Key features

  • Very significant elongation of the material (up to 170 times the entry length)

  • Very high number of signals

  • Speed/length measurement of red-hot material not always very accurate

  • Roughing stands with reversing mode

  • When using a coil box, transposition of start and end of strip between roughing and finishing mill

  • Scrap and, where necessary, division cuts in the line (cropping shear)

  • Discharge of material from the line before the last measuring location is reached

  • Different final measuring locations (coilers)

  • Often non-homogeneous automation topology, i.e. an ibaPDA/ibaQDR system for the entire line can be very complex in terms of the I/O interfaces

  • Significant performance requirements due to high line speeds and very high number of signals

  • Virtualization may not be possible due to I/O requirements

Typical measured values

Rolling forces, strip tension, width, thickness, material temperature, cooling water temperature

ibaQDR

Property

Remark

Tracking ID

One ID per slab/rough strip/hot strip

The ID signal must be set to 0 between the entry products.

Tracking start

Material detection at first measuring location, e.g. upsetting press

First measuring location

Identical to tracking start

“Finished” signal

End of strip detected at coiler or last measuring location before coilers

Length resolution

1 m

Example:

Only the head and foot position of each material on the roller table is supplied from the automation system. Therefore, there are two position signals for each of the numerous placeholders (e.g. slab 1-8). These can be seen in the first graph in the figure below. The position of the measuring locations on the roller table is known (see horizontal lines in first graph), which means that the length signals required for ibaQDR can be created - see second to fourth graph. Functions in the ibaAnalyzer expression builder have been used here to calculate the length signals.