Enhanced Coating Thickness Control in Hot Dip Galvanising-Gp - Eudor - WEB - KINA20206ENS - 002

Enhanced coating
thickness control in
hot dip galvanising
Report
EUR 20206 EN
h
STEEL RESEARCH
Interested in European research?
RTD info is our quarterly magazine keeping you in touch with main developments (results,
programmes, events, etc.)· It is available in English, French and German. A free sample copy
or free subscription can be obtained from:
Directorate-General for Research
Information and Communication Unit
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Fax (32-2) 29-58220
E-mail: research@cec.eu.int
Internet: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/rtdinfo.html
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Unit G.3 — Competitive and sustainable growth programme
Contact: ECSC steel publications

Address: European Commission, MO 75, 2/48, B-1049 Brussels
Fax (32-2) 29-65987; e-mail: ECSC-steel@cec.eu.int
European Commission
technical steel research

Rolling flat products
Enhanced coating thickness control

in hot dip galvanising
M. Schyns
CRM
Rue E. Solvay 11, B-4000 Liège
J. L. Rendueles
Aceralia
Centra Desarrollo Tecnológico, E-33400 Aviles
L. Gâcher, P. Vienot
IRSID
Voie Romaine, BP 30320, F-57283 Maizières-lès-Metz Cedex
R. Stockmeyer
BFI
Sohnstraße 65, Postfach 105145, D-40237 Düsseldorf
Contract No 7210-PR/029
1 July 1997 to 31 December 2000
Final report
2002 EUR 20206 EN

LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission
is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information.
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2002
ISBN 92-828-6723-4
© European Communities, 2002

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium
PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

CONTENTS
List of figures
List of tables
OBJECTIVES 11
DESCRIPTION OF WORKS 12
1. On-line control of strip shape and position between the air knives 12
1.1 Measurement of position and shape of the strip between

the air knives (CRM)
1.1.1 Laboratory trials

1.1.2 Optical method based on CCD camera and multiple lasers
1.1.3 Optical method based on CCD camera and one laser
1.1.4 On-line measurements
1.2 Mathematical modelling for reduction of strip cross bow

inHDG(IRSID)
1.2.1 General assumptions

1.2.2 Stress and strain calculât0 under bending and straightening
1.2.3 Cross bowing under the line tension
1.2.4 Example
1.2.5 Sensitivity study
1.2.6 Simulation of bending in the zinc pot-Principle of control
algorithm
1.2.7 Industrial test on the galvanizing line of Sainte-Agathe
1.2.8 Validation of IRSID results
1.2.9 Extreme configurations
2. Analysis of the origin of dynamic effects and study of possible solutions

37
2.1 Stabilisation of the strip by air floating technology in coating
lines (CRM)
2.1.1 Experimental set-up

2.1.2 First pilot line trials during a galvanising campaign
2.1.3 Pilot line trials of blow boxes installed near the wiper
2.1.4 Improvement of amortisation by controlled stabilising force
2.2 Aerodynamic pad to lower strip vibration magnitude after
hot dip galvanising (IRSID)
2.2.1 Validation phase

2.2.2 Geometry improvement
2.2.3 Evaluation of the force exerted on the strip
2.2.4 Pap strip cooling and wiping
2.2.5 Calculation of the convective heat transfer of the reference
PAD
2.2.6 Simulation of a new configuration which coules wiping and
stabilising
2.3 Improvement of strip flow and quality by optimisation of the

dynamic behaviour of coating lines (BFI)
2.3.1 Evaluation of bibliographical references.to transverse

strip vibrations during the galvanising process
2.3.2 Preparation of the strip vibration measurements
2.3.2.1 Topometrical measuring method
2.3.2.2 Distance measurement with the aid of ultrasound
2.3.2.3 Distance measurement with the aid of a laser
2.3.3 Measurements in a galvanising line
2.3.3.1 Topometrical measurement of strip vibrations
' 2.3.3.2 Distance measurement with the aid of ultrasound
2.3.3.4 Summary of the findings from the measurement-based
analysis
2.3.4 Simulation of strip vibrations in the cooling tower
2.3.4.1 Modelling
2.3.4.2 Simulation results
2.3.4.3 Aperiodic excitation and self-excitation
3. Optimisation of air knives geometry for 55% Al-Zn coating (ACERALIA)

108
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Description of aceralia's HDG line 1
3.2.1 Entry Section

3.2.2 Process Section
3.2.3 Exit Section
3.2.4 Coating Control System
3.2.4.1 Air Knives and Pantographs
3.3 Development of the work
3.3.1 Data acquisition system

3.3.1.1 Option considered
3.3.1.2 Image acquisition system
3.3.1.3 SENTROL data collection system
3.3.1.4 Data collection software
3.3.1.5 Overview of the entire data collection system
3.3.2 Temperature analysis
3.3.2.1 Option considered
3.3.2.2 Option selected
3.3.2.3 Results achieved
3.3.3 Analysis of air-knife outlet pressure
3.3.3.1 Description of the instrument
3.3.4 Finitie elements method analysis
3.3.4.1 FEM Overview
3.3.4.2 Development of the 2D Simulation
3.3.4.3 3D Mathematical Simulation
3.3.5 Data based model
3.3.5.1 Introduction to Neural Computation
3.3.5.2 Exposition
3.3.5.3 Search space determination
3.3.5.4 Use of neural networks
3.3.5.5 Running the simulations
3.3.5.6 Results
3.3.5.7 Neural Model Validation
3.4 On line testing
CONCLUSIONS 197
REFERENCES 203
BIBLIOGRAPHY 204
ANNEX 1 : Free surface methods as an alternative to the VOF 209
ANNEX 2: Considerations concerning grid creation 213

LIST OF FIGURES
Fig.1 Optical fibre displacement sensor

Fig.2 Optical fibre bundle for inclination and distance measurement
Fig.3 Optical fibre bundle only for distance measurement
Fig.4 Detectors signals versus distance
Fig.5 Detectors signals versus inclination
Fig.6 Shape measurement principle of the coated strip
Fig.7 Galvanised strip at the exit of the wiper
Fig.8 Negative image obtained by closing the diaphragm
Fig.9 Front panel of the image processing software
Fig.10 Peak to peak position variations of the laser spots
Fig.11 Proposed optical method with 1 camera and one laser
Fig.12 Protective enclosure
Fig.13 Modified sensing head installed in an industrial galvanising line
Fig.14 Inner part of the sensing head
Fig.15 Un-processed video image on monitor inside the operator cabinet
Fig.16 Relationship between roll diameter and gutter
(young module = 210000mpa, poisson coefficient = 0.3,at = 0)
Fig. 17 Sink roll
Fig.18 Elasto-plastic model
Fig.19 Cross-bow evolution versus strip thickness and yield stress
Fig.20 Cycle of curvatures
Fig.21 Donfiguration with two rolls
Fig.22 Cross-bow evolution versus bending radius applied by the snap roll
Fig.23 Plus and minus cross-bow definition
Fig.24 Configuration with 3 rolls
Fig.25 Evolution of cross-bow versus ¡ntermesh of lower snap roll
Fig.26 Shematic view of the pass-line in the zinc pot and indication of different
positions of the lower snap roll for industrial tests
Fig.27 Evolution of cross-bow with intermesh of lower snap roll for 4 different
configurations, interstitial free steel - 0.7mm thick
Fig.28 Industrial test on the galvanising line of sainte agathe
Fig.29 2 particular configurations
Fig.30 Influence of intermesh of the lower snap roll on cross-bow for 3 different configurations
Fig.31 Experimental stabiliser in the crm pilot line
Fig.32 Evolution of the distance and blow box pressure when switching the stabiliser from off
to on
Fig.33 Fast fourier transform of the distance signals
Fig.34 Chemical coating thickness analysis
Fig.35 Coating thickness distribution with stabiliser switched off
Fig.36 Chemical coating analysis with stabiliser switched on
Fig.37 Return force versus deviation
Fig.38 Differential pressure inside the air pad
Fig.39 Air pad configurations i
Fig.40 Air pad configurations ii
Fig.41 Pilot line trial of the modified stabilisator
Fig.42 Cooling effect of the stabiliser
Fig.43 Control of the stabilising force of the air pad
Fig.44 Aerodynamic pad modelled
Fig.45 Relation between the pressure into the box and in the cushion
Fig.46 Static pressure in the cushion (0<x< 0.085) versus abscissa along the vertical
symmetry axis
Fig.47 Static pressure in the cushion (0<x< 0.18) versus abscissa along the
tranversal symmetry axis
Fig.48 Pressure in the cushion
Fig.49 Flow inside the box in the reference case
Fig.50 Case of the flow guide shape inside the box
Fig.51 Boundary layer detachement
Fig.52 Smooth angle
Fig.53 Diamond-shaped nozzles
Fig.:54 Rectangles-shaped nozzles
Fig.:55 Law representing the decrease of the pressure force according to the blow box-strip
distance
Fig.56 Force accordind to the oscillation amplitude
Fig.:57 Comparison of the return force and the maximal acceleration force order of
magnitude in the case of sinusoidal oscillations.(pilot line case)
Fig.58 Comparison of the return force and the maximal acceleration force order of
magnitude in the case of sinusoidal oscillations.(industrial case)
Fig.59 Two near-wall turbulence approaches
Fig.60 Plane water confined jet
Fig.61 Axisymmetric free jet (h/d = 2)
Fig.ιB2 Axisymmetric free jet (h/d = 6)
Fig.63 Stream line for the pad configuration (d = 3 cm)
Fig.64 Decrease of strip temperature due to the pad
ν strip = 0.5 m/s, ν jet = 80 m/s, e = 0.0007 mm
Fig.«55 Heat träniert coefficient h (w/m2/°k) versus abscissa (m)
Fig.66 Scheme of the coupled blow box : wiping and stabilising
Fig.67 Detail of the simulation : stream lines at the wiping nozzle
Fig.68 Detail of the simulation : stream lines at the "pad" nozzle
Fig.i59 Pressure profiles on the strip according to the second nozzle velocity
compared to the pressure profile for the first configuration
Fig. 70 Concept of measuring strip vibration in the cooling tower
Fig- 71 Height of wave as a function of flatness and wavelength
Fig. 72 Characteristics of strip profile
Fig. 73 Adjustment range of projector and camera at test site
Fig. 74 Scattering and reflection on strip surface
Fig. 75 Grey value curve of shining aluminium foil
Fig. 76 Topometrically measured 3d-picture of shining aluminium foil
Fig. 77 Topometrically measured strip shape at test site
Fig. 78 Ultrasonic distance measurement on hot strip at test site
Fig. 79 Configuration of the topometric measurement at the hot dip galvanizing plant
Fig. 80 Strip shape at low strip speed
Fig. 81 Ultrasonic strip distance measurement
Fig. 82 Ultrasonic measured distances at 5 width points at the height of the furnace
Fig. 83 Ultrasonic measured distance ,skew, and cross-bow at the height of furnace
Fig. 84 Strip shape at the height of the furnace
Fig. 85 Cross-bow variation in time while modifying the bath roll positions
Fig. 86 Strip vibration in the cooling tower (Z1 : at the height of the furnace, Z2 at the middle of
the tower)
Fig. 87 Ultrasonic based spectra of strip vibration and tension
Fig- 88 Laser distance measurement
Fig. 89 Strip vibration measurement points
Fig. 90 Strip vibration at the height of the furnace, measured by ultrasonic
Fig. 91 Laser based spectra of strip vibration and tension
Fig. 92 Motor speed and current of the second upper deflection roll
Fig. 93 Vibration model of the strip
Fig. 94 Discretised vibration model of the strip
Fig. 95 Equilibrium at a strip element
Fig. 96 Simulation model of a strip element
Fig. 97 Simulation model of the whole strip
Fig. 98 Deviation of the strip in the middle of the cooling tower due to an impuls exitation by the
stabilizing roll
Fig. 99 Run of a wave up and down in the tower due to an impuls exitation by the stabilizing roll
Fig.. 100 Natural frequency depending on strip tension
Fig,. 101 Guidance of the strip by the bath rolls
Fig.. 102 Deviation of the strip in the middle of the cooling tower due to a periodic exitation by the
bath rolls
Fig. 103 Critical speed of the strip depending on strip tension
Fig. 104 Layout of HDF line 1 (ACERALIA)
Fig. 105 Air-knife coating control system
Fig. 106 Schematic cross-section of an air knife
Fig. 107 Schematic layout showing an air knife and its auxiliary systems
Fig. 108 Pantograph without knife
Fig. 109 Pantographs with West-side air knife
Fig. 110 Possible blowing angles for air knives
Fig. 111 Height of different points of the air-knife for the galvanising process
Fig. 112 Laser sensor Z4M, with its amplifier
Fig. 113 SIKO Magnetic Tape
Fig. 114 Digital camera Kodak DC120
Fig. 115 Open casting housing a digital camera Kodak DC120
Fig. 116 North side camera seen from the east
Fig. 117 Layout of the north side camera installation
Fig. 118 Image taken by the north side camera
Fig. 119 South side camera
Fig. 120 Location of north and south cameras
Fig. 121 Computer with ports installed
Fig. 122 Physical location of the ports in the PC
Fig. 123 Schematic diagram of the card, with its 4 serial ports and its 2 parallel ports
Fig. 124 Halogen projector CORMORAN
Fig. 125 Power connector next to the zinc pot
Fig. 126 Diagram of the pantographs
Fig. 127 Steps in the operation of the data collection software
Fig. 128 Application configuration window
Fig. 129 Whole data collection system
Fig. 130 IF Thermalert TX sensor
Fig. 131 Scanner type sensor IF Thermalert MP4
Fig. 132 WinLips v2.2 main screen
Fig. 133 Thermograph of the whole strip
Fig. 134 Thermograph of a strip with EG1 coating (275 gr/m2)
Fig. 135 Isothermal lines of an E1 coated strip (275 gr/m2)
Fig. 136 Thermographic image of an EG1 (275 gr/m2) coated strip
Fig. 137 General view of the instrument in front of the air-knife over the Algafort pot just before
performing the test
Fig. 138 Detail view of the instrument, showing the dynamometer support and the metal plate
are shown
Fig. 139 SK dynamometer used for the test
Fig. 140 Values measured with the dynamometer (g)
Fig. 141 Section of the two-dimensional domain
Fig. 142 Speed contour of air-blast flow obtained for zone III in 2D FEM simulations
Fig. 143 Diagram of the different coating zone and their respective speed profiles
Fig. 144 Speed profile, calculated by mean of numerical simulation in upper zone of air-knife
Fig. 145 Speed profile, calculated using numerical simulation of air-knife impact zone
Fig. 146 Speed profile, calculated by numerical simulation of air-knife lower zone
Fig. 147 Influence of speed on coating thickness, for various air knife gaps
Fig. 148 Coating thickness for different knife - strip horizontal distances
Fig. 149 Behaviour of different profiles depending on the vertical distance
Fig. 150 Diagram of air-knives design
Fig. 151 Design of air-knife profile 1
Fig. 154 Scheme of the VQP operation
Fig. 155 Coating defects on the bottom side of the strip (Gr/m2), in 52 gr/m2 coatings.
Fig. 158 Different VQP projection groups (Euclidean distance) for the process variables
Fig. 159 Clusters obtained wit EGA material
Fig. 160 Coating profile for the best EGA group (considering the minimum error)
Fig. 161 Coating profile in the best EGA group (considering uniformity)
Fig 162 Clusters obtained with EGB material
Fig 163 Coating profile of the best RGB group (considering the minimum error)
Fig 164 Coating profile of the bet EGB group (considering uniformity)
Fig 165 Clusters obtained with EGC material
Fig 166 Coating profile of the best EBC group (considering the minimum error)
Fig 167 Neural distribution of the network selected
Fig 168 Error variation of the test/training pattern (MSE/cycles)
Fig 169 Profiles tested
Fig 170 Zinc consumption for different profiles
Fig 171 Zinc consumption related to base profile
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Parameter setting and sample numbers of pilot line trial

