A rolling mill control system and method includes use of sensors located between rolling mill stands to directly measure metal sheet or plate flatness, thickness profile, position, and the camber of the rolls in the mill. A feedback loop control system adjusts or adapts rolling mill control mechanisms to control the rolling process.

A roll stand (1) having at least one pair of rollers (4, 5) between which a flat rolled product (2) is located. The rollers (4, 5) can be moved axially in opposite directions. The roll stand (1) has a bending system (6) for the rollers (4, 5). A controller (8) of the roll stand (1) uses the bending and the axial movement of the rollers (4, 5) in order to regulate the roll gap contour as an adjustment mechanism. Prior to rolling a respective rolled product (2), the controller determines a respective axial position (x) as the resulting axial position (x) and sets the axial position as the axial position (x) of the rollers (4, 5) for the roll stand (1) in order to roll the next flat rolled product (2). For this purpose, the controller (8) ascertains how far a specified target roll gap contour can be approximated for a plurality of axial positions (x) of the rollers (4, 5) by actuating the adjustment mechanism (6, 7) while taking into consideration technological boundary conditions and classifies the axial positions (x) at which a deviation of the resulting roll gap contour from the target roll gap contour lies below a specified limit as being permissible. The controller then removes the axial positions (x) excluded from the plurality of axial positions (x) classified as being permissible as long as at least one axial position (x) classified as being permissible still remains after the excluded axial positions (x) are removed. The controller (8) determines one of the remaining axial positions (x) as the resulting axial position (x).

A rolling mill control system and method includes use of sensors located between rolling mill stands to directly measure metal sheet or plate flatness, thickness profile, position, and the camber of the rolls in the mill. A feedback loop control system adjusts or adapts rolling mill control mechanisms to control the rolling process.

A rolling mill control system and method includes use of sensors located between rolling mill stands to directly measure metal sheet or plate flatness, thickness profile, position, and the camber of the rolls in the mill. A feedback loop control system adjusts or adapts rolling mill control mechanisms to control the rolling process.

Systems and methods for using full-width hot sprays to pre-heat rolling mills prior to processing of metal sheet or plate are described herein. The hot sprays may be individually controlled. Using hot sprays can allow the rolling mill to reach operating temperature and achieve a desired thermal crown so that metal sheet or plate may be processed immediately within tolerances for flatness and gauge accuracy. Pre-heating of rolling mills can eliminate the need of the rolling mill to operate in a transitional period of work roll heating and can increase efficiency by eliminating or reducing scrap material and mill downtime. Hot sprays may also be incorporated with existing coolant systems to provide thermal control systems for rolling mills with bi-directional temperature controls.

Systems and methods for using full-width hot sprays to pre-heat rolling mills prior to processing of metal sheet or plate are described herein. The hot sprays may be individually controlled. Using hot sprays can allow the rolling mill to reach operating temperature and achieve a desired thermal crown so that metal sheet or plate may be processed immediately within tolerances for flatness and gauge accuracy. Pre-heating of rolling mills can eliminate the need of the rolling mill to operate in a transitional period of work roll heating and can increase efficiency by eliminating or reducing scrap material and mill downtime. Hot sprays may also be incorporated with existing coolant systems to provide thermal control systems for rolling mills with bi-directional temperature controls.

A material-property-value estimating method of estimating a material-property-value of a target steel-strip product manufactured via at least one of a reheating process, a rolling process, and a cooling process, which are performed while a target material is being conveyed along a conveyance route, the material-property-value estimating method includes an estimating step of estimating a material-property-value of each of meshes dividing the target steel-strip product based on a measured value that has been measured once or more by a measuring device installed on the conveyance route, the measured value including at least a temperature of the target material; and a chemical composition per component of the target steel-strip product.

A material-property-value estimating method of estimating a material-property-value of a target steel-strip product manufactured via at least one of a reheating process, a rolling process, and a cooling process, which are performed while a target material is being conveyed along a conveyance route, the material-property-value estimating method includes an estimating step of estimating a material-property-value of each of meshes dividing the target steel-strip product based on a measured value that has been measured once or more by a measuring device installed on the conveyance route, the measured value including at least a temperature of the target material; and a chemical composition per component of the target steel-strip product.

Disclosed is a coil width control method including: a step in which a control unit generates a prediction model for predicting the width shrinkage of a coil, which occurs in the heat-treatment process and post-treatment process of a cold-rolled steel sheet production process, on the basis of historical operating results; a step in which the control unit receives the input width of the coil entering the heat-treatment process; and a step in which the control unit predicts the output width of the coil after the post-treatment process on the basis of the received input width and the conditions of the cold-rolled steel sheet production process, and controls in-furnace temperature and in-furnace tension of the heat-treatment process and elongation of the post-treatment process.

Disclosed is a coil width control method including: a step in which a control unit generates a prediction model for predicting the width shrinkage of a coil, which occurs in the heat-treatment process and post-treatment process of a cold-rolled steel sheet production process, on the basis of historical operating results; a step in which the control unit receives the input width of the coil entering the heat-treatment process; and a step in which the control unit predicts the output width of the coil after the post-treatment process on the basis of the received input width and the conditions of the cold-rolled steel sheet production process, and controls in-furnace temperature and in-furnace tension of the heat-treatment process and elongation of the post-treatment process.