FORMING PROCESSES

Crown and shape control technologies

for hot rolling mills
The market is currently showing a demand for API steel grades and ultra-thin gauges (1.0mm
and below), produced on the same hot strip mill. Danieli Wean United is able to offer an optimal
minimill configuration to control strip dimensional tolerances and mechanical properties for a very
wide product mix in terms of steel grades, thickness and width. Rolling ultra-thin gauges requires
greater attention to thermal crown and shape control and technologies and equipment for control
are described.

Authors: P Bobig, C Fusulan, F Stella and A Pigani

Danieli Wean United

STRIP CROWN AND FLATNESS

CONTROL CONCEPT
One of the key objectives in rolling is to achieve the target
thickness with optimum quality in terms of crown and
flatness of the exit strip. During thickness reduction it is
very important to have a constant reduction across the
strip width in order to have a uniform elongation between
the centre and the edge of the strip. If this condition is
not met, an internal stress condition is generated, causing
flatness defects (centre buckles or wavy edges).
The parameter that indicates the correctness of the
rolling pass is the ratio between the crown and thickness
(crown ratio) at entry and exit of each pass. The more
this ratio changes during a rolling pass, the higher is the
risk of creating a flatness defect on the strip. In the most
favourable cases the ratio does not change and the strip
will be perfectly flat. Because it is normal practice during
rolling to change the crown ratio from entry to exit side of r Fig 1 Perfect flatness concept
the mill in order to obtain the required crown target, it has
to be changed gradually by distributing the total change
among the rolling passes, staying within a limit that
depends on the ratio between strip width and thickness.
This is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.
The available profile control range without visible flatness
defects (centre buckle and edge waves) is correlated with
strip exit thickness. The higher the strip exit thickness,
the higher is the profile’s capability to change without
generating a flatness defect. Figure 3 shows a typical
diagram with the limitation of crown ratio change versus
strip thickness.
During rolling, the exit crown and flatness of the strip are
influenced by many factors (roll thermal profile, rolling force, r Fig 2 Flatness defects
roll wear, strip width, etc.) that change during the campaign.
To compensate for these and to control strip crown and
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flatness it is necessary to install a series of actuators – the

bending system – that can continuously modify the roll bite
shape. An important factor in the design of the bending a

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 r Fig 3 Crown change related to thickness r Fig 4 Effect of bending actuators

system is the impact range of the bending actuator on

r Fig 5 Available control range
crown and flatness control. When the rolled material is thick,
the impact of bending on the strip crown ratio is limited,
whereas when it is thin, the impact is very high.
In Figure 4 an example of a bending control range is
shown. The control range shown in Figure 5 is a combination
of Figures 3 and 4 and can be explained as follows: The
capability of the mill to control the crown ratio without
flatness defects depends on two main factors: the power
of the crown control actuators used on the stands, and the
position along the mill stand where these actuators are
installed. To increase the crown and flatness control capability
of the hot strip mill it is necessary to install the actuators in
the right position to optimise their efficiency and to reach
the goal with a minimum investment cost. Based on this
concept, DWU has developed an integrated solution where
several technological packages can be installed, dedicated
to guaranteeing superior control of strip geometrical data
with special regard to shape and crown control.

STRIP PROFILE AND SHAPE

CONTROL SOLUTION
The solution proposed by Danieli can offer several kinds of
powerful actuators installed on the mill according to the
product mix and plant configuration. In addition to work
roll heavy bending, with its very fast response time and
high range dynamic control, which is the main and most
effective actuator typically installed in the plant, there are
additional systems able to considerably increase the crown
and flatness control range, so that the bending system can
always maintain its full range capability. These are:
` Shaped work roll
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` Work roll thermal crown header (RTC)

` Work roll and backup roll crossing (f2CR)
The control philosophy is to use these additional systems