Table 2 Pressure values obtained in 2d calculation for different nozzle shape (flow rate is
constant)
Table 3 Pressure values obtained in 3d calculation for different nozzle configuration
Table 4 Heat transfer coefficient caracterising the cooling
Table 5 Comparison of zinc thickness after wiping
Table 6 Technical features of the image acquisition computer
Table 7 IRQs and addresses assigned to parts of both the PC and the UART card
Table 8 Test results (gr)
Table 9 Types of average coatings
Table 10 Variables elected as relevant ones
Table 11 Statistical behaviour of east air knife pressure (PC718T)
Table 12 Bottom north side coating (DIN)
Table 13 Allowed variation ranges for air knife pressure
Table 14· Statistical behaviour of east air knife pressure (PC718T)
Table 15 Success rates in each pattern for the different networks trained. Output INF-X
Table 16 Success rates in each pattern for the different networks trained. INF-Y output
10
ENHANCED COATING THICKNESS CONTROL IN HOT DIP GALVANIZING
OBJECTIVES
This research is aimed to enhance the control of the coating thickness in hot dip
galvanising (HDG) lines. In order to maintain a uniform coating, it is essential to keep
a correct shape and position of the moving strip in front of the nozzles of the wiping
device. Indeed, the wiping effect and thus the final coating gauge are affected by any
variation in the distance strip/wiper; a deviation as small as 1 mm of this distance
results in an important variation of the coating gauge. Due to thermal and
mechanical stresses, instabilities of the wiping device or vibrations, the flatness of
the strip passing in front of the nozzles is however not perfect. Coating thickness
deviations that affect the quality of the final product are the result of this situation. In
particular for the galvannealing process, zinc weight variations automatically induce
variations of the iron content in the coating and therefrom, heterogenities in the
properties required by the user. Moreover, because of the scatter in the coating
weight during processing, it is necessary to overrate the set value in order to insure
the minimum coating weight requested by the customer.
A multi partner, multi national consortium has agreed to execute a joint programme
of work to tackle the problems to be solved. The partners in this consortium are
Centre de Recherches Métallurgiques (CRM), Liège; ACERALIA, Avilés;
Betriebsforschungsinstitut (BFI), Düsseldorf; Institut de Recherches SIDérurgiques
(IRSID), Maizières-lès-Metz. It is intended:
• to develop innovative instrumentation and control algorithms for the direct on-line
monitoring and improved on-line control of shape and position of the strip
between the air knives by acting on the guide rolls in the zinc pot (CRM, IRSID)
• to reduce the dynamic effects by development of an air floating technology and

by process procedures including better control concepts of the cooling and the
drive systems versus the process parameters (BFI, CRM, IRSID)
• to optimise the air knives' geometry for 55% Al-Zn coatings (ACERALIA)
11
DESCRIPTION OF WORK
1. On-line control of strip shape and position between the air knives
1.1. Measurement of strip shape and position of the strip between the air knives
CRM is the main contributor to this part of the project. It is intended to develop a
system to measure on-line the position and shape of the moving strip between air
knives. Low response time, non-contact measurement, compatibility with high
reflective targets, low sensitivity to reflectivity changes of the strip, measurement
very close to the nozzles of the wiping device and low environmental impact are the
main specifications. The indications of the sensor will be used in a closed loop
control system that is able to adjust on-line the guide rolls position in the zinc pot or
the gap of the wiper nozzles in such a way that coating thickness is kept close to the
set value.
A lot of methods can be used for distance and shape measurement. However,
optical methods are often preferred to capacitive or inductive methods because they
are less sensitive to variations of material properties constants. To determine the
best optical method, first the range and the sensitivity of the sensor need to be
defined. In a conventional galvanising line, the distance between the moving strip
and the angle at which it is collected by the receiving optics. The advantage the
nozzles of the wiping device is in a range going from 8 to 12 mm. By using
mathematical model formerly developed at CRM, it can be found that the instabilities
of 1 mm peak to peak of the strip position inside the air knives induce variations up
to 9 g/m2 for standard processing conditions. This means that a resolution of 0.1 mm
should be reached in order to distinguish coating thickness variations of 1 g/m5. In
order to make a proper choice of the detection method for the particular application
several factors that influence the performance of the optical sensor must be taken
into account. Following are the major ones:
• surface reflectivity
• surface texture
• standoff distance
• scan speed
• variation of the refractive index due to atmospheric conditions (temperature,
turbulence)
• pollution of the sensing head
• inclination of the surface normal direction
Because the strip coming out of the wiping device is a highly reflective surface,
special care must be taken to insure reliable measurement. Let us remember that
with smooth (specular) surfaces, the angle of light rays reflected from the surface is
equal to the angle of incident light rays striking the surface. On the opposite, a
surface with a rough texture scatters the incident light randomly. They appear dull
because they are reflecting light at almost all angles.For the previously specified
range and sensitivity, there are two main types of sensors used frequently in non-
contact metrology application namely the triangulation laser sensor as well as its
extension to projected fringe methods and the coaxial or autofocus laser sensor.
12
In case of the conventional diffuse triangulation sensors, the laser beam is projected
normal to the object surface and the scattered beam on the object surface is
reflected back into the detector through the lens at the triangulation angle. An
advantage of the diffuse sensor is that the laser spot is projected on the same lateral
position on the surface, regardless of the surface height. But such sensors have
difficulty aiming to mirrored (specular) surfaces as in the present application,
because the laser beam is mostly reflected back towards the source optics. For
specular triangulation sensors, the laser beam is projected relative to the normal of
the surface at the same angle by the source optics, as of these sensors is that they
can measure on shiny surfaces. But the laser spot projected on the surface moves
laterally, as the distance of the measured surface changes. Another disadvantage is
the error in measurement caused by even slightly tilted surfaces. The cross-bow or
the vibrations encountered in galvanising lines could be sufficient to generate
unacceptable measurement errors. Laser interferometry is also a commonly used
technique for very high resolution measurements on specular surfaces. However,
interferometric methods are sometimes too sensitive, hence environmental
disturbances limit the reliability of the measurement.
Optical fibre displacement sensors are less widespread because of the their small
range but they could be very appropriate for the present industrial application.
Indeed, these sensors are displacement transducers which use bundled glass fibres
to transmit light to the target surface and to collect the reflected light. Figure 1 shows
the detection principle in its simplest configuration.
TRANSMITTING FIBRE Φ RECEIVING FIBRE
Φ
η -/7Γ
Fig.1 Optical fibre displacement sensor
At the sensor tip, uncollimated light rays diverge outward from each transmitting fibre
in conical patterns. The light rays are reflected off the target surface and into
adjacent receiving fibres. Based upon detecting the intensity of reflected light,
various displacement sensitivities can be created by a combination of light sources,
fibre types, fibre bundle shapes and sizes, distributions of light-transmitting and light-
receiving fibres and arrangements of light-transmitting and light receiving bundles.
13
The smoother the surface, the better the sensor performances that can be expected.
Optical fibre sensors are divided into two types namely reflectivity dependent type
and reflectivity compensated type:
• reflectivity dependent sensors, the output voltage is a function of the distance

between the sensor tip and the target as well as the reflectivity of the surface.
• reflectivity compensated sensors are built with at least two fibre bundles. Each
bundle can be considered to be a separate sensor, having a different sensitivity
curve to displacement.
Reflectivity compensation is derived from the ratio of the outputs from those separate
fibre sensing devices. As the target reflectivity changes in a large range, the outputs
from the individual detectors increase or decrease proportionally, thereby leaving the
ratio output unaffected by the reflectivity changes. To work most accurately for
reflectivity compensation, the target area inside of the total fibre optic bundle area
must be uniformly reflective. Usually, it is safe to assume with continuous strips that
the reflectivity variations are negligible under the small area covered by the fibre
optic sensor.
Such sensors are fast responding, robust, very small and low cost. It can thus be
considered to multiplex several sensors to get the shape of the strip very close to the
nozzles of the air knives. In case of galvannealing, the measurements carried out
with these sensors will not be affected by the strong electromagnetic field generated
by induction heating.
1.1.1 Laboratory trials
In order to assess the benefits of optical fibre displacement sensors for the present
application, laboratory trials have been carried out. The most natural way to cancel
out the perturbing effect of the unpredictable inclinations of the strip between the
wiper's nozzles would be to arrange the fibre bundle as shown in figure 2.
The so called transmitting fibres are located in the centre of the arrangement. Out of
these fibres a diverging light beam will be projected on the strip. The reflected light
will be collected by the receiving fibres arranged in quadrants. By means of such an
arrangement it can be possible not only to assess the distance between the fibre
bundle tip and the strip but also the inclinations of the strip. The major drawback of
this fibre arrangement stems from the requirement of four detectors combined to
each quadrant. Therefore, a simpler arrangement in the form of concentric rings as
shown in figure 3 using two receiving fibre bundles and hence only two detectors
was purchased.
14
Transmitting fibre bundle
Receiving fibre bundle in quadrants
Fig. 2 Optical fibre bundle for inclination and distance measurement
External receiving fibre bundle
Central receiving fibre bundle
Transmitting fibre bundle
Fig. 3 Optical fibre bundle only for distance measurement
The information of the strip inclination is however lost by using the latter
arrangement. Figure 4 illustrates the detector signals in case of a translation of a
specular surface from 6 to 20 mm away from the bundle tip.
During the whole translation the target surface was rigorously perpendicular to the
optical axis of the fibre bundle. In the range of greatest interest, 8 to 15 mm the
sensitivity curve of the detector coupled to the external fibre bundle is almost linear.
15
Detector coupled to
external fibre bundle
(%)
110
- at 6 mm
- at 9 mm
•at 15 m m l
105
100
95
0.5 1.5 2 2.5
Inclination (degrees)
Fig. 4 Detectors signals versus distance
Detector coupled to Detector coupled to

central fibre bundle external fibre bundle
(Volts) (Volts)
4
8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Distance from fibre arrangement tip (mm)
Fig. 5 Detector signal versus inclination
16
Unfortunately, due to the unpredictable inclinations of the strip in the wiping
device resulting for instance from the cross-bow defect, it is not possible to
correctly assess the distance with the aimed accuracy of 0.1 mm by using only
the signal of the detector coupled to the external fibre bundle. Indeed, as shown
in figure 5 this signal varies versus the inclination at 3 distances and the relative
amount of this variation depends on the distance at which the rotation occurs.
The observed increase of signal versus inclination angle is explained as follows.
If the target is perpendicular to the fibre bundle an non-negligible amount of
energy is retro-reflected in the transmitting fibre and is not collected by the
receiving fibres. In case of an inclination at a fixed distance, an additional amount
of light is therefore collected by the receiving fibres and a higher signal value is
obtained in consequence as shown in figure 5. At 15 mm the increase can only
be observed till 1° of inclination because for higher angles the rays are reflected
outside the area of the receiving fibre bundle. A calibration of the set-up is
needed in order to compensate the errors introduced by target inclination by
means of the signals of the detector coupled to the central fibre bundle.
1.1.2 Optical method based on CCD camera and multiple lasers
As detailed in the preceding chapter, it can be inferred from the first

measurements in the laboratory that the specified range (8 to 15 mm) can be
achieved by optical fibre displacement sensor and that correction methods can
be found to cancel out the perturbing factors like inclinations (+/- 2°) of the strip
and reflectivity changes. However due to their small measurement range, the
industrial application of such sensors is questionable. Indeed, problems like
splashing (liquid zinc projections in the wiping device) or zinc vapour deposit can
damage the sensors.
Therefore, another optical method compatible with the same technical

specifications has been investigated. It is based on a triangulation principle using
a special arrangement of laser beams and a CCD camera to track the spots.
Figure 6 shows the principle.
CAMERA
STRIP
Fig. 6 Shape measurement principle of the coated strip
17
Due to the high reflectance of the strip surface that exits the wipers, it is
necessary to position the laser beams in such a way that the light power is
directed towards the camera. Figure 7 shows a picture obtained during a first
campaign carried out to assess the feasibility of the method.
Fig.7 Galvanised strip at the exit of the wiper
To obtain the picture in figure 7, the laser and the camera have been placed at 2
m from the strip. Due to limitations in space for the installation, the angle
between the incident laser beam plane and the plane normal to the strip was only
10°. Higher values of this angle should be targeted in the design of a system
aimed to carry out large-scale measurement campaigns in order to maximise the
displacement of the laser spots versus the variation of the strip position. It is
possible to distinguish 9 laser spots in the image (Fig.7). Two laser beams which
are located in the middle of the ¡mage are hitting an air supply tube of the wiper
while the others are targeted on the strip. By simply closing the diaphragm it is
possible to obtain an image containing only the laser spots. Figure 8 shows a
negative ¡mage.
Fig. 8 Negative image obtained by closing the diaphragm
is
The two laser spots in the middle of the ¡mage that are shifted downwards are
relative to the laser beams hitting the air supply tube. Images like in figure 8 have
been stored on video tape on a period of about 1 hour. During the replay of the
video tape, an image processing software has been used to calculated the centre
of gravity of the laser spots. Figure 9 shows the arrangement of the front panel.
The software enables the setting of a mask in order to evaluate only the area of
interest and of a grey level threshold value making it possible to work with binary
(black/white) images. Besides some control parameters, the following results are
obtained after processing: the number of detected objects which can be used as
a control parameter in order to filter out erroneous results, the positions of the
centres of gravity of the detected objects, the time between successive
acquisitions.
Number of images ίο acquire ;[ÏÔ Mask from point X I | 6 0 j Y1 ^ 175 J

Board #ffl~
Number oí points to register .*¡9 I
Fiäs name for registration , centres1.dat

