Hot Rolling of HSLA Steels – a Review of Recent Studies

Abstract

Although known for many years, HSLA steels are still of considerable interest to researchers. The unique properties offered by the presence of micro-additives Nb, V, Ti in these steels are widely used in a variety of constructions – from the automotive industry, through the transport of media such as oil or gas, to large structures. Unfortunately, much of the research only concerns the theoretical sphere or does not go beyond the area of semi-industrial research. Research on an industrial scale, supported by industrial trials, is relatively scarce. This is certainly due to the very high costs of such research, but also to the rather limited number of places where HSLA steels are mass produced. This paper presents and systematizes research from the last three years into the thermo-mechanical rolling of HSLA steels. The review is divided according to the successive stages of the production process. The work forms the author’s basis for further research in this area.