Flatness Control Based on Dynamic Effective Matrix for Cold Strip Mills

Steel strips are the main of steel products and flatness is an important quality indicator of steel strips. Flatness control is the key and highly difficult technique of strip mills. The bottle-neck restricting the improvement of flatness control techniques is that the research on flatness theories and control mathematic models is not in accordance with the requirement of technique developments. To build a simple, rapid and accurate explicit formulation control model has become an urgent need for the development of flatness control technique. This paper puts forward the conception of dynamic effective matrix based on the effective matrix method for flatness control proposed by the authors under the consideration of the influence of the change of parameters in roiling processes on the effective matrix, and the concept is validated by industrial productions. Three methods of the effective matrix generation are induced： the calculation method based on the flatness prediction model; the calculation method based on the data excavation in rolling processes and the direct calculation method based on the network model. A fuzzy neural network effective matrix model is built based on the clusters, and then the network structure is optimized and the high-speed-calculation problem of the dynamic effective matrix is solved. The flatness control scheme for cold strip mills is proposed based on the dynamic effective matrix. On stand 5 of the 1 220 mm five-stand 4-high cold strip tandem mill, the industrial experiment with the control methods of tilting roll and bending roll is done by the control scheme of the static effective matrix and the dynamic effective matrix, respectively. The experiment result proves that the control effect of the dynamic effective matrix is much better than that of the static effective matrix. This paper proposes a new idea and method for the dynamic flatness control in the rolling processes of cold strip mills and develops the theory and model of the flatness control effective matrix method.

PROFILE AND FLATNESS CONTROL SYSTEM IN 1700mm HOT STRIP MILLS OF ANSTEEL

Varying contact-length backup roll and linearly variable crown work roll are provided for improving the mill performance of profile and flatness control. Integrated with theses technologies, relevant profile and flatness control models are developed for hot strip mills on the basis of large amount of finite element calculation. These models include shape setup control model in process control system, bending force feedforward control model, crown feedback control model and flatness feedback control model in basis automation system. Such a profile and flatness control system with full functions is applied in 1 700 mm industrial hot strip mills of Ansteel. Large amount of production data shows that the crown precision with the tolerance of±18 μm is over 90%, the strip percentage which the actual flatness is within ±25 I-unit surpasses 96%, and general roll consume is reduced by 28% by using the profile and fiatness control system. In addition, schedule-free rolling is realized.

Advanced run-out table cooling technology based on ultra fast cooling and laminar cooling in hot strip mill

In order to meet the severe requirements of market and reduce production costs of high quality steels,advanced run-out table cooling based on ultra fast cooling(UFC) and laminar cooling(LC) was proposed and applied to industrial production.Cooling mechanism of UFC and LC was introduced first,and then the control system and control models were described.By using UFC and LC,low-cost Q345B strips had been produced in a large scale,and industrial trials of producing low-cost dual phase strips were completed successfully.Application results show that the ultra fast cooling is uniform along the strip width and length,and does not affect the flatness of strips.The run-out table cooling system runs stably with a high precision,and makes it possible for the user to develop more high quality steels with low costs.

Remaining Useful Life Prediction for a Roller in a Hot Strip Mill Based on Deep Recurrent Neural Networks

Accurate estimation of the remaining useful life(RUL)and health state for rollers is of great significance to hot rolling production.It can provide decision support for roller management so as to improve the productivity of the hot rolling process.In addition,the RUL prediction for rollers is helpful in transitioning from the current regular maintenance strategy to conditional-based maintenance.Therefore,a new method that can extract coarse-grained and fine-grained features from batch data to predict the RUL of the rollers is proposed in this paper.Firstly,a new deep learning network architecture based on recurrent neural networks that can make full use of the extracted coarsegrained fine-grained features to estimate the heath indicator(HI)is developed,where the HI is able to indicate the health state of the roller.Following that,a state-space model is constructed to describe the HI,and the probabilistic distribution of RUL can be estimated by extrapolating the HI degradation model to a predefined failure threshold.Finally,application to a hot strip mill is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods using data collected from an industrial site,and the relatively low RMSE and MAE values demonstrate its advantages compared with some other popular deep learning methods.

