A device for ascertaining the lateral strip contour and/or the position of the strip edges of a metal strip. It includes at least one sensing element for ascertaining suitable measurement data. The sensing element is integrated into a lateral guide (17) together with a main part module of the metal strip conveying device. The lateral guide (17) includes at least one wear element (15a, 15b, 15c) which is arranged in the lateral guide and which comprises a wear element adjusting device that can be rotated about a rotational axis (20) substantially perpendicular to a guide plane of the lateral guide (17). The wear element (15a, 15b, 15c) together with the wear element adjusting device is designed as a sensing element. In an operating method, at least one sensing element (15a, 15b, 15c) is brought into contact with a lateral edge at a starting time, and suitable measurement data is ascertained using the sensing element while the metal strip runs past the sensing element. The strip course can be corrected on the basis of the ascertained measurement data using corrective measures on one or more roll stands and/or on one or more lateral guides (17) of the rolling mill.

A rolling mill of four-high or more is provided that includes: measurement apparatuses that adopt any one roll as a reference roll, and measure at least rolling direction forces acting on roll chocks on a work side and roll chocks on a drive side of each roll other than a backup roll; pressing apparatuses that press the roll chocks in the rolling direction; driving apparatuses that move the roll chocks in the rolling direction; and a position control unit that fixes a rolling direction position of the roll chocks of the reference roll as a reference position, and drives the driving apparatuses to control the positions in the rolling direction of the roll chocks based on a rolling direction force difference so that the rolling direction force difference of each roll is a value within an allowable range.

A rolling mill stand has two working rolls forming a roll gap in which a rolled product transported in a conveying direction can be formed. The positioning of at least one working roll is variable in a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction. The rolling mill is used in a method which comprises: conveying the rolled product through the roll gap in the conveying direction and at the same time opening or closing the rolling mill stand by correspondingly increasing or decreasing the roll gap; during opening or closing of the roll stand, detecting a position of the rolled product in front of and/or behind the roll gap in the direction transverse to the conveying direction; and changing the positioning of the corresponding working roll depending on the detected position, so that the rolled product is stabilized at a target position during opening or closing of the roll stand.

A rolling mill stand has two working rolls forming a roll gap in which a rolled product transported in a conveying direction can be formed. The positioning of at least one working roll is variable in a plane perpendicular to the conveying direction. The rolling mill is used in a method which comprises: conveying the rolled product through the roll gap in the conveying direction and at the same time opening or closing the rolling mill stand by correspondingly increasing or decreasing the roll gap; during opening or closing of the roll stand, detecting a position of the rolled product in front of and/or behind the roll gap in the direction transverse to the conveying direction; and changing the positioning of the corresponding working roll depending on the detected position, so that the rolled product is stabilized at a target position during opening or closing of the roll stand.

There is provided a rolling mill that includes a plurality of rolls, in which any one roll among respective rolls is adopted as a reference roll, including a load detection apparatus, detects a vertical roll load at a rolling support point position; a pressing apparatus pressing the roll chocks in the rolling direction; a driving apparatus moving the roll chocks in the rolling direction; and a position control unit which fixes a rolling direction position of roll chocks of the reference roll, and drives the driving apparatus to control positions in the rolling direction of the roll chocks of the rolls other than the reference roll.

There is provided a zigzagging control method for a workpiece including: an estimation step of, before rolling of a tail portion of the workpiece, acquiring at least any one of an inter-roll thrust force estimated based on an inter-roll cross angle and an inter-roll friction coefficient and a material-roll thrust force estimated based on a material-roll cross angle and a material-roll friction coefficient; and a tail control step of, during the rolling of the tail portion of the workpiece, measuring work-side and drive-side rolling loads, correcting a rolling load difference or a rolling load difference ratio based on any two of acquired parameters including a roll-axis-direction thrust counterforce at the measurement of the rolling loads, the inter-roll thrust force, and the material-roll thrust force, and performing reduction leveling control on a rolling mill based on the corrected rolling load difference or rolling load difference ratio.

There is provided a zigzagging control method for a workpiece including: an estimation step of, before rolling of a tail portion of the workpiece, acquiring at least any one of an inter-roll thrust force estimated based on an inter-roll cross angle and an inter-roll friction coefficient and a material-roll thrust force estimated based on a material-roll cross angle and a material-roll friction coefficient; and a tail control step of, during the rolling of the tail portion of the workpiece, measuring work-side and drive-side rolling loads, correcting a rolling load difference or a rolling load difference ratio based on any two of acquired parameters including a roll-axis-direction thrust counterforce at the measurement of the rolling loads, the inter-roll thrust force, and the material-roll thrust force, and performing reduction leveling control on a rolling mill based on the corrected rolling load difference or rolling load difference ratio.

When the strip head (7) of a metal strip (1) runs out of a roll stand (2a), a lateral position (y) of the strip head (7) is detected by a detection device (8) at at least one location (P) lying between the roll stand (2a) and a device (8) arranged downstream of the roll stand. A strip position controller (10) is designed as a model predictive controller which ascertains a sequence of adjusting commands (u.sub.k) to be output one after the other in a work cycle (T) on the basis of the detected lateral position (y) of the strip head (7), and the sequence is used to adjust a respective roll gap wedge. The number of control commands (u.sub.k) define a prediction horizon (PH) of the strip position controller (10) in connection with the work cycle (T). The strip position controller (10) at least supplies the roll stand (2a) with the control command (u.sub.0) ascertained to be output next.

When the strip head (7) of a metal strip (1) runs out of a roll stand (2a), a lateral position (y) of the strip head (7) is detected by a detection device (8) at at least one location (P) lying between the roll stand (2a) and a device (8) arranged downstream of the roll stand. A strip position controller (10) is designed as a model predictive controller which ascertains a sequence of adjusting commands (u.sub.k) to be output one after the other in a work cycle (T) on the basis of the detected lateral position (y) of the strip head (7), and the sequence is used to adjust a respective roll gap wedge. The number of control commands (u.sub.k) define a prediction horizon (PH) of the strip position controller (10) in connection with the work cycle (T). The strip position controller (10) at least supplies the roll stand (2a) with the control command (u.sub.0) ascertained to be output next.

There is provided a meandering control device for a rolling line capable of setting temperature of a material to be rolled so as to suppress meandering of the material to be rolled. The meandering control includes a tail end roll force calculation unit that calculates a predictive value of roll force when entry side tension is not applied, an allowable meandering amount roll force calculation unit that calculates a reference value of the roll force applied to the material to be rolled when a meandering amount of the material to be rolled is an allowable amount, and a temperature rise amount calculation unit that calculates a temperature rise amount of the material to be rolled, based on a difference between the predictive value of the roll force and the reference value of the roll force.