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 FORMING PROCESSES

r Fig 6 Positive and negative roll bending system

Positive bending Negative bending

Negative
Bending
Cylinders

BUR
Balancing
Cylinders

“Mae
West”
Block

Positive
Bending
Cylinders

r Fig 7 Work roll heavy bending hydraulic cylinders

based on the Level 2 automation but with an additional

control range dedicated to the abovementioned items,
mathematical model calculation and the present mill
situation to set up the correct mill configuration according
to the slab entry data and the final strip target format,
and to use the bending system during rolling for in-bar
control in order to have consistent performance along the
strip length. The combined effect of these actuators allows
the plants to achieve all the stringent requirements of the
most demanding markets in terms of strip format, crown a
and flatness for the production of high strength steel, pipe
grade, and for special process technology, such as thermo-
mechanical rolling, ferritic rolling and semi-endless rolling.

TIGHT STRIP DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES

Work roll double jack heavy bending system In order
to obtain the desired thickness profile in the roll gap and to
control that gap during the rolling of the entire coil, despite the
possible thermal and geometrical variations of the incoming
transfer bar, Danieli has created a positive and negative heavy b
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bending system for all the finishing stands. Work roll bending
is used typically in dynamic and continuous strip crown and r Fig 8 Work roll heavy bending system,
flatness control during rolling. When roll bending forces are a) unshifted, b) shifted a

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 r Fig 9 Shaped roll shifting position
r Fig 11 Crown gap versus shifting
applied in the direction of the rolling force, the bending is
positive (crown in); when bending forces are applied in the
direction opposite to the rolling force, the bending is negative
(crown out; see Figure 6).
The on-line control model calculates the sum of work roll
bending forces as a function of roll separating force, strip
width, roll diameter, work roll mechanical crown, work roll
thermal crown, work roll wear and entry strip profile. This
means that the work roll bending system settings can be
changed quickly under load (dynamic control) in order
to obtain strip crown within the target tolerances and
optimum strip flatness. The positive bending actuators
are located in the ‘Mae West’ blocks, while the negative
bending cylinders are located inside the back up roll (BUR)
chocks (see Figure 7).
This system is capable of obtaining top-level performance
without any interference with any other mill control, and
without any increase in maintenance. Positive heavy
bending is up to 200 t/chock, and negative heavy
bending is up to 120 t/chock. These forces can be
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achieved without affecting bearing life, thanks to the
patented solution of the double-jack roll bending system,
which keeps the bending force centred with respect to the
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r Fig 10 Top and bottom work roll shape and
gap crown
bearing centreline, regardless of the roll’s axial position,
according to the side shifting procedures (see Figure 8).
Shaped roll technology In order to increase the strip
crown and flatness range control, shaped roll technology
can be applied to all the finishing stands. In this case
shifting is used not only to control the distribution of
work roll wear, but also to control strip crown and flatness.
Typically, the crown control capacity with shaped rolls is
two to three times higher than the capacity of the bending
system. A smooth profile shape for the work rolls is adopted
in order to combine the crown and flatness control with
the wear control function. The profile of the work roll is
a curve consisting of an asymmetric sine function and a
three-order multinomial function, as follows:
Dt(y) = D + C sinα/b (y – δs – δ0) - a1(y – δs – δ0) - a3
(y – δs – δ0)3
Db y) = D - C sinα/b (y + δs + δ0) + a1(y + δs + δ0) +
a3 (y + δs + δ0)3
where:
Dt(y) = top work roll diameter
 FORMING PROCESSES

(a)

(b)

r Fig 12 Crown control range

Db(y)= bottom work roll diameter

D= work roll nominal diameter
Α= angle of changeable roll gap curve shape
B= work roll barrel length / 2 (c)
C= amplitude of sine curve
δ0= prime displacement value of the roll shape curve
δs= relative movement value from the prime position
a1= coefficient
a3= coefficient

The crown value of the roll gap can be changed by changing

the axial movement value δs, and, when the parameters
C and α vary, the crown function of the roll gap will be
a group of different full and round curves as shown in
Figure 9. Thus it is possible to modify the crown value and
the shape of the no load gap. The coefficients C and a3 are r Fig 13 Bottom RTC header (a) with hydraulic
selected in order to improve the strip crown control range, actuator, b) pipework, c) location
while the parameter α is selected mainly according to the
requirements of the loaded roll gap shape.
Thus it is possible to change the crown value of the
centre roll gap with respect to the edge, and to change
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the roll gap shape according to the requirements of the

desired profile and strip shape. An example of the work
roll profile curve is given in Figure 10. The total crown a

