Hot Strip Mill Centerline Tracking
The finishing section of ArcelorMittal's steel hot strip mill passes a length of heated steel through seven high pressure rollers to flatten the steel into a long strip. Several issues, such as inconsistent temperatures and pressures can cause the steel length to bend. This bending can cause the steel to impact the guards on either side of the rollers, damaging equipment and stopping production. Currently, the curvature of the steel is monitored by an operator in the hot mill's control room. When the operator sees curvature in the strip, corrections are made and changes can be made to improve future strips. Steam, distance from the strip, and a low viewing angle make monitoring the shape of the strip difficult. Team fours design project entails a vision solution to display a more clear visual of the shape of the strip to the operator. Giving the operator a clear, live feed of the strip will allow for more accurate adjustments and will help to prevent production halts. Data obtained from the system could be used in control systems to produce straighter steel and reduce failures in the hot strip mill.
The purpose of this project is to measure the centerline of a steel strip in the hot mill rolling process. Additionally, the project will provide a visual for operators to see what is happening in the hot strip mill from a bird's-eye view. The project will inform operators if there is a problem in the hot strip mill and provide a video in order to reflect on why things went wrong. This will aid in improving future operations to avoid repeating the previous error.