Making a circle of steel

Round rolled metal is used everywhere. It is indispensable in construction, parts for various machines, special equipment, and equipment are produced from it. Wide use of steel circle is due not only to the high mechanical characteristics of this type of rolled products, but also to the well-established and relatively simple process of its manufacturing.

Technology for the production of hot-rolled steel wheels

The production and assortment of hot-rolled round profiles is regulated by GOST 2590-2006. There are three main stages of the round timber production process:

• heating the workpiece;
• rental;
• cooling, cutting, hardening.

At the first stage, the rough billet is heated to a temperature close to 1000°C. This process takes place in a conveyor oven, and the fuel used is of no fundamental importance: it can be either gas or coke. The most important – uniform heating of the workpiece, as well as compliance with the temperature regime (without overheating). In this case, the steel structure will be uniform along the entire length of the workpiece, as a result, the latter will become more ductile and elastic.

In the next step the billet passes through the hot rolling mill. It is compressed by rotating rolls, while the distance between them gradually decreases. Thus, the output is a bar of the required diameter. During the entire rolling process, a high temperature of the workpiece is maintained.

Final stage – gradual cooling and cutting of the round timber into bars 2-12 m long. A steel circle with a diameter of 5-270 mm is obtained by hot rolling. At the same time, a profile of small diameter (5-9 mm) is supplied in coils (coils). If the steel circle needs to be given improved mechanical characteristics (higher strength, hardness, etc.), it is subjected to a hardening procedure: heating to a temperature of 1120 ° C (for steels of different grades, this figure is different) followed by rapid cooling.

Calibrated circle

Hot-rolled round steel is the most widely used, but it has one drawback: relatively poor surface quality. Therefore, if high product accuracy is required with minimal machining accuracy tolerances, a hot-rolled billet is turned into a so-called “calibrated circle”. This is done by cold crimping or drawing. To obtain the highest quality surface, it is also ground and polished.

The production and assortment of a calibrated steel circle is regulated by GOST 7417-75. The cost of such rolled metal is higher than hot-rolled, but in some cases it can be justified (reducing material consumption when turning a part, obtaining more complex and accurate products, etc.)