Integration of a void healing criterion in multi-scale modeling of hot rolling

After closure, voids need to be healed through bonding and interface dissolution to restore the mechanical properties and produce a sound product. For the prediction of void healing and the respective process optimization, a void healing criterion, spanning all three phases is needed. While hot rolling is generally suited for void healing, with large deformations at hydrostatic pressure as well as high temperatures, not all regions in the workpiece offer the same void healing conditions. Due to gradients of these metrics e. g. along the normal direction, a space-resolved approach is needed. Previously, a practical void healing criterion combining void closure and subsequent recrystallization has been proposed and applied to exemplary hot rolling processes. Besides a broader application of the criterion, adding the process parameters roll diameter and temperature, the present paper mainly aims for the experimental validation of this criterion. In bonding trials, a positive influence of temperature and strain on the bond strength has been found. While no clear correlation of the holding time on the bond strength was detectible without concurrent contact pressure the experiments suggested a saturation strain as an indicator for void healing instead. Accordingly, the criterion has been revised and a strain-based criterion proposed, applied, and compared to the previously introduced recrystallization-based void healing criterion.