Vacuum Rolling Composite Extra-Thick Plates

Currently, extra-thick steel plates with a thickness exceeding 100 mm are widely used in various industrial fields, with significant market demand. However, domestic production of extra-thick plates still cannot fully meet market requirements, necessitating substantial annual imports. In China, extra-thick steel plates are still produced using the traditional ingot casting method, characterized by complex procedures, high energy consumption, and low efficiency—attributes that no longer meet modern industrial demands for cost and energy consumption. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the current research status of extra-thick steel plate fabrication using VRC technology, specifically including research on surface treatment, welding encapsulation, heating and rolling processes, and related heat treatment technologies; the influence of composite processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of composite interfaces; finite element simulation studies on deformation behavior during the rolling composite process; and the industrial trial and production status of extra-thick steel plates of different varieties, uses, grades, and specifications in multiple domestic steel enterprises [1, 2].