EUROPEAN STEEL TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION DAYS 2017 - ESTAD 2017

IMS Messsysteme GmbH has developed the first width measurement system based on radar technology for hot rolling mills. In contrast to laser radiation or light, radar waves are insensitive to steam and dust. Therefore, the system allows for width measurement under harsh environmental conditions, where the use of other measurement technologies is difficult or not possible at all. As the radiation intensity is low, no safety precautions are required. The system consists of two measuring units, each equipped with a sensor and a pair of antennas. The width is determined by measuring the distance between the antennas and the strip edge on each side and a suitable calibration. At first, a prototype system operating at 30 GHz was installed at the roughing stand of the hot rolling mill of Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH. During these tests, the high robustness, measurement accuracy and low maintenance requirements under rough environmental conditions were demonstrated. Meanwhile, a 60 GHz system operating in a free frequency band was developed in cooperation with the Fraunhofer FHR. It provides higher measurement accuracies in laboratory tests due to its larger bandwidth. Besides that, implementation is facilitated by the smaller size of the antennas. The new 60 GHz-system was installed at the same position in the hot rolling mill as the prototype, so that the performance of both systems can be compared. After finishing the field tests by the end of 2016, the 60 GHz-system will be used for accurate width control at the roughing stand. In this talk, the principle and setup of the radar width measurement system are presented. The results obtained with the new 60 GHz-system in laboratory and field tests are shown and compared to the prototype.