MENDED GENETIC BP NETWORK AND APPLICATION TO ROLLING FORCE PREDICTION OF 4-STAND TANDEM COLD STRIP MILL

In order to make good use of the ability to approach any function of BP (backpropagation) network and overcome its local astringency, and also make good use of the overallsearch ability of GA (genetic algorithms), a proposal to regulate the network's weights using bothGA and BP algorithms is suggested. An integrated network system of MGA (mended genetic algorithms)and BP algorithms has been established. The MGA-BP network's functions consist of optimizing GAperformance parameters, the network's structural parameters, performance parameters, and regulatingthe network's weights using both GA and BP algorithms. Rolling forces of 4-stand tandem cold stripmill are predicted by the MGA-BP network, and good results are obtained.

Prediction of Rolling Load in Hot Strip Mill byInnovations Feedback Neural Networks

Because the structure of the classical mathematical model of rolling load is simple, even with the self-adapting technology, it is difficult to accommodate the increasing dimensional accuracy. Motivated by this fact, an Innovations Feedback Neural Networks （IFNN） was presented based on the idea of Kalman prediction. The neural networks used the Back Propagation （BP） algorithm and applied it to the prediction of rolling load in hot strip mill. The theoretical results and the off-line simulation show that the prediction capability of IFNN is better than that of normal BP networks, namely, for the prediction of the rolling load in hot strip mill, the prediction precision of IFNN is higher than that of normal BP networks. Finally, a relative complete rolling load prediction system was developed on Windows 2003/XP platform using the OOP programming method and the SQL server2000 database. With this sys- tem, the rolling load of a 1700 strip mill was calculated, and the prediction results obtained correspond well with the field data. It shows that IFNN is valid for rolling load prediction.

Application of Cooling Water in Controlled Runout Table Cooling on Hot Strip Mill

The controlled runout table cooling is essential in determining the final mechanical properties and flatness of steel strip.The heat of a hot steel strip is mainly extracted by cooling water during runout.In order to study the heat transfer by water jet impingement boiling during runout,apilot facility was constructed at the University of British Columbia.On this pilot facility,the water jet impingement tests were carried out under various cooling conditions to investigate the effect of processing parameters,such as cooling water temperature,water jet impingement velocity,initial strip temperature,water flow rate,water nozzle diameter and array of water nozzles,on the heat transfer of heated strip.The results obtained contribute to the optimization of cooling water during runout.

Compound control for speed and tension multivariable coupling system of reversible cold strip mill

To weaken the nonlinear coupling influence among the variables in the speed and tension system of reversible cold strip mill, a compound control(CC) strategy based on invariance principle was proposed. Firstly, invariance principle was used to realize static decoupling between the speed and tension of reversible cold strip mill. Then, considering the influence caused by the time variation of steel coil radius and rotational inertia of the left and right coilers, as well as the uncertainties, a CC strategy that is composed of extended state observer(ESO) and global sliding mode control(GSMC) with backstepping adaptive was proposed,which further realized dynamic decoupling and coordination control for the speed and tension system. Theoretical analysis shows that the resulting closed-loop system is global bounded stable. Finally, the simulation was carried out on the speed and tension system of a 1422 mm reversible cold strip mill by using the actual data, and through the comparison of the other control strategies, validity of the proposed CC strategy was shown by the results.

Tandem Strip Mill's Multi-parameter Coupling Dynamic Modeling Based on the Thickness Control

The rolling process is determined by the interaction of a number of different movements,during which the relative movement occurs between the vibrating roll system and the rolled piece,and the roll system＇s vibration interacts with the strip＇s deformation and rigid movement.So many parameters being involved leads to a complex mechanism of this coupling effect.Through testing and analyzing the vibration signals of the mill in the rolling process,the rolling mill＇s coupled model is established with comprehensive consideration of the coupling interaction between the mill＇s vertical vibration,its torsional vibration and the working roll＇s horizontal vibration,and vibration characteristics of different forms of rolling mill＇s vibration are analyzed under the coupling effect.With comprehensive attention to the relationship between the roll system,the moving strip and the rolling parameters＇dynamic properties,and also from the strip thickness control point of view,further research is done on the coupling mechanism between the roll system＇s movement and the moving strip＇s characteristics in the rolling process.As a result,the law of inertial coupling and the stiffness coupling effect caused by different forms of the roll system＇s vibration is determined and the existence of nonlinear characteristics caused by the elastic deformation of moving strip is also found.Furthermore,a multi-parameter coupling-dynamic model is established which takes the tandem strip mill as its research object by making a detailed kinematics analysis of the roll system and using the principle of virtual work.The coupling-dynamic model proposes the instruction to describe the roll system＇s movement,and analyzes its dynamic response and working stability,and provides a theoretical basis for the realization of the strip thickness＇dynamic control.

