Rolling Mill Shape Control Cold rolling mills are an abundant
source of control problems. Typically, the stand consists of a
small diameter work roll and a larger backup roll on each side
of the steel strip. Significant amounts of energy are required
to achieve the desired thickness reduction. Much of this energy
appears as heat on the work roll, which is removed with cooling
sprays. This leads to non-uniform thermal expansion across the
work roll, referred to as thermal camber. The problem of keeping
the roll edge flat is called shape control. Numerous cooling
sprays are located across the roll, and the flow through each
spray is controlled by a valve. The cool water sprayed on the
roll reduces the thermal expansion. The interesting thing is
that each spray affects a large section of the roll, not just
the section directly beneath it. This leads to an interactive
MIMO system, rather than a series of decoupled SISO systems.
Overview of the Example It is recommended that you follow the
example in order, but yo