Morphological
operation
Timing file |C:\\Domino\Vnming\\CCIRSyncSlave763.TDF
Domino handle image params Buffer handle :qui status Release status
I83Ô633776-"
!||44236ίΓ~
Ρ3ΊΪ52435Τ~η ΓοΊ
"entres of Gravity
äff" 1534.86 J|185.52
Number of Pailicies 1122.00 11185.00
1706.90 . | ¡184.90
¡451.50 J|186.50
3248.36 _||189.09
1167.50 | ¡191.00
I mage number Τ ¡me between 2 acquisitions .(msec) ¡86.29 J|192.43
¡302.93 J ¡334.07
¡400.93 | ¡338.33
Fig.9 Front panel of the image processing software
Let us notice that the positions of the laser spots are given with a sub-pixel
resolution. Such a calculation is possible because every laser spot covers many
pixels of the CCD camera. In order to attain the targeted accuracy of 0.1 mm,
such calculations will be very useful. Indeed, because of the common width to
height ratio 4:3 of the CCD ship the vertical field of view is 1.5m when aiming to a
strip of 2m in width. Even by using a camera having a vertical resolution of 1000
19
pixels, the pixel resolution is in the millimetre range. Techniques like sub-pixel
calculation as explained above, high inclination of the incident laser beam plane
or anamorphic optics which change the height to width ratio of the image can be
used in order to achieve the intended accuracy.
All the results are linked to a file in order to follow the evolution of the laser spots
position. Figure 10 shows the peak to peak position variations for every laser
spot calculated on the base of 100 images representing about 1 minute in real
time. The observed variations relative to the laser beams hitting the air supply
tube (n° 4 and 5) are probably due to the vibrations of the supports of the camera
and the lasers in respect to the wiper. To assess the peak to peak variations of
the strip relative to the nozzles of the wiper, the average variation of laser 4 and
5 should be subtracted from the absolute values.
Pixel
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Laser N°
Fig. 10 Peak to peak position variations of the laser spots
1.1.3 Optical method based on a CCD camera and one laser
Because of measurement perturbations due to thermal expansions and/or

vibrations in the arrangement described in the previous chapter, the sensing has
been modified during the period of reference in such a way that the laser and the
camera are included in the same protective box. The proposed method consists
in the projection of a laser line on a part of the wiper and the follow-up by a CCD
camera of the reflected image of this line by the coated strip (figure 11). Figure
12 shows the details of the sensing head.
This arrangement has two main advantages:
• Measurement error reduction;

Indeed, by relative movements between the light source support and the
camera support, measurement errors can occur as shown in figure 10.
20
By gathering both components in the same box, this error source can be
diminished.
Components reduction;
Due to the fact that all heat sensitive components are in one box, only one
cooling system is needed to protect the system
VIRTUAL
Fig. 11 Proposed optical method with 1 camera and one laser
Fig. 12 Protective enclosure
21
Figure 12 shows that the mounting plate of the laser and the camera is water-
cooled. The air inside the box is continuously purged through an opening of the
box in front of the optical window. The aim of this air purge is twofold: increasing
the cooling effect and avoiding a zinc vapour deposit on the optical window.
1.1.4 On-line measurements
Industrial trials carried out during a galvanising campaign of several weeks

showed that the sensing head as shown in figure 12 can not withstand to the
industrial environment mainly because of the deposition of zinc vapours on the
optical window. Also during a galvannealing campaign, it has been observed that
due to the presence of the inductor near of the wiper exit electromagnetic
perturbations were generated reducing the quality of the acquired images
needed for further processing.
In order to cancel out these perturbations, 2 major modifications have been

carried out on the sensing head:
• A pinhole objective has been used which has a first lens of only 2 mm in
diameter. Consequently, it is much easier to keep the objective free of zinc
vapour depositions.
• An electromagnetic shielding of the protective enclosure.
Continuous industrial trials carried out during several galvanising campaigns

showed that the sensing head withstands to the industrial environment. During
galvannealing campaigns, it has been observed that the induction heating
system installed near the wiper does not reduce the quality of the acquired
¡mages needed for further processing (Figure 13,14).
wmmmmm»>m<*'
Fig. 13 Modified sensing head installed in an industrial galvanising line
22
Fig.14 Inner part of the sensing head
The development of a dedicated software to process the acquired images in

order to calculate the distance between the wiper nozzles and the strip as well as
the calibration of the system is completed. Figure 13 shows an example of
unprocessed video image (1600 mm of strip width) obtained by changing the
intermeshing of the guide rolls inside the zinc pot. The upper curve in the figure
showing a cross-bow is relative to the strip shape and the lower one is a
reference line.
A good agreement has been found between the coating thickness distributions
indicated by the cold coating gauge and the shape indication of the developed
system.
Fig.15 Un-processed video image on monitor inside the operator cabinet
23
1.2 Mathematical modelling for reduction of strip cross bow in HDG
Strip is bent many times in processing lines. The roll diameter of the turn roll is
usually made as small as possible due to limitations of space and cost. Therefore
plastic bending occurs and at the same time, the strip develops longitudinal and
transverse curvatures. Curl is restrained by line tension, but gutter (or cross bow)
appears downstream of the turn roll. Gutter causes some problems, especially on
the plating line where it causes non uniformity of coating thickness across the
strip width. The calculation programme developed by IRSID gives useful
information for preventing strip cross bowing.
1.2.1 General assumptions
It is assumed that:
• the strip elongates under the plane strain condition

• the stress in the thickness direction a z may be ignored
• sections plane before the process remain plane afterwards
• the tensile stress is applied uniformly across the strip width and the tension
loss may be ignored
• the Baushinger effect may be ignored
1.2.2 Stress and strain calculation under bending and straightening
Stress-Strain relation:
It is assumed that the stress-strain relation follows the Hook's law in elastic
region and the Prandtl-Reuss equation in plastic region. We shall use the
rectangular coordinates so that x, y, z, denote the strip length, width and
thickness direction, respectively. The material is assumed to be isotropic with
uniform expansion of the yield lows and to satisfy the Von Mises yield condition.
From the assumptions and the stress-strain relations in elastic and plastic
regions:
.2
• equivalent stress : σ = J a x - a x a y + σ^
'y
• relation between the longitudinal strain ε χ and the curvature k :
ε χ = k.z + s c where sc is the elongation of the middle fibre of the strip

h
sc must satisfy the following relation : Κ /Gx(z)dz = (ι.σ τ
24
• stress increments are written as follows:
In elastic deformation:
E υ Ε
^
σ = " εdH8 y aan nc d
— 52^ d a „ == ;
2êy-
^ χ 2 * x ' ^ yy
1-υ 1-υ'
In plastic deformation:
2
2
Ε ( 2 ^ - 1 ) + 4λ(1--^ + -^)
ασ χ - 2 2 - ds x
(5-4υ)(1 + -^) + (10υ-8)-^ + 4-(1--^- + ~|)(1-υ2)
σχ σχ Ε σχ σ ^
G σ σ σ
y ονο ν γ γ
Ε(-^ - 2)(2 - ^ -1) + 4υλ(1 - — +j2-^τ)
Ι Λ Λ Λ
Ο χ
dGy = ^ 2 -dex
(5-4υ)(1 + -^) + ( 1 0 υ - 8 ) ^ + 4 - ( 1 - ^ + -|-)(1-υ2)
σχ σχ h σχ σ £
with Α : work hardening coefficient ; Ε : young module ; ν : Poisson

coefficient ; στ : specific tension ; h : thickness.
Therefore, if stress condition and strain increment dsx are known at a given time,
the incremental stresses dox and da y can be calculated.
1.2.3 Cross bowing under the line tension
Under line tension, only M y (transversal moment) which is calculated from the
stress distribution of a y is released producing gutter kyres.
kyres is written in the following form by assuming that the flat strip after
straightening is under the bending moment -M y .
« residual » transversal curvature (or cross-bow under line tension) :
My Eh 3
Kyres
y
= --¿τ where D = ττ- is the flexural riqidity of the strip.
D 12(1-υ 2 )
1.2.4 Example
Effect of turn roll diameter D on different thicknesses for an elasto perfectly

plastic material.
25
Relationship between roll diameter thickness and
crossbow for the following product
width = 1600 mm; yield stress = 176 MPa for an elasto-
perfectly plastic material
• h =1 mm
Π h = 1.2 mm
• h = 1.4 mm
•h = 1.6 mm
11
h = 1.8 mm
m
h = 2 mm
500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200

Roll diameter (mm)
Fig. 16 Relationship between roll diameter and gutter
(Young Module = 210000MPa, Poisson coefficient = 0.3, σ τ = 0)
The gutter abruptly decreases when D becomes larger and h becomes smaller.
1.2.5 Sensitivity study.
To study the evolution of cross-bow with different parameters (tension of the

strip, thickness, yield stress, work hardening modulus...) we make a simulation of
bending on a sink roll as shown at figure 17:
Fig. 17 Sink roll Fig. 18 Elasto-plastic model
26
D : Diameter of the sink roll is equal to 800 mm.
Evolution of tension of the strip : σ τ [2 MPa; 20 MPa].
At point A, there is neither longitudinal stress nor transversal stress across the
thickness.
The cross-bow is calculated at point B.

Figure 18 shows the elasto-plastic behaviour we used for the computation
The Young modulus Ε is equal to 210 000 MPa,
Evolution of work hardening modulus : A [0 MPa; 10 000 MPa],
Evolution of Yield stress : σ0 [100 MPa, 200 MPa],
Evolution of thickness of the strip : h [0.6 mm ; 2 mm]
The width of the strip is equal to 1000 mm.
2
The curvature k applied by the sink roll to the strip is given by: k = :
D+h
Influence of yield stress and thickness on cross-bow.
Figure 19 shows as an example for the sensitivity study the evolution of cross
bow with thickness for different yield stress after a bending on a sink roll. In this
computation, the work hardening modulus A is equal to 1 MPa, the tension of the
strip is equal to 7 MPa and the diameter of the sink roll is equal to800 mm. It can
be noticed that for a fixed thickness the smaller the yield stress is, the bigger the
cross-bow is ; for a fixed yield stress the bigger the thickness is, the bigger the
cross-bow is.
Evolution of cross-bow with thickness of the strip for

different values of yield stress. Tension = 7 MPa, D=800mm,
. 100MPa A=1MPa
40 . 120MPa
140MPa
Ε 160MPa
Ε
o . 180MPa
o
Ε 25 200MPa
Ε
Ε
o 15
J2
0,6 0,8 1,2 1,4 1,6 1,8

Thickness (mm)
Fig. 19 Cross-bow evolution versus strip thickness and yield stress
27
This result can be explained with the evolution of plastic ratio Rp on the sink roll;
for a strip in which there is no initial stress (at point A e.g.) and with a low tension
(7 MPa e.g.), the following relation gives Rp :
k-ks
Rp = where k is the applied curvature and ks is the biggest curvature for
which there is no plastic zone in the thickness : ks =

hE
The next array gives the evolution of Rp with cross-bow for a strip with 0.6 mm
thickness :
Yield stress (MPa) Rp (%) Cross-bow (mm/1000mm)

100 36 5.4
140 11 0.32
200 0 0
The bigger the plastic ratio is, the bigger the cross-bow is.
1.2.6 Simulation of bending in the zinc pot - Principle of control algorithm.
Cycle of curvatures.
To simulate the bending in the zinc pot (configuration with 2 or 3 bending) the
way of the calculation is shown by figure 20 :
Upper
! G (k=0j/ snap roll
Lower FJ
snap roll \ ^ E (k=0)
)D
C / /A
\ / (k=0)
B" Sink roll
Fig.20 Cycle of curvatures
28
A cycle of curvatures was applied to the strip. The curvature changes (increase
or decrease) progressively from a point to another point (from A to Β e.g.). During
the evolution of the curvature, an incremental calculation (see last report) is used
to determine longitudinal and transversal stresses across the thickness.
Point A : The curvature applied to the strip is equal to 0 (infinite bending

radius). There is neither longitudinal stress nor transversal stress across the
thickness (to take into account the relaxation of residual stresses during the
continuous annealing just before the zinc pot).
2
Point Β : The curvature k applied by the sink roll is equal to : where D
D+h
is the diameter of the roll (800 mm) and h the thickness.
At point D (respectively at point F), a curvature model determine the bending

radius applied by the lower snap roll (respectively upper snap roll). These
bending radii depend on parameters of the process (tension of the strip, roll
diameter, intermesh, position of rolls) and data of the product (thickness, Young
modulus).
At point C, Ε and G the curvature is equal to 0. At point Ε (respectively at point

G) we compute cross-bow for the configuration with 2 rolls (respectively with 3
rolls).
Results of the model for a configuration with 2 rolls.
Snap roll
Sink rol
Fig. 21 Configuration with two rolls
For this example, we used the configuration described on figure 7 and following
parameters :
Thickness of the strip : 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm and 1 mm,
Width of the strip : 1000 mm,
Specific Tension : 7 MPa,
Work hardening modulus : 1 MPa,
Young modulus : 210 000 MPa,
Yield stress : 130 MPa
29
Figure 22 shows the evolution of cross-bow (after the snap roll) with bending
radius R applied by the snap roll.
Configuration with 2 rolls, Evolution of cross-bow with

bending radius applied by the snap roll
20
800 900 1C00
-h = 0.6 mm
-h = 0.8mm
. h = 1 mm
-80
Bending radius (mm)
Fig.22 Cross-bow evolution versus bending radius applied by the snap roll
The sink roll makes plus cross-bow and the snap roll makes minus cross-bow
(Figure 23). To correct a plus cross-bow created on the sink roll we must to
reduce the bending radius (i.e. increase curvature) applied by the snap roll.
For 1 mm thick, cross-bow is equal to 1 1 . 6 m m / 1 0 0 0 m m w i t h the biggest
bending radius (R = 1000 mm) of the snap roll: this plus cross-bow is the
result of bending on the sink roll. The cross-bow is equal to -68 mm/1000
mm w i t h the lowest bending radius (R = 2 0 0 mm) of the snap roll: this
minus cross-bow is the result of bending on the snap roll. When the
intermesh of the snap roll increases, the bending radius R decreases.
Plus Minus
cross-bow cross-bow k ^
/Snap roll /
I
[γ
V_^Sinkroll
Plus
cross-bow
Minus
c ross-bow
Fig. 23 Plus and minus cross-bow definition
30
Results of the IRSID model for a configuration with 3 rolls.
Fig.24 Configuration with 3 rolls
For this example, we used the configuration described on figure 24. Figure 25
shows the evolution of cross-bow (after the upper snap roll) with ¡ntermesh Im of
the lower snap roll.
Configuration with 3 rolls, evolution of cross-bow with
intermesh of the lower snap roll
o
o
o
E
E.
o
.O
•
in
m
o
O
Intermesh (mm)
Figure 25 Evolution of cross-bow versus intermesh of lower snap roll
31
The sink roll and the upper snap roll are fixed. For this calculation we used these
parameters :
Thickness of the strip : 0.8 mm,
Yield stress : 120 MPa,
Young Modulus : 210 000 MPa,
Work hardening modulus : 1 MPa,
Specific tension : 7 MPa,
Diameter of sink roll : 800 mm,
Diameter of lower and upper snap roll: 200 mm.
This is a typical evolution of cross-bow with ¡ntermesh of the lower snap roll in a
configuration with 3 rolls. When the ¡ntermesh of the lower snap roll increases,
the intermesh of the upper snap roll increases too; so that this evolution is
composed in three parts :
Part 1 : The cross-bow is the result of a bending on the sink roll. The intermesh of
the lower snap roll is to small to correct this cross-bow.
Part 2 : By increasing the intermesh the lower snap roll imposes more and more
a minus cross-bow. In this part, the curvature applied by the upper snap roll is to
small to change the cross bow created on the lower snap roll.
Part 3 : By increasing the intermesh of the lower snap roll, the curvature applied
by the upper snap roll can gradually correct the minus cross-bow created on the
lower snap roll. Then the more important the intermesh is, the bigger the cross-
bow is.
1.2.7 Industrial test on the galvanizing line of Sainte-Agathe.
A validation of the results of IRSID model was made on the galvanising line of
Sainte-Agathe (SOLLAC LORRAINE). The pass-line in the zinc pot of the
galvanizing line was simulated with the IRSID model. Figure 1 gives a schematic
configuration of the pass-line :
^J Uppe rsnap
Reference point of the lower snap roll