Multi-objective optimization for draft scheduling of hot strip mill

A multi-objective optimization model for draft scheduling of hot strip mill was presented, rolling power minimizing, rolling force ratio distribution and good strip shape as the objective functions. A multi-objective differential evolution algorithm based on decomposition （MODE/D）. The two-objective and three-objective optimization experiments were performed respectively to demonstrate the optimal solutions of trade-off. The simulation results show that MODE/D can obtain a good Pareto-optimal front, which suggests a series of alternative solutions to draft scheduling. The extreme Pareto solutions are found feasible and the centres of the Pareto fronts give a good compromise. The conflict exists between each two ones of three objectives. The final optimal solution is selected from the Pareto-optimal front by the importance of objectives, and it can achieve a better performance in all objective dimensions than the empirical solutions. Finally, the practical application cases confirm the feasibility of the multi-objective approach, and the optimal solutions can gain a better rolling stability than the empirical solutions, and strip flatness decreases from （0± 63） IU to （0±45） IU in industrial production.

Shape Setup System for 1700 Hot Strip Mill

Shape setup （SSU） system is the core technology for hot strip mill （HSM）. A precise SSU system was used to improve the strip quality for HSM. The function of SSU, setup, and feedback was introduced. The main mathematical models of roll gap profile and longitudinal strain difference are set up. Strip profile allocation strategy was researched according to the SSU system of a domestic 1 700 mm HSM. The SSU system was put into practical use and the measurement results showed that strip flatness variation and strip profile variation could be controlled in target scope.

Analysis of the change of roll thermal crown in 1750 mm hot strip mill

Studied the distributing of roll temperature and the change rule of thermal crown in 1 750 hot strip mill,the result of the test showed that the change of roll thermal crown was affected by the condition of roll cooling and equipmentthe roll thermal crown was obviously improved after altering the pipe and water nib of cooling equipment.From the rule of roll thermal crown changing with the number of strip rolling know that the thermal crown of work roll of Standi is the largest,and Stand 6 is the smallest one in a period of rolling.

Opti mization and Model of Laminar Cooling Control Systemfor Hot Strip Mills

The structure of laminar cooling control system for hot rolling was introduced and the control mode, cooling strategy, segment tracking and model recalculation were analyzed. The parameters of air/water cooling models were optimized by regressing the data gathering in situ, and satisfactory effect was obtained. The coiling temperature can be controlled within ±15℃.

Comprehensive contour prediction model of work rolls in hot wide strip mill

The predictive calculation of comprehensive contour of work rolls in the on-line strip shape control model during hot rolling consists of two important parts of wear contour calculation and thermal contour calculation, which have a direct influence on the ac- curacy of shape control. A statistical wear model and a finite difference thermal contour model of work rolls were described. The comprehensive contour is the equivalence treatment of the sum of grinding, wear, and thermal contours. This comprehensive contour calculation model has been applied successfully in the real on-line strip shape control model. Its high precision has been proved through the large amounts of actual roll profile measurements and theoretical analyses. The hit rates （percent of shape index satisfying re- quirement） of crown and head flatness of the strips rolled, by using the shape control model, which includes the comprehensive contour calculation model, have about 16% and 10% increase respectively, compared to those of strips rolled by using manual operation.

Dynamic matrix predictive control for a hydraulic looper system in hot strip mills

Controlling the looper height and strip tension is important in hot strip mills because these variables affect both the strip quality and strip threading. Many researchers have proposed and applied a variety of control schemes for this problem, but the increasingly strict market demand for strip quality requires further improvements. This work describes a dynamic matrix predictive control(DMC) strategy that realizes the optimal control of a hydraulic looper multivariable system. Simulation experiments for a traditional controller and the proposed DMC controller were conducted using MATLAB/Simulink software. The simulation results show that both controllers acquire good control effects with model matching. However, when the model is mismatched, the traditional controller produces an overshoot of 32.4% and a rising time of up to 2120.2 ms, which is unacceptable in a hydraulic looper system. The DMC controller restricts the overshoot to less than 0.08%, and the rising time is less than 48.6 ms in all cases.

