Analysis of Roll Pass Wear in the Railway Rail Rolling Process

The rolling process is one of the most efficient methods for manufacturing long products with both regular and more complex cross-sectional shapes, the latter requiring the development of geometrically complex roll passes. Railway rails are one such product, manufactured at ArcelorMittal Poland S.A., Huta Królewska plant. During the rolling process, the roll passes are subject to wear due to several concurrent phenomena, such as mechanical fatigue, abrasive wear, and thermal fatigue. The determination of roll wear can be based on the experience of personnel and statistical data from previous production runs. It is also possible to determine roll wear through numerical modelling using Archard's wear model. The aim of this paper is to define a methodology for the quantitative and qualitative determination of roll wear, as well as to establish a wear coefficient dependent on the type of plastic forming process. This will enable the development of a new roll pass design for railway rails that takes into account the durability of the roll passes.