Lower snap Reference point - 43 mm
Reference point - 86 mm
Reference point -129 mm
Sink
Fig.26 Schematic view of the pass-line in the zinc pot and indication
of different positions of the lower snap roll for industrial tests.
32
On the galvanizing line of Sainte Agathe, it's possible to move down the lower
snap roll in 3 different positions :
Reference point - 43 mm : Position n°2
Reference point - 86 mm : Position n°3
Reference point- 129 mm : Position n°4
N.B : Position n°1 is the reference point.
By simulating these different configurations with IRSID model, we obtained the

evolution of cross-bow with the intermesh of the lower snap roll :
Influence of the intermesh of the lower snap roll on cross

bow for different values of vertical position ; Industrial test
configuration
oε
o
ε
Τ 100
o
J3
(Λ
V)
O
o
Intermesh of the lower snap roll (mm)
-Reference point-«-Ref-43 mm -¿^Ref - 86 mm - ^ R e f -129 mm'
Fig27 Evolution of cross-bow with intermesh of the lower snap roll for 4 different
configurations. Interstitial Free Steel - 0.7 mm thick.
IRSID proposed to use the 4 th position "Reference - 129 mm" because for this
configuration it's easier to minimise the cross-bow.
The next array gives the variation of cross-bow when the intermesh changes of
+/-10 mm near point A :
Position of the Reference Reference point Reference point Reference point

lower snap roll point - 4 3 mm - 8 6 mm - 129 mm
(Position n°1) (Position n°2) (Position n°3) (Position n°4)
Variation of 14.4 13.5 10.8 7.9
cross-bow
(mm/1000 mm)
33
When the intermesh of the lower snap roll changes of +/-10 mm, the variation of
the cross-bow is equal to 14.4 mm for the reference point ; the variation of cross-
bow for the same variation of intermesh is equal to 7.9 mm only for the position
"Reference point - 1 2 9 mm" : so we can find an adjustment of the lower snap roll
for which the value of cross-bow is equal to 0 more easily with the 4 th
configuration than with the reference point.
1.2.8 - Validation of IRSID results.
IRSID results were validated by measuring the coating thickness for the 4
different configurations. Figure n°3 shows the influence of the vertical position of
the lower snap roll on the coating thickness homogeneity for industrial tests on
the galvanising line of Sainte Agathe :
Influence of the vertical position of the lower snap rol on

heterogeneity of coating thickness
0.35
0.3
0.25
Heterogeneity of n.2
coating thickness
(arbitrary unit) 0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0 mm (Position - 43 mm - 86 mm -129 mm
n°1) (Positionna) (Position n°3) (Position n°4)
Vertical position of the lower snap roll
Fig.28 Industrial tests on the galvanising line of Sainte Agathe.
In figure n°3, we take into account only strips for which the distribution of coating
thickness was similar as cross-bow : symmetric profile of coating thickness and
more coating thickness in the edge than in the middle of the strip and vice-versa.
We can see that the heterogeneity of coating thickness is better with position n°4
than with position n°1 ; So there is a good agreement between these coating
thickness measurements and IRSID results.
34
1.2.9 Extreme configurations
With the IRSID model, 2 particular configurations were simulated :

configuration A : the lower snap roll is very closed to the upper snap roll,
configuration Β : the lower snap roll is very closed to the sink roll.
Figure n°29 shows 2 schematic view of these configurations:
c
a <
Config A
Config Β
Fig.29 2 particular configurations
Figure 30 gives the evolution of cross-bow with the intermesh of the lower snap
roll for configuration A, configuration Β and reference point:
Influence of intermesh of the lower snap roll on cross-bow

for 3 different configurations - Interstitial Free Steel - 0.7
mm thick
100
Ε
Ε
i:!0
o
U)
U)
O
Intermesh of the lower snap roll (mm)

• Reference point -ή-Configuration Ä -e-Configuration Β
Fig. 30 Influence of intermesh of the lower snap roll on cross-bow

for 3 different configurations.
35
The sink roll and the upper snap roll generate positive cross-bow. The lower
snap roll generates negative cross-bow.
Previously it has ben explained that the evolution of cross-bow is composed in 3

parts for the reference point. For configurations A and Β the evolution of cross
bow is composed in 3 parts too but the cross-bow is more sensitive to the
¡ntermesh of the lower snap roll than with reference point ; this increase of
sensitivity is due to the fact that :
• for configuration A
The lower snap roll is very closed to the upper snap roll : so when the intermesh
of the lower snap roll increases, the intermesh of the upper snap roll increases
very quickly. So that's why positive cross-bow is obtained for the big values of
intermesh. For the low values of intermesh (less than 10 mm), cross-bow drops
quickly towards negative values because the lower snap roll applies to the strip
its negative curvature and the ¡ntermesh of the upper snap roll is not big enough
to correct this negative cross-bow.
• for configuration Β
The lower snap roll is very closed to the sink roll so that negative cross-bow
created by the lower snap roll is obtained for almost all values of intermesh. For
low values of intermesh (less than 10 mm), positive cross-bow created on the
sink roll is obtained. But for bigger values of intermesh (greater than 10 mm and
less than 40 mm), the cross-bow drops quickly towards negative values because
the lower snap roll applies to the strip its negative curvature and the intermesh of
the upper snap roll is not big enough to correct this negative cross-bow. Only for
intermesh greater than 40 mm, the upper snap roll corrects progressively the
negative cross-bow created by the lower snap roll.
36
2. Analysis of the origin of dynamic effects and study of possible solutions
Besides the shape of the strip, it is need to have a insight in the dynamic effects and
the excitation of strip vibration due to the operating of cooling devices and the
controlled drive systems versus the process parameters like tension, temperature
and coatings characteristics. CRM, IRSID and BFI are the main contributors to this
part of the research.
2.1 Stabilisation of the strip by air floating technology in coating lines
The objective of this part of the project is to set up a system using air floating
technology to be tested for the evaluation of the stabilising effect of the strip in the
vertical strand after the galvanising pot. A clear advantage of such a technique is
that any direct contact between the strip and conventional rolls is avoided. Vibrations
generated by eccentricity, misalignments, thermal crown or wear of rolls in contact
with the strip can be eliminated by the application of an air cushion technique.
Because of the intense convection near the air cushion, the strip will undergo a
different thermal evolution. IRSID carried out the modelling work of the mechanical
and thermal effects of the air cushion and CRM tested an experimental device in its
pilot line.
2.1.1 Experimental set-up
An experimental equipment for strips widths processed in the CRM pilot line (250
mm) has been built. The main parts are:
two blow boxes arranged either face to face and located between the air knives and
the top roll
• a device to generate sinusoidal vibrations in the vertical strand
• an air blowing system constituted of:
a fan which can deliver 1800 m3/h at 11000 Pa
2 silencers at the admission and the exit of the fan
a plenum to distribute the air in the two boxes
2 manual valves to control the flow in the boxes
2 flexible tubes to connect the plenum to the boxes,
a 11 kW motor controlled by a frequency converter
several sensors to get measurements during trials of following parameters:
pressure inside both boxes
each pressure in the cushion between the boxes and the strip
speed of the fan
consumed current of the motor
two strip position measurements (centre/edge)
• an electrical cabinet comprising the required electrical protection and the signals
conditioners (isolation amplifiers, transducers,...)
• a PC with a dedicated software to collect the data and control the trials.
The layout of the prototype and the location of the constitutive elements in the
vertical strand are given in fig 31.
37
TOP ROLL ( 750 )
OSCILLATOR
E^
SILENCER
^ ^ ^
£Ϊ3= j£&)
DISTANCE
MEASUREMENT
FAN
AIR KNIVES
MOTOR
SPREAD ROLL,
O . (125)
SINK ROLL
(500)
ZINC POT
Fig. 31 Experimental stabiliser in the CRM pilot line
38
2.1.2. First pilot line trials during a galvanising campaign
Based on first trials, it has been decided to generate oscillations of 2 mm in

amplitude in front of the wiper nozzles by means of an eccentric guide roll in the
zinc pot. Table 1 lists for each parameter setting (line speed, fan motor speed,
with or without forced oscillations) the numbers of the selected samples. Every
referenced sample is 4m in length and is accessible for coating thickness
analysis after the trial.
FAN LINE SPEED

30 m/' 20 m/' 20 m/'
Sample N° osci. Sample N° osci. Sample N° osci.
Off 183,184 on 212,213 on 270,271 off
High 187,188 on 216,217 on 274,275 off
Inter. 191,192 on 222,223 on 278,279 off
Low 195,196 on 226,227 on 282,283 off
Off 199,200 on 230,231 on 290,291 off
Tab.1 Parameter settings and sample numbers of pilot line trial
Figure 32 shows the evolution of the distance signal between the wiper and the
strip when the stabiliser is switched off (sample n°184) and when the speed of
the fan motor is set to the maximum value (sample n°187,188). The moment of
the switching can easily be observed in figure 32 by following the evolution of
one blow box pressure represented on the left y-axis.
10000
8000
<0
0.
6000
3
w
(/>
V 4000
1_
α
χ
o 2000
η
5
£
CÛ
-2000 - -
15:23:18 15:23:23
Fig. 32 Evolution of the distance and blow box pressure when

switching the stabiliser from off to on
39
To evaluate the stabilising effect, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) has been
applied to the distance signals. Figure 33 shows the results of the FFT when the
stabiliser is switched from off to on.
Fan off
ω Fan on
en
-S
"c
ω
i>
CD
CL
0.5 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4.5

Frequency (Hz)
Fig.33 Fast Fourier Transform of the distance signals
A reduction of about 30 % of the forced oscillation amplitude can be observed.

On the basis of geometrical calculations it can be inferred that this reduction is
nearly the maximum reduction that can be obtained. To confirm the
measurements, coating thickness measurements by chemical analysis have
been carried out. The drawings in figure 34 explains the procedure.
5 minutes
<=ΐ> c=>
MASK HCl + Inhibitor
Fig. 34 Chemical coating thickness analysis
40
The referenced samples are first cut out of the galvanised coil. Weight
measurements of small sub-samples of 20 mm in the length direction of the strip
and located in the centre of the strip are carried out. After the application of a
protective mask, the sub-sample is dipped in an acid solution during a period of 5
minutes. Due to the application of the mask only a small disk of 16 mm in
diameter is exposed to the acid solution.
Finally, based on the knowledge of the weight lost and of the attacked area, it
becomes possible to calculate the coating thickness. This method is supposed to
give a less averaged signal than the on-line gauge installed on the pilot line.
Indeed, this gauge integrates the coating thickness value of a disk that is 70 mm
in diameter.
Figure 35 and 36 show the results of the chemical coating thickness analysis
versus the length in the case in which the stabiliser is switched off and on
respectively.
-ι
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.2 1.4
Distance (m)
Fig. 35 Coating thickness distribution with stabiliser switched off
41
CO
CO
φ
c
XL
O
en
"ra
o
υ
0.6
Distance (m)
Fig.36 Chemical coating analysis with stabiliser switched on
By comparing figures 35 and 36, it is worthwhile to notice that the stabiliser

reduces the amplitude of the coating thickness deviations. This can be easily
understood as explained in figure 37. The stabilising force applied to the strip
versus the deviation is obtained by the difference of the force applied by each
blow box versus the relative distance. Thus, the highest return forces are applied
in case of the highest deviations.
jâ
__±x
Return Force
Fig. 37 Return force versus deviation
42
Figure 38 shows the evolution of the pressure inside the air cushion. As
expected, the curves of each couple are in phase opposition. The phase shift
between the distance measurements and the pressure signals are due to the fact
that the measurements are carried out at different places.
Because the pressure inside the air cushion is quite uniform as explained in
section 2.2, it is possible to estimate the maximum return force by multiplying the
area of contact between the strip and the air cushion by the maximum differential
pressure. In the case as shown in figure 38, the maximum return force is 26 N/m
of strip width.
1500
5 6 7 10 11
Time (s)
Fig.38 Differential pressure inside the air pad
In order to assess the stabilising effect in the industrial case, a theoretical model
has been developed during the period of reference. The inferred vibration
reduction of the strip between the air knives is in the range of 50 to 60% when
the blow boxes are installed close to the nozzles. In order to check the latter
result, the design of the blow boxes has been modified in such a way that they
are now integrated in the wiper.
43
2.1.3 Pilot line trials of the blow boxes installed near the wiper
Two different configurations as shown in figure 39 and 40 have been tested by

changing parameters like distance between blow boxes, height of the slit, lateral
shields, etc. in the static case (oscillating strip without displacement).
A Λ
STRIP STRIP
Fig.39 Air PAD configuration 1 Fig.40 Air PAD configuration 2
The analysis of the tests carried out at the CRM pilot line with the modified blow
boxes on an oscillating but static strip showed that the configuration in figure 40
provides the best results and confirms the possibility to attain a vibration
reduction higher than 50%.
In order to test this configuration during a galvanising campaign on the CRM pilot
line,it has been decided to generate oscillations of 2 mm in amplitude in front of
the wiper nozzles by means of an eccentric guide roll in the zinc pot.
Figure 41 shows the evolution of the distance signal between the wiper and the
strip when the stabiliser is switched off and when the speed of the fan motor is
progressively increased to the maximum value (>2000 rpm). The moment of the
switching can easily be observed in figure 41 by following the evolution of one
blow box pressure represented on the left y-axis. In the first part, a clear
reduction by a factor 4 of the distance measurements can be observed. Because
the wiper nozzles are situated at the same distance between the eccentric roll
and the position of the distance sensor, the latter factor must be divided by 2 the
obtain the real amortisation at the nozzles. This result is in good agreement with
the theoretical model. However, the strip is de-centred by the experimental
Stabilisator. In the second part of figure 41 the tension has been increased from
17 up to 23N/mm2 and the rotation speed of the fan motor has been decreased
from the maximum to standstill. On the basis of figure 41, the tension seems not
to have a significant influence on the stabilising effect.
44
Strip speed = 20 m/min, Tension = 17 & 23 N/mm2
L 0.00
36:29 37:55 39:22 40:48 42:14 43:41 45:07 46:34 48:00
Time [mm:ss.]
Fig.41 Pilot line trial of the modified stabilisator
The cooling capacity of the stabiliser has also been assessed during the pilot line
trials by means of the temperature measurements carried out at the exit of the
stabiliser. A cooling speed of more than 100 °C/s has been measured for a strip
thickness of 0.7 mm. Figure 42 shows the temperature evolution at the exit of the
blow boxes in the same period of time than figure 4 1 .
400
36:29 38:01 39:33 41:05 42:36 44:07 45:39 47:10

