Control system for cold rolling mills to improve sheet metal thickness uniformity. Sensors monitor the state of the cold rolling mill by measuring (i) roll eccentricity, (ii) roll slips during mill operation, (iii) mill disturbances from roll speed or roll force manifestations, and (iv) unknown disturbances referred to as process noise. The controller analyzes data from sensors to compensate. Data collected during the mill operation by the sensors are delayed in reaching the controller. This communication delay is accounted for by using a filter. Since an objective of the controller software is dynamic identification of eccentricity of the back up rolls, which is non-linear by nature, an Extended Kalman Filter may be used.

Control system for cold rolling mills to improve sheet metal thickness uniformity. Sensors monitor the state of the cold rolling mill by measuring (i) roll eccentricity, (ii) roll slips during mill operation, (iii) mill disturbances from roll speed or roll force manifestations, and (iv) unknown disturbances referred to as process noise. The controller analyzes data from sensors to compensate. Data collected during the mill operation by the sensors are delayed in reaching the controller. This communication delay is accounted for by using a filter. Since an objective of the controller software is dynamic identification of eccentricity of the back up rolls, which is non-linear by nature, an Extended Kalman Filter may be used.

A rolled sheet metal mill controller for controlling thickness of sheet metal produced by rolls of the mill, the controller comprising one or more processors and code stored on media readable by the one or more processors to control the thickness of the produced sheet metal, the controller including an input coupled to receive multiple measured mill parameters including produced sheet metal thickness that is time delayed from the production of the sheet metal, multiple models of the sheet metal mill, wherein the sheet metal thickness is modeled as an input varying delay, and at least one internal disturbance model based on one or more of the multiple measured parameters coupled to the input, a Kalman filter based on the multiple models, and an output coupled to control a gap between the rolls that produce the rolled sheet metal.

A control system employs a model-based multi-variable predictive control for cold rolling mills to improve sheet thickness uniformity to meet or exceed specifications in flatness. Sheet metal thickness and flatness deviations from standard requirements are significantly reduced with attendant improved control accuracy as compared to traditional control approaches that use PID based closed loop controls. The control system is particularly suited for control of 4-hi non-reversible single-stand metal rolling mills. The mill stand has a first work roll and a second work roll respectively positioned between a first back up roll and a second back up roll. A plurality of sensors measures and acquires property data of the sheet of material. A model predictive controller manipulates actuators to regulate thickness and flatness. The controller executes automatic gauge control, which is machine direction metal control, and automatic flatness control, which is cross direction metal sheet control, as metal sheet is rolled.

A control system employs a model-based multi-variable predictive control for cold rolling mills to improve sheet thickness uniformity to meet or exceed specifications in flatness. Sheet metal thickness and flatness deviations from standard requirements are significantly reduced with attendant improved control accuracy as compared to traditional control approaches that use PID based closed loop controls. The control system is particularly suited for control of 4-hi non-reversible single-stand metal rolling mills. The mill stand has a first work roll and a second work roll respectively positioned between a first back up roll and a second back up roll. A plurality of sensors measures and acquires property data of the sheet of material. A model predictive controller manipulates actuators to regulate thickness and flatness. The controller executes automatic gauge control, which is machine direction metal control, and automatic flatness control, which is cross direction metal sheet control, as metal sheet is rolled.

A meandering amount detection method for a metal strip traveling in a state of being overlapped in a plurality of stages, includes: calculating an end portion position in a width direction of a metal strip in each stage using an angle formed by a reference direction, which is any direction determined from a reference point, and a direction connecting the reference point and an end portion position in a width direction of a metal strip in each stage, a distance between the reference point and an end portion position in a width direction of a metal strip in each stage, and a distance between a straight line including a width direction of the metal strip and the reference point; and calculating a meandering amount of a metal strip in each stage based on the calculated end portion position in the width direction of the metal strip in each stage.

A cold rolling method includes: a calculation step of calculating a leveling amount of a rolling mill using an out-of-plane deformation amount of a steel sheet measured on an upstream side of the rolling mill; a control step of controlling leveling of the rolling mill on a basis of the leveling amount calculated in the calculation step; and a cold rolling step of applying cold rolling to the steel sheet using the rolling mill controlled by the control step.

A cold rolling method includes: a calculation step of calculating a leveling amount of a rolling mill using an out-of-plane deformation amount of a steel sheet measured on an upstream side of the rolling mill; a control step of controlling leveling of the rolling mill on a basis of the leveling amount calculated in the calculation step; and a cold rolling step of applying cold rolling to the steel sheet using the rolling mill controlled by the control step.

The present disclosure relates to a tail end buckling suppression device for a tandem rolling mill rolling a material to be rolled by N (N2) successive rolling stands. Each i-th rolling stand (1iN) of the tandem rolling mill includes an i-th roll bender device screwing down the material to be rolled with preset roll bender pressure. During a period after a tail end of the material to be rolled comes out of one designated j-th rolling stand (1jN1) until the tail end of the material to be rolled comes out of the N-th rolling stand, the tail end buckling suppression device causes each of j+1-th to N-th roll bender devices downstream of the j-th rolling stand to continuously lower the roll bender pressure.

The present disclosure relates to a tail end buckling suppression device for a tandem rolling mill rolling a material to be rolled by N (N2) successive rolling stands. Each i-th rolling stand (1iN) of the tandem rolling mill includes an i-th roll bender device screwing down the material to be rolled with preset roll bender pressure. During a period after a tail end of the material to be rolled comes out of one designated j-th rolling stand (1jN1) until the tail end of the material to be rolled comes out of the N-th rolling stand, the tail end buckling suppression device causes each of j+1-th to N-th roll bender devices downstream of the j-th rolling stand to continuously lower the roll bender pressure.