The invention may relate, among other things, to a device for straightening a metal strip having two strip drives which are suitable together to apply tension on the metal strip to straighten the metal strip, wherein at least one of the strip drives is a linear drive, characterized in that the at least one linear drive has a positioning device such that the linear drive can be moved relative to the longitudinal axis of the device.

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 flatness-measuring device for a hot-rolled strip within a hot-rolling mill includes an entry-side deflection roller and an exit-side deflection roller. A central deflection roller is arranged between the entry-side deflection roller and the exit-side deflection roller. The central deflection roller is used as a flatness-measuring roller. To prevent the hot-rolled strip from departing laterally during a flatness measurement, the flatness-measuring device has a sensing apparatus for sensing an actual position of the hot-rolled strip. An adjusting apparatus is connected to the sensing apparatus and to at least one of the deflection rollers. The flatness-measuring device is designed to vary an angle between a longitudinal central axis of the deflection roller respectively connected to the adjusting apparatus and a longitudinal axis of the flatness-measuring device based on a deviation of the actual position of the hot-rolled strip from a predefined target position.

A flatness-measuring device for a hot-rolled strip within a hot-rolling mill includes an entry-side deflection roller and an exit-side deflection roller. A central deflection roller is arranged between the entry-side deflection roller and the exit-side deflection roller. The central deflection roller is used as a flatness-measuring roller. To prevent the hot-rolled strip from departing laterally during a flatness measurement, the flatness-measuring device has a sensing apparatus for sensing an actual position of the hot-rolled strip. An adjusting apparatus is connected to the sensing apparatus and to at least one of the deflection rollers. The flatness-measuring device is designed to vary an angle between a longitudinal central axis of the deflection roller respectively connected to the adjusting apparatus and a longitudinal axis of the flatness-measuring device based on a deviation of the actual position of the hot-rolled strip from a predefined target position.

To provide a metal plate which is elongated and has a high homogeneity in a wider range, a method for manufacturing the metal plate, a metal mask obtained from the metal plate, and a method for manufacturing the metal mask. Provided is a metal plate which is elongated and is to be used for manufacturing a metal mask, in which when a differential expansion rate En in a unit length L0 in a longitudinal direction for an arbitrary position n in a width direction of the metal plate is measured at each of an arbitrary plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction, a difference in the differential expansion rate En in a central portion in the width direction is 9.010.sup.6 or less at a plurality of the positions, and the central portion is a portion that occupies 80% in the width direction of the metal plate excluding both side portions that occupy 10% in the width direction.

To provide a metal plate which is elongated and has a high homogeneity in a wider range, a method for manufacturing the metal plate, a metal mask obtained from the metal plate, and a method for manufacturing the metal mask. Provided is a metal plate which is elongated and is to be used for manufacturing a metal mask, in which when a differential expansion rate En in a unit length L0 in a longitudinal direction for an arbitrary position n in a width direction of the metal plate is measured at each of an arbitrary plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction, a difference in the differential expansion rate En in a central portion in the width direction is 9.010.sup.6 or less at a plurality of the positions, and the central portion is a portion that occupies 80% in the width direction of the metal plate excluding both side portions that occupy 10% in the width direction.

The apparatus for cooling a hot-rolled steel sheet of the invention includes a thermometer that measures the temperature of the hot-rolled steel sheet; a shape meter that measures a shape of the hot-rolled steel sheet; a top side cooling device that cools a top surface of the hot-rolled steel sheet in a cooling section; a bottom side cooling device that cools a bottom surface of the hot-rolled steel sheet in the cooling section; and a control device that controls at least one of an amount of heat dissipated from the top surface by cooling and an amount of heat dissipated from the bottom surface by cooling of the hot-rolled steel sheet in the cooling section by controlling the top side cooling device and the bottom side cooling device based on temperature measurement results and shape measurement results.

A plurality of flat metal items to be rolled (3) are fed to a plurality of rolling stands (1, 2) of a rolling installation, one after the other over a feed path (4). The items (3) are rolled by the rolling stands (1, 2) past which they are fed. In the rolling stands (1, 2), the flat item to be rolled (3) is first rough-rolled in at least one roughing pass with a wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) and then finish-rolled in finishing passes. After the finish-rolling of the flat item, a thickness taper (dd) that is present in the respective finish-rolled flat item is recorded by measuring instruments. The thickness taper (dd) is compared with a target taper (dZ). On the basis of a deviation of the thickness taper (dd) from the target taper (dZ) and the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds), a new wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) is determined for the at least one roughing pass. The wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) for the at least one roughing pass for the next flat item to be rolled (3) is set to correspond to the newly determined value of the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds), so that the next flat item to be rolled (3) is rough-rolled in the at least one roughing pass with the newly determined value of the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds).

A plurality of flat metal items to be rolled (3) are fed to a plurality of rolling stands (1, 2) of a rolling installation, one after the other over a feed path (4). The items (3) are rolled by the rolling stands (1, 2) past which they are fed. In the rolling stands (1, 2), the flat item to be rolled (3) is first rough-rolled in at least one roughing pass with a wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) and then finish-rolled in finishing passes. After the finish-rolling of the flat item, a thickness taper (dd) that is present in the respective finish-rolled flat item is recorded by measuring instruments. The thickness taper (dd) is compared with a target taper (dZ). On the basis of a deviation of the thickness taper (dd) from the target taper (dZ) and the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds), a new wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) is determined for the at least one roughing pass. The wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds) for the at least one roughing pass for the next flat item to be rolled (3) is set to correspond to the newly determined value of the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds), so that the next flat item to be rolled (3) is rough-rolled in the at least one roughing pass with the newly determined value of the wedge-type roll gap adjustment (ds).

A measuring roller for determining a property of a strip-shaped material such as metal strip, passed over a measuring roller, having a measuring roller body with a circumferential surface, at least one recess in the measuring roller body, which is arranged at a distance from the circumferential surface or leads from the circumferential surface into the interior of the measuring roller body, and with a first force sensor arranged in the recess and a second force sensor arranged in the recess or in a further recess adjacent to the recess, wherein the first force sensor has a sensor surface and the first force sensor can generate a sensor signal when the position of the sensor surface of the first force sensor changes, and the second force sensor has a sensor surface and the second force sensor can generate a sensor signal when the position of the sensor surface of the second force sensor changes.