1.5 GPa Grade High-Strength Steel Sheet Flattening by Roll Gap Adjustment Considering Pattern Roll Effects

This study analyzes a three-stage roll flattening process to improve the flatness of 1.5 GPa grade AHSS sheets. Unlike conventional leveler rolls, which mainly relieve residual stress through longitudinal tension-compression, the second roll has a sloped pattern to induce transverse deformation and redistribute local residual stresses. A twisted sheet was processed under different roll gap settings (1.3 mm, 1.1 mm, 0.9 mm, and 0.7 mm), and experimental measurements were compared with Abaqus Explicit simulations. At a 1.1 mm gap, the RMSE between experiment and simulation is 0.22 mm, showing the highest agreement. Both twist and crossbow defects are reduced by over 80%, achieving optimal flattening. At 1.3 mm, the simulation overestimates the second roll’s effect, causing excessive localized deformation. Reducing the gap to 0.9 mm or 0.7 mm increases discrepancies due to roll fixation differences. Experiments allow more central bending, amplifying crossbow, while simulations assume rigid rolls, underestimating curvature. Adjusting the second roll’s geometry to enhance transverse tension-compression and setting the gap to 1.1 mm effectively reduces defects. This method improves flatness while minimizing the number of rolls needed in high-strength steel sheet production.