Time [mm:ss]
Fig.42 Cooling effect of the stabiliser
45
2.1.4 Improvement of amortisation by controlled stabilising force
In order to further improve the amortisation rate of strip vibration, an additional

system has be realised in order to control in real time the stabilising force. The
value of the stabilising force applied to the strip versus the deviation from the
centre position is obtained by the difference of the force applied by each blow
box. Because the force exerted by the blow box on the strip decreases with the
relative distance, the strip stabiliser acts as a spring exerting a return force
keeping the strip in the centre position between the two blow boxes. Up to now,
the pressure in each blow boxes has been kept constant and equal. In this case,
the highest return forces are applied in case of the highest deviations. The
purpose of the new system is to increase the stabilising force even for small
deviations while keeping the same air supply by means of a real time control of
the force exerted on each side of the strip. The stabilising force will be generated
based on the measurement of the relative strip position with respect to the blow
boxes.
Two ways have been used to modify the force applied by each blow box. The
first consists in adding in a controlled manner compressed air to the airflow
provided by the fan. This method has the advantage that the fan is supplying a
constant airflow while keeping a minimum return force at any time. Trials
revealed however that the dynamic response of the tested system is limited to
1Hz. Because this limitation might be to restrictive for an industrial application,
trials have been carried out using quick responding 4" butterfly valves which can
vary the airflow supplied to each blow box by the fan. The analysis of the results
showed that it is possible to vary the force applied by each blow box by 30 % at a
frequency of 2.5 Hz. Figure 43 shows the evolution of the distance measurement
recorded during a pilot line trial. There are 3 parts:
• Part 1; In this part the fan is switched off and the distance sensor measures
the oscillation generated by the eccentric roll
• Part 2; The fan is switched on, the valves are kept completely open and as
previously observed the oscillations decrease.
• Part 3; Finally, the opening of the valves are controlled on the basis of the
position measurement of the strip.
Besides the significant reduction of the oscillations in the part 3, it is worthwhile

to notice that the variations in pressure in the air cushion doubled when the
valves are activated in a controlled way.
46
<^ | Box pressure
0:00 0:30 1:00 1:30 2:00
Time [m:ss]
Fig. 43 Control of the stabilising force of the air PAD
47
2.2 Aerodynamic pad to lower strip vibration magnitude after HDG: numerical
modelling
The aerodynamic PAD technology is developed in order to decrease strip vibrations,

and consequently lower coating thickness variations. IRSID is involved in
developing a numerical modelling of the aerodynamic PAD.
The numerical model of the PAD was developed on the commercial software
package FLUENT. The purpose of the modeling is on one hand, improving the
system in order to ensure the best vibration reduction with the lowest air supply
requirement, on the other hand the evaluation of the stabilising force exerted on the
strip. This latest point will give a theoretical appreciation of the PAD stabilising
ability.
2.2.1 Validation phase
Calculation are made with the same PAD geometry (fig. 44) as the CRM pilot plant
one's, in order to validate the results by experimental measurements. The
turbulence model used is RNG k-ε.
modeled zone
Pe or Ve
s :
symmetry plane
Gap width : 1 cm blow box

strip'
modeled zone
symmetry plane:
Figure 44 Aerodynamic PAD modelled
48
According to experimental results, the relation existing between the pressure into
the box and the pressure in the cushion is : PCUshion=K. Pbox· The coefficient Κ
characterises the efficiency of the PAD. A first value measured for Κ was 0.384.
During a second trials campaign, another measuring system, more reliable, gave
K=0.16. Moreover, in these last trials, the angle at the entry nozzle was smoothed.
With 3D calculations, simulations give a similar linear relation with a Κ value of
0.11 (fig. 45), with an accurate angle. This value can't be compared directly to 0.16
which is obtained with a smooth angle. Nevertheless, noticing the fact that a smooth
angle improve the efficiency, we can consider that the modelling gives a good ¡mage
of the reality and is sufficient to compare the configurations between each other.
10000 12000
Fig. 45 Relation between the pressure into the box and in the cushion
We can notice that the jets coming out of the slots (fig. 46) are building a virtual wall
which enable the constitution of a high pressure in the cushion (fig. 48). The edge
effects (fig. 47) are limited to the region between the edge of the strip and the edge
of the pad.
2000
1500
&. 1000 -
o>
3
σ 500
to
4-·
V)
c
.o
'<S 0,20
(A
«
-500
-1000 longueur de la bande (m)
Fig. 46 Static pressure in the cushion (0<x<0.085) versus abscissa

along the vertical symmetry axis
49
™ 400
8 300
2
û· 200
0,00 0,05 0,10 0,15 0,20 0,25 0,30

Largeur de la bande
Fig. 47 Static pressure in the cushion (0<x<0.18) versus abscissa

along the transversal symmetry axis
Fluent/UNS4.2(3d. rngke)
Contours ol Sialic Pressure (pascal) Tue Nov 10 1998
Fluent Inc.
Fig. 48 Pressure in the cushion
2.2.2 Geometry improvement

The aim of these calculations was to modify the PAD geometry in order to improve
the efficiency. First of all, 2D calculations were made to evaluate different nozzles
shapes inside the boxes, 3D calculations were made to test different nozzle
arrangements.
Nozzles shape inside the boxes

The results of the calculation in 2D, for a constant flow rate and different nozzles
shapes are (cf. table 2):
• a flow guide into the box (fig. 49, 50) enables a progressive flow acceleration
and a less sharp deformation of the flow streamlines. The dead zone in the box
between the two nozzles is also avoided. Consequence is that the pressure drop
is less important. The improvement on the Κ value in comparison with the
reference case is 21%.
50
a smooth angle added to the last point (fig. 51, 52) avoid the boundary layer to
be detached. The pressure drop decreases. The improvement on Κ is 43%.
a greater angle (45° in spite of 30°) increases the pressure drop,
a convergent shaped nozzle doesn't guide the jet towards the cushion, so the
efficiency is very poor.
jS,_-_z-r"^_X?T—'--
¿/fy' -'-'- :'-'• S -"--"-:
• 3.00**00 S . r x y·'."- -'-yCz ";~r_-_-
JT. . -„.. r..' " -- ' - . -- - . -v^l^-^*-"
yT ^_^-~^*~~~~~
• 1.00**0 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ : - :
< r
• β os. es ^ ^ " " ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ \ •
Flu snt/UNS ? '."•1 •.-£·•
Velocity Vectora (Motea By Velocity MagnituQe (m/s) Ffr •im 06 1993
Fluent Ine
Fig. 49 Flow inside the box in the Fig. 50 Case of the flow guide shape
reference case inside the box
Fluent/UNS 4.2 (Zd. rngki FHjen!/UNS4.2(2d. mgke

Velocity Vecton Colored By Vetocity Mignrti Mon Nov 09 1998
Fluent
Fig. 51 Boundary layer detachment Fig. 52 Smooth angle
51
Nozzle Ρ box " cushion efficiency
shape ("box' r cushion)
angle:30°
7933 Pa 1100 Pa 0.14
¡p**^
4668 Pa 200 Pa 0.04
>
*fÍW. 6545 Pa 1100 Pa 0.17
rounded angle
5032 Pa 1050 0.20
id reference
case
angle 45° 12341 Pa 1550 Pa 0.125
Tab. 2 Pressure values obtained in 2D calculation for different nozzle shape (flov
rate is constant)
52
Configuration ρ
1
Ρ efficiency
box cushion
(P IP )
reference case (a) 7112 Pa 800 Pa 0.11
(figure 5 )
diamond-shaped (b) 6769 Pa 950 Pa 0.14
(figure 12)
rectangle-shaped (c) 4597 Pa 800 Pa 0.17
(figure 13 )
Table 3 : Pressure values obtained in 3D calculation for different nozzle

configuration
Nozzles 3D dispositions
We have tested 2 new geometries of pad with a 4 slots jet closure :
- a diamond shape,
- a rectangular shape.
Both new dispositions (rectangular and diamond shaped) brought two
improvements:
• the homogeneity of the pressure in the cushion is better, which is better for a
good stabilisation quality.
• the efficiency is also improved for configuration b and c (table 3).
The rectangular-shaped configuration is the best one because the cushion pressure
on the strip is exerted on a greater surface.
riuont/UNS4 2(3tJ.mgke)
Tu« Nov 10 1998
Fluent Inc.
Fig.53: Diamond-shaped nozzles Fig 54 Rectangle-shaped nozzles
2.2.3 Evaluation of the force exerted on the strip

To be able to estimate the efficiency of the pad to stabilise the strip we have
compared the force generated by the pressure cushion and the force generated by
the vibration of the strip.
53
Force according to the pressure inside the blow box
To evaluate the force value, a ±1 mm displacement was imposed, in comparison
with the reference position. The different pressures obtained gave the return force.
Pressure inside the box Force value (CRM's strip width = 0.35m)
8000 Pa 3.6 Ν
12000 Pa 5.3 Ν
15000 Pa 7N
(3D calculation)
Force according to the amplitude vibration

The pressure force law according to the distance was calculated in a 2D
configuration which is easier to implement than a 3D configuration. Previous
calculation showed that this mean a overestimation of the pressure inside the
cushion, and consequently the force, of 26%. Indeed, in 2 dimensions, the jets can't
« escape » on the strip side, which increase the pressure inside the cushion. This
point is taken into account in the following.
Figures 55 and 56 give respectively the pressure force law according to the distance
between the strip and the blow box, and the stabilising force according to the
amplitude.
In order to have a rough idea of the efficiency of such a force, it was compared to
the acceleration force of a vertical strip submitted to sinusoidal oscillations. The
range of amplitude used is [1mm;7mm], the range of frequency is [1 Hz, 6Hz] ;
these two ranges were observed on industrial cases.
1200 r
1000
800
I
£
400
200 •
0
0.001 0,002 0,003 0,004 0,005 0,006 0,007
4 6 8 10 12
blow box - strip distance (mm) oscillations amplitude (m)
Fig. 55 Law representing the decrease of Fig. 56 Force according to the oscillation
the pressure force according to the blow amplitude
box - strip distance.
F = 0.57—— (d in meter, F in N/m)

-11.3
54
Figures 57 and 58 show the return force (PAD + the strip tension) and the
acceleration force due to vibration. Figure 57 present a pilot line case, Figure 58 an
industrial line case. Differences between these two cases come from the height and
the width of the strip.
300' 3500
return force (PAD 3000

6 Hz
250-
strip tension)
2500
200
2000 acceleration
6 Hz
force /fetuprfórce (PAD
eration 1500
frip ten&tcni)
1000
500
0 2 4 6 1 Hz 0 1 Hz
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
oscillations amplitude (mm)
oscillations amplitude (mm)
Fig. 57 Comparison of the return force Fig 58 Comparison of the return force and
and the maximal acceleration force order the maximal acceleration force order of
of magnitude in the case of sinusoidal magnitude in the case of sinusoidal
oscillations. (Pilot line case) oscillations, (industrial case)
Figure 57 shows that in a pilot line case, the return force of the PAD may be
sufficient to compensate the acceleration forces, in the range of [1 Hz-4Hz], for any
amplitude. After, it depends on the oscillation amplitude. On the other hand, for the
industrial case, the PAD action seems not to be sufficient in the range of [2Hz-6Hz],
for any amplitude. The cause is that the ¡nertial force (or acceleration force)
increases significantly with the height and the width of the strip.
The conclusion of this theoretical study is that, even if a stabilisation effect of the
PAD can be showed on a pilot line, it may not be possible to extrapolate this result
to an industrial case, for the same value of pressure in the blow box : a greater flow
rate would so be necessary.
Moreover, due to the estimated poor efficiency of the pad in an industrial case, it
would be better to install it as close as possible near the wipers, where the
stabilising effect is the most suitable. But in this region, the zinc is still liquid and we
must take care of the pad cooling and the pad wiping effects. So the next step of
this study has been devoted to calculate these two phenomena: cooling and wiping
by the pad.
55
2.2.4 Pad strip cooling and wiping
The purpose of this part is to evaluate the most appropriate modelling to calculate
heat exchanges. This was done on two literature configurations of jet impinging a
surface : an axisymmetricjet and a plane jet.
Turbulence modelling
There are two approaches for modelling the near-wall region in FLUENT (fig. 59). In
one approach (called in the following model 1), the boundary layer is not resolved.
Instead, semi-empirical formulas called « wall functions » are used to bridge the
boundary layer (viscous sublayer and buffer layer) to the fully turbulent region. In
another approach, the boundary layer is resolved with a mesh all the way to the
wall : this is called the two-layer zonal model, advised by FLUENT in such jet
configuration (model 2). The second approach needs a very accurate mesh which is
rather expensive in calculation time. We tested these two approaches in two jet
literature configuration.
Wall Function Approach Near-Wall Model Approach
Model 1 Model 2
Figure 59 : Two near-wall turbulence approaches
Plane jet
The first test case is a plane water confined jet. The results of heat exchange
coefficient h are shown in a non-dimensional form, with Nusselt number :
hd
Nu = — where h is the heat transfer coefficient
λ
d is the slit gap
λ is the fluid conductivity
Figure 60 shows the comparison of the two turbulence models with experimental
measurement.
The two models overestimate the heat transfer. Nevertheless, it clearly appears that
the two layer zonal approach shows a better agreement. The global heat transfer
overestimation is, with this model, of 30 %.
56
}
60 *\Γ\
• ex
50. 2 zones
ƒ **
ƒ ν wall function
3 4U
Ζ • •ν
30 ν.
••••••• ' * < *
•••
20
10
0
() 5 10 15 20
X/W
Fig. 60 Plane water confined jet
Axisymmetric jet
This test case is a free axisymetric air jet. It's closer to the case of the PAD case: a
free jet of air, the difference comes from of the geometry which is axisymmetric and
not plane. We tested this configuration with two distances H from the impact wall
(fig. 61, 62).
180
160
140
• \
120
••>•' •• • exp
Nu 100 \*N - 2 laye
80
60
\s
X' •
'*;....
• wall function
V s
40 ^ * •'"--·-..
•
20
0
0 4 6 10
r/D
Fig. 61 Axisymmetric free jet (H/D = 2)
57
180
•fK
160
140
120
rV
..A • exp
2 layer
Nu 1°0
80
'*** 5 í»».tA
60
40
^w,:
20
0 1 2 3 4 5
r/D
Fig. 62 Axisymmetric free jet (H/D = 6
For H/D = 2, the model 1 underestimates the transfer in the impact zone, on the
contrary, model 2 still overestimates. In the zone where r/D>2 (fig. 61), the two
modelling show a good agreement. For model 2, the total difference over the whole
distance is less than 10%.
For H/D = 6, the better agreement is obtained by model 2.
The most appropriate modelling to simulate the air PAD configuration is model 2, i.e.
two layer zonal model. We must underline that the modelling has a tendency to
overestimate heat transfer. In the worse case, it can be of 30%. Nevertheless, the
order of magnitude is good.
This two layer zonal model will be used to calculate the PAD cooling effect in the
case of the CRM's pilot line.
2.2.5 Calculation of the convective heat transfer of the reference pad

