Rolling Process for Cylinder Barrels: Core Advantages and Applications of High - efficiency Surface Treatment Technology

 

The rolling process for cylinder barrels is a technology that performs precision machining on metal surfaces through cold plastic deformation. At room temperature, this process uses rolling tools to apply pressure to the inner wall of the cylinder barrel, causing the surface - layer metal to undergo plastic flow and fill in microscopic concave areas, thereby significantly improving the surface roughness. Compared with traditional processes such as grinding, rolling can simultaneously achieve surface finishing, strengthening, and performance optimization. It has now become a key manufacturing technology in fields such as hydraulic equipment and construction machinery.

 

I. Core Principle of the Rolling Process

Rolling forms a dense fibrous structure on the metal surface layer through mechanical rolling. This process produces two key effects:

1. Cold - worked hardening layer: The surface - layer grains are refined, the hardness is increased by about 30%, and the wear resistance is significantly enhanced.

2. Residual compressive stress field: It effectively seals surface micro - cracks and increases the fatigue strength by more than 25%.

 

II. Analysis of Six Core Advantages

1. Excellent surface quality

The inner - wall roughness is optimized from Ra3.2 - 6.3µm to Ra0.4 - 0.8µm, achieving a mirror - like effect and reducing the wear of seals.

2. Enhanced mechanical properties

The formed hardening layer improves the wear resistance by 200% - 300%, making it particularly suitable for hydraulic systems with high - pressure and high - frequency movements.

3. Revolutionary breakthrough in efficiency

The processing time per meter is shortened from 1 - 2 days of traditional grinding to 10 - 30 minutes, and the overall process efficiency is increased by 3 times.

4. Cost - control advantage

The equipment investment is only 1% - 10% of that of traditional grinders, and the tool - wear cost is reduced by more than 60%.

5. Extended component life

Under the same working conditions, the service life of the cylinder barrels processed by rolling is extended by 2 - 3 times.

6. Environmental - protection and energy - saving features

No cutting waste is produced, and the energy consumption is reduced by 40% - 50% compared with the grinding process.

 

III. Analysis of Application Fields

This technology has been successfully applied in multiple high - end manufacturing fields:

- Construction machinery: It is the core manufacturing process for hydraulic cylinders, ensuring the long - term stable operation of equipment such as cranes and excavators.

- Energy equipment: It replaces imported products in the manufacturing of oil pump barrels and meets ASTM international standards.

- Military manufacturing: It is applied to the inner - wall processing of gun barrels, improving the reliability and service life of weapon systems.

- Mining machinery: It is the core processing method for key components of hydraulic supports, adapting to the complex underground working conditions.

 

IV. Key Points for Optimizing Process Parameters

1. Control of rolling amount: The plastic deformation amount needs to be accurately calculated according to the material hardness (HB value) and elastic modulus.

2. Principle of tool matching: The radius of the rollers and the cylinder diameter are configured in a ratio of 1:8 - 1:12 to ensure uniform stress distribution.

3. Design of process connection: A three - stage processing system of "rough boring - fine boring - rolling" is adopted, and the tolerance is controlled within ±0.02mm.

 

V. Comparison with Traditional Processes

| Index        | Rolling Process       | Grinding Process       |

| Surface roughness  | Ra0.4 - 0.8µm   | Ra0.8 - 1.6µm   |

| Processing efficiency    | 10 - 30 minutes/meter   | 24 - 48 hours/meter   |

| Hardness increase    | 30%            | 5% - 10%         |

| Equipment cost    | 10,000 - 50,000 yuan        | 500,000 - 5,000,000 yuan     |

 

As the manufacturing industry's requirements for component performance increase, the rolling process is gradually replacing traditional processing methods. Its unique surface - strengthening characteristics can not only improve the reliability of individual components but also significantly increase the service life of the whole - machine system. It has become an indispensable core technology in modern precision manufacturing.