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 r Fig 14 RTC headers operation

control range for the above condition is ~500μm (see

Figure 11).
The shifting system is dedicated to gap profile setting,
thus it is used only to set the suitable WR gap profile
(static control), while during rolling strip crown control
(dynamic control) is performed by bending actuators. The
Danieli crown control range capability with heavy bending
and shaped roll technology are shown in Figure 12.

WORK ROLL THERMAL CROWN
COOLING HEADERS (RTC)
The work roll RTCs are two tilting headers placed at the
exit side of each finish rolling stand (top and bottom).
The nozzles are placed on these headers along a parabolic
path whose vertex is on the centre line of the rolling
mill. Furthermore, each RTC header can be rotated by
a hydraulic cylinder (see Figure 13). The combination of
spray nozzle distribution and header rotation angle has
the capability to cool the roll centre more efficiently than
the edges or vice versa. Thus, the cooling gradient along
r Fig 15 Work roll thermal camber response during the roll barrel makes it possible to effectively control the
hot rolling work roll thermal crown by a suitable angular positioning
of the RTC headers as shown in Figure 14.
The results of using an RTC system can be summarised
as follows:
` Short transition to steady-state (see Figure 15)
` Effective work roll thermal crown control
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` Reduction of the bending force required to compensate

for RTC, thus more bending force can be used to control
strip crown and flatness

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 FORMING PROCESSES

r Fig 16 f2CR stand tested in Danieli workshop r Fig 17 Roll crossing system

WORK ROLL AND BACKUP ROLL

CROSSING (f2CR)
Danieli has developed a new concept for a rolling stand,
f2CR (flexible-crown and free-rolling), that make possible
roll crossing and shifting during rolling for continuous
adjustment of strip crown within an extremely wide
control range and independent control of roll wear.
The target is to meet the strip profile and flatness
control requirements for the most ambitious product
mix, including ultra-thin gauges in a wide range of strip
profiles, required for various final applications.
The production of ultra-thin strip in endless or semi-
endless rolling requires a very wide strip crown control
range (up to 1,700μm), four to five times wider than
the control range usually required and achieved
by conventional actuators. These efforts led to the r Fig 18 Roll crossing mechanism
development of the f2CR stand that overcomes the
limitations of all the technologies available to the
market (see Figure 16): it features roll bending, shifting
and crossing to control changes in roll wear and RTC
independently, as well as rolling load effects on the strip
profile.
The f2CR system installed in the minimill at Ezz Flat
Steel (Egypt) is the first stand in the world with:
` Work roll and backup roll (BUR) crossing
` Dynamic control of the crossing angle
` Work roll positive and negative bending
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` Work roll shifting system with no hysteresis

` Crossing and shifting under rolling load
` Independent use of crossing and shifting a

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 Pair cross system Strip profile performance Total
Within ± 15μm Over ± 15μm
No. coils % No. coils %
Off 347 76.4 107 23.6 454
On 1,029 95.5 49 4.6 1,078
Total 1,376 89.8 156 10.2 1,532
r Table 1 Summary of pair cross performance (target tolerance ± 15 μm)

Pair cross system Strip profile performance Total

Within ± 22μm Over ± 22μm
No. coils % No. coils %
Off 434 95.6 20 4.4 454
On 1,066 95.5 12 1.11 1,078
Total 1,500 97.9 32 2.09 1,532
r Table 2 Summary of pair cross performance (target tolerance ± 22μm)

Crossing the rolls has the same effect on the strip

that grinding a convex crown has on the work roll (see
Figure 17). The equivalent amount of roll crown is:

Ceq=Se-Sc=(L2 tan2θ)/(2(Dw+Sc))

where:
L = barrel length
Dw = work roll diameter
Sc = roll gap at roll centre
Se = roll gap at roll edge
θ = cross angle

