Free-cutting steel includes a specific composition, with an A value defined by a following formula (1) satisfying 4.0 or more and 20.0 or less, and remainder having Fe and an unavoidable impurity; and texture with 1000 or more sulfide particles with an equivalent circle diameter of less than 1 μm per mm.sup.2, 500 or more sulfide particles with an equivalent circle diameter of 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less per mm.sup.2, and 1000 or more Pb particles with an equivalent circle diameter of 1 μm or less per mm.sup.2, wherein

A value=(Mn+5Cr)/S   (1)

here, symbols of elements in the formula indicate contents (% by mass) of the elements.

A method for producing a thickness-profiled metal strip in which at least one opening is produced in the metal strip and in a subsequent step, the metal strip is longitudinally rolled with at least one roller that penetrates into the metal strip in some regions across its strip width and thus a thickness profiling at least in the width direction of the metal strip is produced. In order to improve the reproducibility of the method, what is proposed is that at least one hole passing through the metal strip is produced as an opening in the metal strip, over which hole the roller that penetrates into the metal strip longitudinally rolls in order to produce the thickness profiling in the width direction of the metal strip.

A method for producing a metal sheet with raised lines uses a rolling mill including a roll stand and produces a metal sheet including, on each of an upper surface and a lower surface, a plurality of raised lines extending in a rolling direction. The method includes a preparing step, an incorporating step, and a forming step. In the preparing step, grooved rolls are prepared, each of the grooved rolls including a plurality of grooves in an outer peripheral surface. In the incorporating step, the grooved rolls are incorporated in the roll stand as an upper roll and a lower roll, respectively. In the forming step, a workpiece is rolled by the rolling mill and is formed into a metal sheet with raised lines formed corresponding to the respective grooves of the grooved rolls.

A method for producing a thickness-profiled metal strip in which at least one opening is produced in the metal strip and in a subsequent step, the metal strip is longitudinally rolled with at least one roller that penetrates into the metal strip in some regions across its strip width and thus a thickness profiling at least in the width direction of the metal strip is produced. In order to improve the reproducibility of the method, what is proposed is that at least one hole passing through the metal strip is produced as an opening in the metal strip, over which hole the roller that penetrates into the metal strip longitudinally rolls in order to produce the thickness profiling in the width direction of the metal strip.

A method for producing a metal sheet with raised lines uses a rolling mill including roll stands. In a preparing step, a grooved roll is prepared, the grooved roll including grooves. In a choosing step, a stand at least one stage before the last stand is chosen. In an incorporating step, the grooved roll is incorporated in as an upper roll of the chosen, specified stand. In a forming step, a workpiece is formed into a metal sheet with raised lines formed corresponding to the respective grooves. In the forming step, a maximum rolling reduction achieved by rolls of the specified stand is set to a provisional value that is lower than a required value. After the leading edge of the workpiece reaches the stand next to the specified stand, the maximum rolling reduction of the specified stand is changed to the required value.

A rolling mill, in particular a cold rolling mill, including: rolls or even sets of rollers comprising at least one pair of work rolls capable of defining a roll gap of a strip to be rolled, at least one bar for spraying a lubricating and/or cooling fluid, disposed near the plane of the strip to be rolled, a stand inside of which the rolls are arranged, at least one device for adjusting the inclination of the at least one bar comprising an actuator, such as a hydraulic cylinder configured to change the inclination of the bar around the pivot axis. The actuator of the device for adjusting the inclination is arranged, on the second side of the stand, opposite to the first side of the maintenance window.

A variable thickness roll forming system for forming a variable thickness blank including at least two sets of cylindrical shaped rollers. Each of the sets of rollers include: a first roller including a face which is linear where the first roller contacts the metal sheet; and a second roller including multiple shaping faces positioned about a perimeter and directed toward the face of the first roller. Each roller set incrementally alters a thickness of a metal sheet in a direction transverse to a metal sheet feed direction when the metal sheet is passed between the first and second rollers. The metal sheet after passing between the first and second rollers forms a roll formed blank having a first portion and a second portion positioned in the direction transverse to the feed direction with respect to the first portion, the first portion thicker than the second portion.

A method for producing a metal sheet with raised lines uses a rolling mill including roll stands. In a preparing step, a grooved roll is prepared, the grooved roll including grooves. In a choosing step, a stand at least one stage before the last stand is chosen. In an incorporating step, the grooved roll is incorporated in as an upper roil of the chosen, specified stand. In a forming step, a workpiece is formed into a metal sheet with raised lines formed corresponding to the respective grooves. In the forming step, a maximum rolling reduction achieved by rolls of the specified stand is set to a provisional value that is lower than a required value. After the leading edge of the workpiece reaches the stand next to the specified stand, the maximum rolling reduction of the specified stand is changed to the required value.

Free-cutting steel includes a specific composition, with an A value defined by a following formula (1) satisfying 4.0 or more and 20.0 or less, and remainder having Fe and an unavoidable impurity; and texture with 1000 or more sulfide particles with an equivalent circle diameter of less than 1 m per mm.sup.2, 500 or more sulfide particles with an equivalent circle diameter of 1 m or more and 5 m or less per mm.sup.2, and 1000 or more Pb particles with an equivalent circle diameter of 1 m or less per mm.sup.2, wherein
A value=(Mn+5Cr)/S(1) here, symbols of elements in the formula indicate contents (% by mass) of the elements.