Gauge and tension control system for hot strip finishing mill

In this paper, a gauge and strip tension control system for a hot strip finishing mill based on the optimal regulator theory is presented. In hot strip finishing rolling, there exists a mutual interaction between gauge and strip tension control. Since the conventional control system, which consists of single-input and single-output controllers, is limited in improving the control performance, a multivariable control is introduced. First, a mathematical model of the gauge and strip tension control system is derived. Then, in order to improve the control performance, a multivariable compensator based on the optimal regulator theory is designed. It is shown by simulation studies and experimental results that the new control system with a multivariable compensator is effective for improving gauge and tension control accuracy.<<ETX>>