The calculations conditions are the following :
- we calculate only convective heat transfer : cooling due to radiation is
neglected in front of convective cooling.
- gradient in the zinc coating is neglected
The thickness of the strip is 0.7 mm.
The speed of the band is 30 m/mn.
The blow box modelled here only consider the external shape, and correspond to
the optimised reference internal geometry.
Two distances between the strip and the blow box were tested : 1 cm and 3 cm.
The air jet velocity is 80 m/s. This value is of the order of magnitude of the velocity
used in previous stabilising cases.
58
The order of magnitude of the cooling velocity is the same one as the values
generally obtained on annealing lines by air jets (table 4).
Cooling Mean heat h peak values at Temperature loss

velocity transfer impact
coefficient h
d = 1 27°C/s 11 2 W/m 2 /K 640 W/m 2 /K 36 °K
cm
d = 3 32°C/s 1 3 4 W/m 2 /K 360 W/m 2 /K 4 3 °K
cm
Tab. 4 : Heat transfer coefficient caracterising the cooling
The cooling is slightly more important for the distance strip - blow box of 3 cm
because of the recirculation which takes place between the two jets, in the PAD
cushion (figure 63). This recirculation is considerably lowered with a distance of 1
cm, and we can notice in figure 64 that temperature is maintained nearly constant in
this zone.
The maximum heat exchange is of course obtained at the jets impingement (fig. 65).
102
092
0,82
0.72
0J61
051
OAI
Recirculation zone
0,31
020
0.10
lo.oo
Contours of Stream Function (kc/s) May 17, 1999

FLUENT 5.0 (2d, segregated, ke)
Fig. 63 Stream line for the PAD configuration (d = 3 cm)
59
735
730 ^ ^ • ^ N .
«
725
Ν
\ \ d = 1 cm
720
d = 3 cm
715
s
710
Ν S.
705
700 il ' ' i l

«s ">~-
χ
695 "»
- «. «»» w
Blow h ox and jets
690
0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7
distance (m)
Fig. 64 Decrease of strip temperature due to the PAD; V strip = 0.5 m/s,
e=0.0007mm
700
s. let irr pingemen1
600 / \
y! d = 3 cm
\
d = 1cm
500
400 _ J
1
300 /
1 \
l \
200 / '
II
' J tí \ X
• / \\ /f v»
100
__..-- \ (it J *· ^ • ~m
4 /
0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7
Distance (m)
Fig. 65 Heat transfer coefficient h (W/m2/°K) versus abscissa (m)
We must notice that we didn't evaluate transverse temperature gradient because

we made 2D calculation.
60
2.2.6 Simulation of a new configuration which couple wiping and stabilising
New geometry
The idea is to couple together the wiping jet and the PAD jets. The tested geometry
is given in the figure 66:
PAD nozzle
2 mm
Î //
1 mm Wiping nozzle
Fig. 66 Scheme of the coupled blow box : wiping and stabilising
The wiping slot has a width commonly used : 1 mm. The jet velocity chosen is 180
m/s.
For the second nozzle, we kept the inclination (30°) and width (2 mm) previously
used in the first geometry. The jet velocity tested ranges from 0 to 80 m/s.
The distance between the strip and the blow box is 10 mm. The distance between
the nozzles is the same value as the first PAD : d = 17 cm.
Compared to the previous geometry, the wiping nozzle replaces the former inclined
nozzle. It has the half width and the wiping velocity value, which is quite fixed in
order to obtain the required wiping effect, is nearly two times greater than the
previous one : consequently, the global flow rate is maintained compared to the first
PAD for V=80 m/s.
Simulation results
Figures 67 and 68 show the simulation results.
61
iúO
O.ïü
I
Fig. 67 Detail of the simulation : stream lines at the wiping nozzle
1.1»
ceo
Contours of Stream Function (kg/s) Jun 10, 1999

FLUENT 5.0 (2d, segregated, rngke)
Fig. 68 Detail of the simulation : stream lines at the "PAD" nozzle
62
Pressure profiles (figure 69) show that we keep the cushion effect with this kind of
device. We obtain nearly the same pressure value as the one obtained in the first
geometry with an identical flow rate.
In the case of V = 0 for the "PAD" nozzle, we can notice the dissymetry of the wiping
pressure profile : there is an important depression on the side of the cushion.
Wiping nozzle
— V = 40nVs
—v = o
-~~V = 80nVs
— p a d (V=80nVs)
Second nozzle
Depressto
length (m)
Fig. 69 Pressure profiles on the strip according to the second nozzle velocity
compared to the pressure profile for the first configuration.
Such a depression always exists on each side of a jet, it's caused by the
recirculation zone created by air jet drag force on the surrounding motionless air. In
our case, the depression is greater in the cushion because the recirculation zone is
confined and consequently "not well supplied" with air. On the contrary, on the other
side, the depression is very low thanks to the cut angle (figure 44) which allows a
good air supply.
The greater is the velocity in the second nozzle, the greater is the pressure in the
cushion and the lower depression.
Wiping study
The interest of this new geometry is to couple the PAD and the wiping effects. The
PAD - cushion effect is verified. The wiping effect (table 5) of the nozzle is
calculated thanks both, the pressure profile at the impact and IRSID's wiping model.
63
Classical V=0 V = 40 m/s V = 80 m/s
nozzle
Zinc thickness (g/m2) 89 222 155 172
Tab.5 Comparison of zinc thickness after wiping
The wiping effect is limited in comparison to a classical nozzle in the same

conditions (table 5). The origin of this under-wiping is the low impact static pressure
performed by the new wiping nozzle due to the confining of the box and the band.
2.3 Improvement of strip flow and quality by optimisation of the dynamic

behaviour of coating lines
Deviations of the nozzle-to-strip distance from the required profile in the air knife unit
lead to coating thickness deviations over the strip width and the strip length. The
distance profile, defined as the nozzle-to-strip distance over the strip width, changes
with the shape of the strip entering the air knife - which can be optimised by suitably
positioning the bath rolls - and with the strip movements in the air knife as a result of
strip vibrations.
The strip in the cooling tower is prone to vibrate and reacts even to small
excitations. It ascends freely in the cooling tower over a length of, in most cases,
more than 30 m before it is deflected at the upper roll. The strip tension is in the
range of 20 to 40 MPa. Vibration excitations caused by the rolls can lead to
transverse strip vibrations with this configuration. This also applies to flatness
deviations, which cause strip vibrations such as flapping of the strip when, for
example, one side is longer than the other.
As is apparent, transverse strip vibrations in the cooling tower can have a

considerable influence on the quality of the coating thickness. The present study
carried out by BFI therefore examines such transverse strip vibrations by means of
measurements as well as theoretically, and points out measures for reducing the
vibrations.
64
2.3.1 Evaluation of bibliographical references to transverse strip vibrations
during the galvanising process
When transverse vibrations occur, the strip moves perpendicularly to the strip
travel direction. Such transverse vibrations were recognised as an important
disturbing influence as early as 1978 (1). They limit the achievable minimum
coating thickness and make it difficult to maintain coating thickness constancy.
The removal of excess zinc from the strip surface by means of the air knife
method takes place all the more effectively, the smaller the possible nozzle-to-
strip distance (nozzle distance). By no means must the strip come into contact
with the nozzle, as the latter otherwise becomes clogged. The transverse strip
vibrations and flatness deviations, particularly at the head- and tail-ends of the
strip, make it necessary however to select a nozzle distance that is greater than
would ideally be required. For this reason, it ranges from 10 to 15 mm in most
cases. A change of only 1 mm in the distance can alter the coating thickness by
10 %, for example. It follows, therefore, that the strip position and strip shape in
the air knife unit have to be kept as constant as possible.
Numerous influences such as strip out-of-flatness, separately excited strip

vibrations and bath roll bearing eccentricities can bring about strip vibrations in
the air knife unit (10).
Thin-gauge strips are more prone to vibrate in the cooling tower. Air damping
systems can reduce these vibrations (4).
The strip tension equally influences the vibrational behaviour. According to (5),
calm strip travel through the air knife is an important co-determining factor in
achieving a uniform zinc coating, and for this reason a higher strip tension is
selected to reduce lateral movements of the strip. Not considered in this respect
is that a higher strip tension places greater loads on the roller bearings in the zinc
bath. It is also pointed out in (6) that the strip tension in the zinc bath, which can
be adjusted and increased independently of the furnace, improves the constancy
of the coating thickness.
The coating thickness over the strip width is influenced by strip alignment
deviations and by other strip deviations such as crossbow (7). Crossbow comes
about because of plastic strain at the strip surfaces (11) as the strip passes
round the guide rolls in the zinc bath (deflector roll and one to two stabilising and
correction rolls (2), which are intended to ensure optimum strip guidance in the
air knife (3). To compensate for this deviation, the nozzle orifice is adjusted as a
function of the width location of the strip, or a nozzle with a variable orifice is
used (9). There is no compensation for crossbow movements resulting from strip
vibrations.
65
The nozzle distance to be determined in the middle of the strip to improve the
control of the coating thickness is measured by means of the eddy-current
method (8). Strip vibrations corrupt the measurement, and the installed coating
thickness control systems do not provide any adjustment.
The evaluation of the bibliographical references shows that the influence of the
strip vibrations in the cooling tower on the quality of the zinc coating thickness is
a known one. Remedial action is also mentioned, such as e.g. increasing the
strip tension. The latter measure, however, places strain on the bath roll bearings
and can therefore be applied only to a very limited extent to compensate for the
vibrations.
There is no reference to strip vibration measurements. Nor have such vibrations

been examined theoretically as yet. There is, for example, no model to calculate
the strip vibrations. The literature contains no mention about the problem of the
transition zones in coils that have been welded together. Before the weld enters
the zinc bath, various measures are frequently taken, such as reduction of the
strip speed and increase of the air knife nozzle distance, which are intended to
decrease the strip vibrations and flapping of the strip and protect the nozzles.
Such measures, however, diminish the quality of the zinc coating and lead to
coating thickness deviations.
2.3.2 Preparation of the strip vibration measurements
The transverse strip vibrations were to be measured with the aid of distance
measurement methods. The following requirements had to be met in this respect:
• Measurement resolution
Strip movements of 1 mm perpendicular to the direction of strip travel have to be
measured reliably.
• Average distance of the sensor from the strip
The strip must not touch the sensor. The basic distance must therefore be
greater than 100 mm.
• Heat resistance of the sensor
The temperature of the strip coated with molten zinc is around 400°C. The
sensor is exposed mainly to the corresponding thermal radiation, which it has to
withstand over an operating period of several hours.
• Sensor position
The strip can vibrate in several forms. It is therefore necessary to measure the
distance at various locations of the length and width. Any measuring location in
the cooling tower should be situated as low as possible near to the nozzles, as it
is there that the strip vibrations and strip deformations disturb the air knife
process.
66
• Frequency range
The frequency range should encompass 5 Hz. This is based on the relevant
natural frequency of the strip vibrations in the cooling tower, estimated to be a
maximum of 1 Hz.
Examples of distance measurement sensors that operate reliably under the

ambient conditions of sheet processing lines are given in (13).
The possibilities of using the patented topometrical BFI method for measuring the
surfaces of flat materials (12,15,16) were examined first of all. This involved
configuring the measuring system on a BFI test floor for use in hot-dip
galvanising lines. With the method it is possible to measure the surface
topography and thus also the strip distances over a selectable measuring area.
In addition to this 2D measuring method, two point-by-point measurement

techniques were prepared. The one works with ultrasound, and the other with a
laser. The eddy-current measuring method was ruled out because the basic
distance from the strip that the method requires is excessively close.
2.3.2.1 Topometrical measuring method
This method serves to measure the spatial co-ordinates of the surfaces of flat
products, such as e.g. hot and cold strip (12). The co-ordinates Χ,Υ,Ζ of the
measured object are defined as follows:
X: width co-ordinate (X=0 in line centre)

Y: length co-ordinate (co-ordinate in strip travel direction)
Z: height co-ordinate (co-ordinate perpendicular to travel direction)
The measuring system comprises the following components:

- projector
- CCD camera
- computer
- calibration panel
The projector produces bright and dark lines (fringe pattern) on the strip from
which the registering matrix camera generates an image with the grey values g
for the image locations or pixels (x,y). The computer supplies the spatial co
ordinates (Χ,Υ,Ζ).
A calibration panel with the object co-ordinates (Χ,Υ,Ο) serves as a reference.
67
During the calibration procedure it is located at the level selected for
measurement. Its out-of-flatness must be adequately low in comparison with the
required height resolution. The width corresponds to the maximum strip width
plus an allowance for strip side-tracking.
The alignment of the projected lines in the measuring area depends on the
position of the optical plane, which is formed by the optical axes of projector and
camera.
Case 1 : Projector and camera are positioned longitudinally in relation to the

strip.
The lines must run in transverse (width) direction.
Case 2: Projector and camera are positioned transversely in relation to the

strip.
The lines must run in longitudinal direction.
Which of the variants should be chosen depends on the space available

above the level selected for measurement.
Case 2 was realised for the present measurements. The optical axis of the
camera is perpendicular to the mid-point of the level selected for measurement.
The optical axis of the projector forms an angle of around 45° in relation to the
camera and also passes through the mid-point. The initially planned arrangement
in longitudinal direction, shown in figure 70, proved impracticable as the space in
the cooling tower was occupied.
Flatness
The height Ζ of the strip, measured as a function of the width location, length
location and time, i.e. Ζ (X,Y,t), depends not only on the transverse strip
vibrations but also on the strip shape (e.g. crossbow) and the flatness of the strip.
As usual, the flatness Ρ is defined in this respect as "strip fibre elongation in strip
travel direction as a function of the strip width relative to the shortest fibre".
Figure 71 shows the order of magnitude with which the flatness is taken into
account in the height co-ordinate. For the wave height Z, which is dependent on
the flatness Ρ and the wavelength L, the resultant value e.g. for Ρ = 100 χ 10"6
and L = 2 m, is Ζ = 13 mm. This applies to a strip tension of zero. The wave
height decreases with increasing strip tension.
Strip position and strip shape characteristics
Characteristics for the strip position and the strip shape are first of all determined
from the measurement co-ordinates.
68
^cooling box
Ε
ω "îi-
CO
o CO
projector
CD o
o O)
o -TZ
ω 'V
Χ/
o /
str
Ε / * v / ¡P shape
CM
• \ , / \ measurement
CO
O
'•^.. camera
wiper
zinc bath
Fig. 70 Concept of measuring strip vibration in the cooling tower
69
Fig. 71 Height of wave as a function of flatness and wave length
The strip position in height direction Ζ ¡s defined as the average measured

height. The strip shape characteristics for the longitudinal direction of the strip
are defined in figure 72. These are longbow and longitudinal skew. The
corresponding characteristics in width direction are crossbow and transverse
skew.
The strip position and the strip shape characteristics in the longitudinal and width
direction are calculated according to a uniform method. For the characteristics of
the longitudinal direction it goes as follows:
Step 1 : Calculate average value of Ζ (x,y) across x. This average value is