VCR and ASR technology for profile and flatness control in hot strip mills

The roll contour pattern and variety of work and backup rolls in service and its effect on profile and flatness control performance in 1 700 mm hot strip mill at Wuhan Iron and Steel(Group) Corporation were tested and analyzed by the developed finite element models of different typical roll contours configurations.A rather smooth local work roll contour near strip edges and an increase in rolled length can be obtained by application of long stroke work roll shifting system with conventional work roll contours that is incapable of the crown control.In comparison with the conventional backup and work roll contours configuration,the crown control range by the roll bending force enhances by 12.79% and the roll gap stiffness increases by 25.26% with the developed asymmetry self-compensating work rolls(ASR) and varying contact backup rolls(VCR).A better strip profile and flatness quality,an increase in coil numbers within the rolling campaign and a significant alleviated effect of severe work roll wear contours on performance of edge drop control are achieved by the application of ASR with crown control and wear control ability in downstream stand F5 and VCR in all stands of 1 700 mm hot strip mill.

Determination of Optimal Work Roll Profile for Cold Strip Mill

The model of predicting distribution of strip thickness at the exit and tension stress is established by using weighted residual method and variational method with consideration of rolled metal lateral flow.A New method of calculating loaded roll gap in relation to target tension stress is proposed.The minimum square summation of loaded roll gap deviation is used as an objective function for the first time to optimize initial work roll profile.

A dual-RPA based lateral flow strip for sensitive,on-site detection of CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac genes in genetically modified crops

Traditional transgenic detection methods require high test conditions and struggle to be both sensitive and efficient.In this study,a one-tube dual recombinase polymerase amplification(RPA)reaction system for CP4-EPSPS and Cry1Ab/Ac was proposed and combined with a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay,named“Dual-RPA-LFD”,to visualize the dual detection of genetically modified(GM)crops.In which,the herbicide tolerance gene CP4-EPSPS and the insect resistance gene Cry1Ab/Ac were selected as targets taking into account the current status of the most widespread application of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits and their stacked traits.Gradient diluted plasmids,transgenic standards,and actual samples were used as templates to conduct sensitivity,specificity,and practicality assays,respectively.The constructed method achieved the visual detection of plasmid at levels as low as 100 copies,demonstrating its high sensitivity.In addition,good applicability to transgenic samples was observed,with no cross-interference between two test lines and no influence from other genes.In conclusion,this strategy achieved the expected purpose of simultaneous detection of the two popular targets in GM crops within 20 min at 37°C in a rapid,equipmentfree field manner,providing a new alternative for rapid screening for transgenic assays in the field.

二维矩形Strip Packing问题的算法研究与改进

二维矩形Strip Packing问题的约束条件及目标函数与基本型二维矩形Packing问题类似,都是在有限的矩形容器中,有效地摆放各个矩形块,以最大化容器利用率为目标。为了解决这一NP-hard问题,该文在邓见凯、王磊提出的拟人型全局优化算法的基础上进行了深入的算法研究与改进。针对Strip Packing问题特点,提出了QHG(Quasi-Human Group)算法,其核心改进涵盖了多个方面,包括扩充初始点集合、删除和替换评价标准以及扩大邻域空间搜索范围。和单个局部极小值点的迭代相比,对局部极小值点集合进行迭代所生成布局优度更高,跳坑策略用于跳出局部极小值点,将搜索引向有希望的区域,优美度枚举有望进一步提高布局优度。通过这些措施,QHG算法更好地模拟人类决策过程,提高了全局搜索的效率。为评估QHG算法性能,对8组标准问题实例(C组、N组、NT组、CX组、NP组、ZDF组、2sp组、bwmv组)进行了大量实验。实验结果表明,QHG算法生成的布局优度优于当前国际文献中的几种较先进算法,展现了其在Strip Packing问题上的卓越性能。

Soybean maize strip intercropping:A solution for maintaining food security in China

The practice of intercropping leguminous and gramineous crops is used for promoting sustainable agriculture,optimizing resource utilization,enhancing biodiversity,and reducing reliance on petroleum products.However,promoting conventional intercropping strategies in modern agriculture can prove challenging.The innovative technology of soybean maize strip intercropping(SMSI)has been proposed as a solution.This system has produced remarkable results in improving domestic soybean and maize production for both food security and sustainable agriculture.In this article,we provide an overview of SMSI and explain how it differs from traditional intercropping.We also discuss the core principles that foster higher yields and the prospects for its future development.