This work shows that for temperatures, pressures and shear rates that are common in cold rolling of low-carbon steel, viscous shear stress significantly contributes to the total friction force. Experiments were carried out to validate the theory on lubricant film formation and elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication, both with laboratory scale tribometers and a semi-industrial pilot mill facility. These experiments showed that at high shear rates, that are common in cold rolling, the lubricant does not behave as a Newtonian fluid anymore; moreover the viscosity at high pressure cannot accurately be described by a simple exponential law. With the correct relations implemented in a rolling model, both rolling force and forward slip are predicted with good accuracy for hydrodynamically lubricated cold rolling experiments.</p