Z(y).
Step 2: Create least-square polynomial for Z(y).
Step 3: Calculate characteristics on the basis of this least-square polynomial.
Test floor trials
Before using the topometrical measurement method in a hot-dip galvanising line,

it was necessary to examine the following on the TopForm test floor of the BFI,
figure 73:
70
Y
ι
4 ^
strip 1
I \ \
\ \
\ \
3 ^ \
ι ι
2 \
\
1 range of strip shape measurement

2 skew in length direction !
3 cross-bow in length direction r"'"~^ y
4 distance ' + \ ^
Fig.72 Characteristics of strip profile
projector
camera
/iI
/ '1
/ '1
/ '· f
s
¡ χ. / ' · I
/ ""/""i* l
/ / i l
/ ¡ I
/ J
/ ι
/ J
\ X
/ 1
/ 1
ƒ > v 1
' 1 ^v
measurement area
71
- best possible arrangement of the measuring system
- characteristics for the fringe pattern
- influence of reflecting surfaces
- calibration method
- measurement resolution.
To do this, various fixtures were built for the test floor, such as:
- positioning fixtures for projector and camera, and
- a measuring table for the exact calibration of the configuration.
The measuring table serves as a means of reference and as support for the strip
as the measured object. The measuring table lies horizontally. In the cooling
tower, however, the measuring surface is arranged vertically. First of all,
therefore, it was attempted to work with a vertical measuring surface on the test
floor as well. The test sheet materials had to be positioned vertically and clamped
at their top edge. This clamping and the weight of the test sheet material, though,
led to deformations. A horizontal table was consequently selected.
In these test floor trials, the best possible arrangement was found to be Case 2,
as already mentioned in Pt. 3.1, with the camera positioned perpendicular to the
mid-point of the measuring area. The grey values in the camera image must form
an almost sinusoidal curve running transverse to the projected fringe pattern
lines. This is a precondition for acquiring the height matrix according to the
"Phase Shift Method" (PSM).
It is particularly important that no reflections occur, as the method is based on the

detection of diffused light by the camera. Furthermore, the camera must not be
over- or undermodulated at any location of the image. The grey value
modulation, that is the grey level difference between bright and dark lines, must
not fall below a certain minimum.
a) Optical characteristics of the strip
The intensity of the light at the level selected for measurement depends on the
projector angle and on the projector-to-strip distance. The camera detects only
the rays of light that find their way back into the camera from the measuring
surface. These rays of light must not have come about through reflection but
through diffusion. This is the decisive precondition for the measurement method,
figure 74 shows the intensity of the diffused light as a function of the angle. The
intensity is practically independent of the angle in case of small angular changes,
such as apply to the measurement method. This does not apply, however, to
reflected light. As a molten zinc coating on the strip reflects the light, it was
necessary to find out whether topometrical measurement was feasible under
these conditions.
72
scattering
Ό,
\ \ \ \ \\ ν\\\
s : intensity w/m2
Plot from 14/272 to 764/272 (* ' y)
230
205
18tl
156
5 1311
>.
ω
D) 106
81
57
32
0 75 150 225 300 375 450 525 600 675 750

width point χ (pixel no.)
Fig. 75 Grey value curve of shiny aluminium foil
73
It was not possible to create a molten zinc coating on the sheet material on the
test floor. Selected, therefore, was a glossy foil made of aluminium in a width of
1.2 m and a length of 1.7 m. Figure 75 shows the grey values measured
transverse to the projected fringe pattern in direction x.
The sinusoidal curve of the grey values is a desirable feature and comes about
as a result of the brighter projected lines and the darker spaces in-between. The
grey value variations become pronounced towards the right of the image,
however. This is due essentially to the reflection of the projector light on the
glossy surface. Although the sinusoidal curve does not yet reach the saturation
limits of the camera within the strip, it almost does. There is, therefore, no
modulation margin available.
Stopping-down the camera is not the solution. The modulation to the left in the
image would in this case be too low. Other arrangements of projector and
camera would yield poorer results. The aluminium foil thus represents the
borderline case for possibly using the measurement method.
b) Calibration of the topometrical system
Calibration on the test floor takes place with the aid of the measuring table and,
locally in the line, with the aid of a reference panel. It is not possible however,
even only for a short period of time, to position such a reference panel at the
level selected for measurement in the cooling tower of a continuous strip
galvanising line. It was therefore examined whether the reference image could be
created on the test floor and then used in the strip galvanising line.
Such an approach requires exactly the same arrangement to be set up on the

test floor as subsequently under local line conditions. A critical factor in this
respect is the angle of rotation of the projector and camera around their optical
axes. Extremely small angular changes are sufficient to have a very profound
effect, especially at the edges of the measuring area. A rotation of the camera of
1° around the optical axis, for example, causes a measuring error of 20 mm at
the edges. Given the reproducibility of the test floor arrangement achievable
under production conditions, this means that the reference image from the test
floor is unsuitable for use.
To be able, nevertheless, to perform measurements in the cooling tower, the

reference image was taken from a visibly flat strip in the hot-dip galvanising line.
Such an approximation is, as a rule, unacceptable, as the required width of the
reference image generally has to take into account the maximum possible strip
width plus an allowance for strip side-tracking.
74
c) Measurement resolution
The measurement resolution in z-direction depends on the measurement

resolution of the phase angle and the sensitivity. The latter is the height Z, which
corresponds to a phase angle of 360°. The phase angle resolution is around 1/50
of 360°. The sensitivity during the test floor trials was in the region of the fringe
pattern spacing of 30 mm. The measurement resolution in z-direction is,
therefore, 1/50 χ 30 mm = 0.6 mm. Defined heights were selected in the trials and
measured to demonstrate the reproducibility of this resolution, i.e. the measuring
accuracy, see figure 76. Only one side was subsequently supported. Figure 77
shows the skew and the crossbow measured for this case.
A test piece with precisely defined dimensions was, furthermore, prepared and
measured topometrically on the measuring table. The measured heights deviated
by less than 0.6 mm from the values given for the test piece.
Here, the transit time of the sound wave from the sensor to the strip and back is
measured. The sound wave is reflected on the strip. The advantage of this
measuring method is the large basic distance to the strip and the large
measuring range.
Sensor data:
Manufacturer: Turck
Type: RU 30 - ..30 - LUX-H1141
Measuring range: 60 - 300 mm
Response time: 0 to 100 %: 80 ms
It has to be born in mind that two influences can lead to errors: The sound
velocity depends on the air temperature and increases at around 0.2 % per °C.
The second possible source of error is also linked to the temperature. If there is a
thin boundary layer of high-temperature air in front of the strip, the refractive
index changes, and a premature or irregular reflection is the result.
A hot test was conducted on the test floor to estimate the effect of the two
influences. This involved heating a 1 mm thick strip from underneath with a
burner and measuring the distance from above. The height of the sheet material
was constant or was changed periodically, see figure 78. The diagram shows the
periodic changes in distance and the disturbances as short-time peaks and
troughs. The peaks come about due to inadequate reflection, and the troughs
due to premature reflection. As the disturbances are of an extremely short
duration, it was possible to correct the measuring signal.
75
200 ^
300 <&
Fig. 76 Topometrically measured 3d-picture of shining aluminium foil
Tue Jun 2914:12:121999

skew; + 53.7 ^ - ^
5 cross-bow: -11i3--'—
-5-
1-10- ¡ -
:
;• ι · - •· - '
'<B
£
2fr
-26 • - ; - / • • • - • • : ; ;
s -3t
-3fr ; : :
U355 -372 -279 -186 ¿3 0

width [mm]
93 186 279 372 4e•5
Fig.77 Topometrically measured strip shape at test site
76
not corrected
! •• ι ι I
| distance!
constant ; _ „ cjhange „
; ;
300
ε
£Φ
υ
c
ra
i UJrf
f
iftlT
60 1 1 i.
10 15 20 25 30
time [s]
not corrected
UI
Fig. 78 Ultrasonic distance measurement on hot strip at test site
77
This point-by-point distance measurement method is based on triangulation. A

focussed laser beam forms a spot on the measured object. A position detector
measures the image of this spot. The distance is derived from the position.
Data of the laser-based distance measurement equipment:

Manufacturer: LASE GmbH
Type: ODS 450 HAT incl. protection and cooling housing
Measuring range: 200 - 700 mm
Resolution: 0.1 mm
Measuring area diameter: 2 mm
Measuring frequency: 1000 Hz
The mentioned resolution applies to static measurements on white paper. Minor

deviations on other surfaces are possible, according to the manufacturer.
The measuring equipment has, according to the manufacturer, a means for

adjusting the light intensity automatically and thus allows measurement on a very
wide variety of surfaces.
2.3.3 Measurements in a galvanising line
A measurement at the pilot line of CRM was prepared first of all. The workload of
the pilot line, however, did not permit the measurement within the time frame that
was available. This intermediate step was therefore foregone and a
measurement conducted under production conditions at a hot-dip galvanising line
whose dip coating bath is equipped with a 3-roll system (14).
Arranged ahead of the zinc-coating section ¡s a horizontal continuous annealing

line.
The tower height in this galvanising line is 34 m.
The 3-roll system comprises the following rolls, from bottom to top, with the
approximate diameters:
deflector roll 0.8 m
correction roll 0.3 m
stabilising roll 0.3 m
78
The roller bearings have a ceramic bearing shell. The rolls guiding the strip
through the zinc bath are non-driven.
The cooling tower houses 3 cooling units. Located in the lower section is a
positionable water cooling unit. In the upper section there are air coolers. It was
not possible to measure the transverse strip movements at the coolers.
Consequently, measurement of the strip distance was confined to the furnace
platform level and cooling tower mid-section.
Design data of the zinc-coating section:

strip gauge 0.36-4.0 mm
strip width 900 - 1650 mm
zinc coating thickness 70 - 600 g/m2 two-side
strip speed max 200 m/min
The strip tension is measured at the end of the treatment section. The control
variable for regulating the strip tension in the treatment section is the rotational
speed of the upstream set of bridle rolls. The tension set-point is given in a set-
point table and depends on the strip dimensions and quality.
The thickness of the solidified zinc coating is measured on both sides by means
of two traversing sensors. Mainly the pressure and the nozzle-to-strip distance in
the air knife unit serve as the variables for controlling the coating thickness.
The passage of the weld requires the heightened attention of the line operator.
As a rule, the strip speed is reduced during this phase and the air knife nozzles
are retracted. The strip position and strip shape are monitored directly next to the
strip during this procedure. The zinc coating thickness measurement record,
moreover, is included among the items checked. On this basis the line operator
alters the position of the bath rolls and of the nozzles so that the required
thickness/thickness profile of the zinc coating is achieved.
The measurement was conducted in three steps, focussing on the following:
Step 1
Topometrical measurement of the strip position and strip shape at the
furnace platform level, some 3 m above the zinc bath
Step 2
Ultrasonic measurement of the strip vibrations at the furnace platform
level, using 5 sensors at different width locations
Step 3
Ultrasonic and laser-based measurement of the strip vibrations in the
middle of the strip at the furnace platform level and in the cooling tower.
79
2.3.3.1 Topometrical measurement of strip vibrations
The measuring arrangement is shown in figure 79. The projector and camera are
arranged transverse to the strip at the furnace platform level, some 5 m above
the zinc bath. The projected fringe pattern lines run in the direction of strip travel.
The projector is located on the drive side. The camera was arranged initially over
the middle of the strip. The image brightness with this arrangement, however,
was completely inadequate. The molten zinc coating gave off a strong reflection
such that only very little light reached the camera from the strip in this position.
For this reason the camera was shifted in the direction of the operator side,
leading initially to overmodulation of the camera, as it was now positioned very
close to the reflecting area. The camera angle, the aperture and the exposure
time were therefore varied with the aim of obtaining an image without any under-
or overmodulation of the measuring range, and with an adequate degree of
modulation for the fringe pattern. Such a setting as required for the entire strip
width of 1600 mm could not be found, though. In trials that followed, the fringe
pattern line spacing was increased some three and a half fold so that the edges
of the lines were less grainy. Yet here, too, the grey level function deviated badly
from the necessary sinusoidal curve and thus proved unsuitable for determining
a phase angle and the height evaluation based on it.
If the strip travelled at a low speed, the zinc coating solidified by the time it
reached the level selected for measurement. Under these conditions the camera
provided an image of the entire strip width that could be evaluated. The size of
the measuring area was 2 χ 2.8 m. The exposure time was 1/1000 s. The
measuring cycle including evaluation was some 0.5 Hz. As an example, figure 80
shows a height profile measured over the strip width. At top-right in the computer
image are the measured characteristics, such as "crossbow" and "curl".
The strip shape characteristics between the air knife nozzles are important for
the coating thickness and the transverse profile of the coating thickness.
Assuming that the strip bears against the stabilising roll over the entire width,
then crossbow and skew between the nozzles are less than the values measured
at the furnace platform level.
The following operating variables were additionally registered with regard to the
diagnosis of strip vibrations:
strip speed
strip tension
bath roll position
pressure in the nozzles
current, second upper deflector roll
speed, second upper deflector roll
80
camera
Fig.79 Configuration of the topometric measurement at the hot dip

galvanizing plant
Thu Feb 2410:38:49 2000

o cross-bow: +3,2 mm
-r
-3
ε
É -4-
Έ
¿j -6-
-7-
-8-
-10
*
f -ι*
B-side A-side
| -13
UJ
-318 -238 -159 -79 0 79 159 238 318

