CONTROL OF PLATE THICKNESS IN HEAVY PLATE MILLS: A NEW PERSPECTIVE

This paper is concerned with the application of a new control strategy serving to improve the regularity of the plate thickness to the finishing mill stand of the AG der Dillinger Hüttenwerke, Dillingen, Germany. It is shown that the quality of the plate thickness can be significantly increased by making use of measured plate data which are available from previous passes in combination with accurate mathematical models of the mill stand and the rolled material. An accurate forward slip model is used to track the current plate position as there is no velocimeter signal available. The measurement results being discussed in this contribution impressively prove the efficiency of the proposed control strategy.