, written in C language, can also be used to analyse other simple cross-sectional profiles.