The results of this wide-ranging, multi-partner research project about finite modelling techniques have demonstrated that:

- Finite element method (FEM) techniques are able to provide extensive information about material flow, strain and temperature distribution;
- Updated Lagrangian formulation provides good agreement between experimental and predicted values (temperature and strain distributions, rolling forces and torques);
- Steady-state Eulerian codes are also able to provide good results;
- The main difficulty in using FEM is to obtain all the necessary information about material behaviour, both mechanical and thermal;
- Strict control of rolling operations, regardless of geometry, the interpass time (during which static recrystallization occurs) must be compatible with the recrystallization half time, in order to avoid dynamic recrystallization;
- To achieve closer agreement to deep-drawing operations a very sophisticated model is required which is able to describe the material behaviour;
- FEM is far from being a reliable on-line application at industrial scale.
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