The crossing actuators together with the bending

actuators are able to modify the quadratic and quartic
parts of the strip profile. Roll crossing is obtained by F
shaped blocks traversing the mill window and bearing
the oscillating liners on which the work roll chocks and
BUR chocks slide. Each F block is placed in a slot in the
inner face of the housing post. The block is coupled to
the slot by means of two special (patented), mechanical
cam-type jacks and a hydraulic balancing system (see
Figure 18).
The advantages of the f2CR stand are:
` Continuously adjustable strip crown within a wide
control range
` Distribution of work roll wear and edge wear control
performed through shifting under load
` Work roll wear and strip crown control are
independent
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` Uniform BUR wear and increasing BUR life due to

uniform contact pressure between work roll and BUR
r Fig 19 Process capability with pair cross OFF ` Schedule-free rolling capability

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 FORMING PROCESSES

` High efficiency in controlling thermal crown

` Specifially designed for endless rolling

OPERATING RESULTS
The excellent results reached in crown tolerances with the
work roll and BUR crossing system installed in the QSP
plant at Ezz Flat Steel will now be described.
The advantages of the crossing stand in controlling
strip crown can be best demonstrated by comparing the
strip profile achieved by the crossing system with the one
achieved using only the bending system. In both cases,
the roll shifting system was used. The data in Tables 1 and
2 were observed during production of low carbon steel
grade in strip thicknesses ranging from 1.0 to 6.0mm and
strip widths from 950 to 1,560 mm.
A total of 1,532 hot rolled coils were evaluated: 454 coils
were produced by controlling the strip profile with the heavy
bending system only, while 1,078 coils were made by using
the pair cross system in fully automatic mode. The results
in Figures 19 and 20 illustrate the powerful effect of the
crossing system. On 95.45% of the entire strip length the
achieved crown values are concentrated within the tolerance
range of ±15μm of the target crown (see also Table 1).
The target crown varied from 15 to 45μm according
to the final application of the product, demonstrating
once more that it is possible to adjust the strip crown
continuously within a wide control range and maintain
tight tolerances.
When using the heavy bending system only, in order
to achieve a similar result, the tolerance range has to r Fig 20 Process capability with pair cross ON
be increased to ±22μm (see Table 2). In this case the
measured values are within tolerance for 95.6% of the
entire strip length. This increases to 98.9% when using
roll crossing. With the increase of the tolerance range, the experience and innovative solutions achieved through R&D,
performance achieved with the heavy bending system is is in a position to supply the most advanced technological
still excellent, even taking into account that EFS production solutions to meet and guarantee top level performance for
focuses mainly on thin gauges. strip dimensional tolerances in both coil-to-coil and semi-
Thus, practical results demonstrate that with the pair- endless rolling. Special attention has been given to the crown
cross long-stroke shifting system, the strip crown can be and flatness control systems that, today, are considered
controlled more effectively even in coil-to-coil rolling, to be of prime importance for modern hot rolling mill
obtaining tighter profile tolerances on the final strip performance. Thanks to the special technological packages
compared to conventional actuators. Furthermore, thanks employed, crown and flatness control have improved and, by
to the long-stroke work roll shifting, the life of the f2CR using integrated control with a sophisticated mathematical
stand rolls remained similar to that of conventional model, it is now possible to reach the tightest tolerances
stands, without losing the capability for real schedule-free required in present and expected future markets. MS
rolling. Moreover, the pair-cross long shifting solution has
been used to successfully roll ultra-thin gauges down to P Bobig, C Fusulan, F Stella and A Pigani are with
0.95mm on a regular basis, with strict tolerances, while Danieli Wean United, Buttrio, Italy.
also maintaining a very low cobble ratio and, consequently,
an improvement in both yield and productivity. Contact: p.bobig@danieli.it
MILLENNIUM STEEL 2011

c.fusulan@danieli.it
CONCLUSIONS f.stella@danieli.it
Danieli Wean United, based on know-how, operating a.pigani@danieli.it

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