The rolls used in the rolling of steel, even if undamaged by catastrophic fracture or other major failure, must be changed frequently because of wear and spalling. Proper cooling appears to have a significant effect on roll life, but there is very little definitive information about the why and how. The proposed study is aimed at providing a basic understanding of the influence of roll cooling on the thermal and mechanical responses of rolls. Alternative cooling practices will be sought for reducing roll wear and spalling caused by thermal failure stress. A laboratory apparatus has been developed at Drexel University which models the cooled rolls used in steel mills. The apparatus will be heavily instrumented to determine the heat transfer coefficient between the roll surface and the water spray which serves as a coolant. The thermal information will be used as input to a numerical model for determining the stress field in the roll.
