Effects of the microstructure of twin roll cast and hot rolled plates on the surface quality of presensitized plates

The effect of the microstructure of plates fabricated both in the traditional process, involving casting, hot rolling and cold rolling (HR), and in the novel twin roll casting + cold rolling (TRC) process on the surface quality of presensitized (PS) plates was analyzed by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). The formation of pores on the surface of the electrolyzed HR plate could be attributed to the presence of approximately 1-μm-sized large Al-Fe precipitates in the HR plate compared to the smaller precipitates in the TRC plate. Moreover, residual graphite lubricants used during the TRC process were entrapped on the surface of the TRC plate during the subsequent rolling process. The entrapped pollutants tended to further deteriorate the formation of pores on the surface of the TRC plate, and no residual carbon was detected on the surface of the HR plate. Furthermore, the surface quality of the TRC plate can be improved by surface cleaning before the cold rolling process, which could dramatically lower the residual graphite on the surface.