Selecting the shape of the roller for profiling billets prior to radial-displacement rolling

Schemes for profiling the ends of VT6 alloy billets prior to their subsequent rolling on radial-displacement rolling mini-mills were examined in order to minimize the shrinkage cavity defect and increase the product yield. During both physical and computational profiling experiments, rollers of various shapes were used in combination with the local heating of profiled ends. The profiling time was determined in physical and computational experiments. The roller pressure was estimated based on the results of computer simulation in the QForm computing environment. For a billet with a diameter of 27 mm, the shortest profiling time was obtained using two V‑rollers with the smallest roller pressure of 0.81 kN, which is 1.7–1.9 times less as compared to other studied patterns. Therefore, it is rational to select a V-shaped profiling roller with taper angles, ensuring the absence of a shrinkage cavity during the subsequent bar rolling.