1
I width
8
Fig. 80 shape at low strip speed

Five sensors were installed in a distributed arrangement over the strip width at
the furnace platform level, see figure 81. The basic distance was 180 mm. The
sensors were shielded against the heat radiated by the strip. Figure 82 shows the
non-corrected distance measuring signals as a function of time, while figure 83
shows the strip shape characteristics "distance, skew and crossbow" derived on
the basis of those signals, as a function of time.
The five measuring signals were corrected with regard to error-induced peaks
and troughs, see Pt. 3.2, and from them a fitting parabola was calculated at each
time of measurement as a function of the strip width. The value in the middle of
the strip at χ = 0 is the constant element of the fitting parabola, in other words the
distance from the middle of the strip. The crossbow and skew are calculated in
similar way.
The distance variations of the strip lies within a range of ± 2 mm. Skew and
crossbow exhibit similar features as a function of time, with skew lying in a range
of ± 5 mm, and crossbow mainly within a range up to 20 mm and directed
towards the furnace.
Figure 84 shows a 'snapshot' of the measured strip position and strip shape. As
the distances were measured from the furnace, the displayed crossbow is curved
in the direction of the furnace / deflector roll. If a crossbow were produced at the
deflector roll, it would be curved in that direction. From this it can be concluded
that a cause of the crossbow lies at the deflector roll in the bath.
Visual observation of the strip also revealed that the strip frequently had a degree
of crossbow, albeit small, that was curved in the direction of the deflector roll, see
the negative sign. This is also shown in figure 85. Displayed is the crossbow as a
function of time over a time range of 300 s, in which respect the negative sign
denotes the curve towards the deflector roll. An interesting point in time is t = 180
s when the bath roll positions were altered, thereby decreasing the crossbow.
The frequency spectrum of the measuring signals was established in order to

study the strip vibrations. Figure 86 shows first of all, as a function of time, the
strip tension and the strip distance zi in the middle of the strip, measured by
means of a laser at the furnace platform level (see Pt. 4.3), and the strip centre
distance z2, measured by means of ultrasound in the middle of the cooling tower.
Typical spectra are shown in figure 87. A vibration with a frequency ranging from
0.5 to 1 Hz is detectable in the diagram of the strip distance, as a function of
time, and in the strip tension. The strip speed is 160 m/min. The rotational
frequencies derived from this are 1.06 Hz for the deflector roll and around 2.8 Hz
for the correction roll and the stabilising roll. These rotational frequencies are at
least not dominant in the analysed spectra. The vibration at 0.66 Hz is a natural
vibration of the strip.
82
distance ζ [mm]
1
BS AS
300-
range of
240- / measurement
strip width r l
180: i
us
"Ί L
" ?
120- os"^\J
z
Z
1 Z
2 60- Z
3 *
Z
4 ö
1 1
' ' . J. . ν •
-600 -300 0 300 600
width point χ [mm]
Fig. 81 Ultrasonic strip distance measurement
Zoom Datei:11 .vis vom 19.07.2000 11:37:3S

200
210
210
100
21)0 201 202 203 204 205 20Θ 207 208 209 21
_ 190
¡ ¡ I J I
E. 180 ^
*
<4v
: τ· V V
>*ÊÛÛ>AWKC*
v
Γν ^\J
170 ï i i i ί ! ¡ i Ί
200 210
200
210
time [s]
Fig. 82 Ultrasonic measured distances at 5 width points at the height of the

furnace
83
Datei: 11. vre vom 19.07.200011:37:35
300
200 300
3 r-. 30
σ>
Ε
Ε 2U
eb
3 S 10
S
ί XoI
Χ
UJ
0
i o
-10
ja b 100 150 200 250 300
time [ s ]
Fig. 83 Ultrasonic measured distance .skew, and cross-bow at the height of

furnace
Datebl 1 .vre vom 19.07200011:3735, Polynomverlauf über Banbbrette bei 205 sec
184 Ι ι I I I 1
182 y
y
y
y
180 y
y
y
y
178 6 ss-bow - } - y
1*176
A ' 5 mm | „'.
,Ε, ; up sic •
• *
;
y ;
§174
"·* ; skew
S
'"^172
I Aiown side ,* 17,8 mm
\ s : :
^ 170
* ! î î
• • ι ;
1 •
• î
:
!
: !
ι
i / · *
ε
1 ' *
1 ' *
Έ 16β / * 1
S / x
ί
L -
1
I 16400 -600 -400 -200 0 200 400 600 &00
1 -S BS width [mm] A S
Fig. 84 Strip shape at the height of the furnace
84
Datei: 21. vrs vom 19.07.2000 15:15:43
200
position of bath rolls

corrected
Fig. 85 Cross-bow variation in time while modifying the bath rol

positions
Zoom Datei:400.vrsvom 30.08.2000 14:04:55

29.15 τ 1 1 1
Fig. 86 Strip vibration in the cooling tower [Ζλ: at the height of the
furnace,Z 2 at the middle of the tower)
85
distance
2
0,66 Hz
4,2 Hz
1 4 5 6~ 7 8 9 10
frequency [ Hz ]
tension Datei:11vrs vom 19.07.2000 11:37:35,BzugFFT von Zoom

0,01
1,5 Hz
^S.
0 1 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
frequency [ Hz ]
Fig. 87 Ultrasonic based spectra of strip vibration and tension
86
The sensor in this connection was located at the furnace platform level and
measured the distance from the middle of the strip to the sensor. The average
distance z1 was 550 mm, figure 88. The transverse strip movement z2 was
additionally measured with the aid of ultrasound in the middle of the tower, figure
89. An example of the distance at the furnace platform level is shown in figure 90
as a function of time. The strip tension and the strip speed are displayed above it.
The short interruptions in the laser signal are due to the fact that the return beam
does not find its way to the receiver here because of the narrow measuring gap.
The spectra of the strip vibrations and of the strip tension exhibit a maximum at
around 0.7 Hz, figure 91. This corresponds quite precisely to the natural
frequency of the transversely vibrating strip in the cooling tower. The amplitude of
the strip vibration at the furnace platform level is around 6 mm.
The rotational frequency of the pot roll is 1.12 Hz at the measured strip speed of
2.83 m/s. Periodic shifts of the pot roll due to eccentricity do not consequently
bring about any transverse resonant vibrations of the strip at this strip speed and
strip tension, which was measured to be 26.8 MPa.
No strip vibration frequency of 0.7 Hz was found in the current and rotational
speed measuring signals from the drive unit of the second upper deflector roll,
figure 92.
87
IP
Q.
•c
in
Laser
furnace floor
*
O
operator side
d,[iye side
Fig. 88 Laser distance measurement

/-Λ
iL V J
| strip
34 m
Z
2
àι
1ί ,5 m
O
Z
C\J 1
en
σι
c
U)
î
3,5 m
"O
LU
ι r_ ι ,.A
0D /
£Λ
<
.O
CO
o
CO
CM
Fig. 89 Strip vibration measurement points
89
204 205
time [s]
Fig. 90 Strip vibration at the height of the furnace, measured by ultrasonic
90
Datei:400.vre vom 30.08.200014:04:55, FFT vom Zoom von 220 bis 240 Amplitude
0.03
I at the middle of cooling tower

ε
Ε
4 S
TT
frequency [Hz]
Fig. 91 Laser based spectra of strip vibration and tension
91
Versuch . ι
Versuchsphase Phase 1
Startdatum 24.02.2000
Startzeit 09:55:00
Enddatum 24.02.2000
Endzeit 10:40:38
Versuchsdauer 00:45:38
Bandzug
$4.« ·» -W-l « 2 * 3 Z*t* 1*3 « Λ -«,< ' -Hi7 «L8 -f&S

Stroa < 1 Ualtnkroil*S
_2±,re. η iftt-h-H.sn,
. 36
ι — 3D
•Ε »
^JS^^M^^p^rA^JS^V^ft^;^^
&.« « -W.1 -4Β.2 -tS-3 2«it [ri -te.8 •«•& 16.7 «.9 « 3
firahuhl (2. lU«nkrdU>
1«
138
130
126
S" lis
%A * «.1
1 «.2 -»3 Zrft C
[*J «.B 46L« 46.7 «Λ -«.β
Fig. 92 Motor speed and current of the second upper deflection roll
92
2.3.3.4 Summary of the findings from the measurement-based analysis
• Distance measurement
Topometrical distance measurement

If the zinc coating is molten, it is not possible to produce any fringe pattern
suitable for evaluation because of the strong reflection. The topometrical
measuring system of the BFI cannot therefore be used at the location in
question.
Distance measurement with the aid of ultrasound
Although the boundary layer of high-temperature air near to the strip causes
interference during the ultrasonic measurement, this interference can however be
compensated for if measurement takes place at several locations of the width at
the same time.
Distance measurement with the aid of a laser

The distance can be measured by this method. The sight in the protective
housing must be wide enough, however, so that the measuring beam is not
masked even if there is increased displacement.
• Crossbow
Strip crossbow was measured at the furnace platform level. It is influenced by the
positioning of the bath rolls.
• Strip vibration
The strip vibrates transversely in the cooling tower at a natural frequency that,
depending on the strip tension, is around 0.7 Hz. The strip develops a natural
vibration which, under certain conditions, may be excited even by minor
(periodic) interference (leading to self-excited vibration).
• Effect of strip vibration
The detected transverse strip vibration has an impact on the zinc coating in the
air knife unit. It was possible to measure the strip vibration only above this
location at the furnace platform level. As the air knife unit lies much closer to the
zinc bath, smaller amplitudes are to be expected at the air knife than those that
were measured.
It is to be suspected that the zinc coating thickness also varies with the frequency
of the transverse vibration. Such a change in the coating thickness is not
detected by the coating thickness gauge (cold gauge), which traverses slowly
over the strip width.
93
2.3.4 Simulation of strip vibrations in the cooling tower
2.3.4.1 Modelling
Mechanical model
The strip in the cooling tower can develop both transverse and torsional
vibrations. The two vibration modes have no influence on one another. Because
of this non-interaction it is possible to use a separate model for either of the two
vibration modes. The following description is confined to the transverse model.
The torsional model has the same structure, but differs in terms of the
parameters.
First of all, it is necessary to find the simplest mechanical model possible that
simulates the vibrations with sufficient accuracy, figure 93. The strip is able to
move freely in longitudinal direction and is conveyed at speed v. The externally
exerted tensile force acts via two deflector rolls on the vibrating section of the
strip. It is assumed, furthermore, that the transverse vibration has no influence on
the tension. Disregarded are the deflector rolls' moments of inertia and, outside
the rolls' range of influence, the strip's moment of resistance to bending.
If the influences of the strip speed and of air friction are also disregarded for the
time being (both are taken into account later), then it is possible to describe the
movement of the strip in z-direction by means of the familiar wave equation.
(1) d2z/dt2 = c 2 d ^ d y 2
The restoring force for a lateral displacement is proportional to the second-order

derivative of the displacement as a function of the location y. The proportionality
factor c is the propagation rate of the waves on the strip.
The wave equation is a partial differential equation. To solve it numerically, the y-

axis is discretised. This leads to the discrete wave equation:
(2) d2z/dt2 = c 2 (Zi + 1 - 2Zi + zi -ι)/ Ay2
Physically, the discretisation of y means that the mass of the strip is divided into
many identical sub-masses that are distributed at equidistant points on the strip.
The discrete strip model shown in figure 94 is thus obtained.
94
ν speed
F tension
Fig. 93 Vibration model of the strip
Fig. 94 Discretised vibration model of the strip
95
Simulation model
A simulation model was created on this basis in Matlab - Simulink. The discrete
model is easy to simulate. The approximation of reality is all the better, the more
finely the strip mass is divided up. A division into 33 identical strip elements was
selected.
The horizontal accelerative force acting on a sub-mass is the sum of the

horizontal components of the tensile forces.
Found on the basis of figure 95 is
(3) Am d2z/dt2 = F2(Zi +1 - z¡)/ Ay - Fz(z¡ - z¡ . n )/ Ay
Am mass of a strip element
Applied in eq. (3), so as to obtain an equation independent of the strip

dimensions, is
F7 = b h o ,
b width
h thickness
σ tension
and
Am = b h Ay ρ
Ρ strip density
thereby obtaining
(4) d 2 z/dt 2 =(tf/p)(z i + 1 -2z,· + z M )/Ay 2 .
This equation corresponds to the discrete wave equation (2).
Eq. (4) already provides the essential part of the signal flow diagram of a strip
element, see figure 96, namely an undamped PT2 element. The tension acts as a
variable parameter. It governs the natural frequency of the strip element. Not yet
taken into account are the influences of the strip speed and friction.
On the strip, the waves propagate at the velocity of
(5) c = (o/p)1/2
as is seen by comparing (2) and (4). The sum of this wave velocity and strip
speed is the velocity of the ascending waves. In the case of the reflected,
descending waves it is the difference between the velocity and speed. Outgoing
and returning waves become superimposed on one another and result in the
transverse movement of the strip.
96
Fig. 95 Equilibrium at a strip element
97
To estimate whether the strip speed exerts any important influence in this
respect, it is necessary to compare the strip speed with the wave velocity.
When tensions are normal, the following numerical values are obtained for the
wave velocity c:
σ 10 40 N/mm2
c 36 70 m/s
Although the wave velocity is much higher than the maximum strip speed
Vmax = 4 m/S
it is not high enough, however, to be able to disregard the strip speed.
The movement of the strip in y-direction also creates a velocity component in z-

direction if the strip does not hang exactly vertical. This velocity component is
also simulated.
Still remaining is the simulation of the air friction. The following formula applies to
the frictional force:
Fr = c w b dy 0,5 p L (dz/dt) Idz/dtl.
In this respect,
Cw = ¿
is the coefficient of aerodynamic drag, and
PL = 1.1 kg/m3
is the density of the air for an assumed temperature of 50 degrees.
The acceleration in z-direction caused by the air friction is
d2z/dt2 = Fr /dm =(dz/dt) Idz/dtl cw pL/(2 h ρ)

ρ = 7800 kg/ m 3
The model for the strip as a whole is obtained by combining the finite strip
elements with one another, as shown in figure 97. The z-positions of the
stabilising roll in the bath and of the upper deflector roll in the cooling tower act
as input signals (boundary values). The strip thickness, tension and the strip
speed are also required as input signals.
98
"34
L • - Ζ 33
r—¿J
»- Ζ,
99
2.3.4.2 Simulation results
Impulse response and natural frequencies
To test the model, the strip is first of all displaced at the stabilising roll (at z 0 ) by
means of a short square-wave pulse 0.02 m in height and 0.1 s in duration. The
displacement shown as a function of time in figure 98 is obtained in the middle of
the cooling tower (at z 16 ). The strip vibrates at the basic natural frequency of 0.75
Hz, and the vibration is slightly damped.
Further simulations involving different strip speeds illustrate that the strip speed
does not have any influence on the natural frequencies of the strip. It is quite a
different matter where the damping is concerned, though. The higher the strip
speed, the better the damping of the vibrations .
If the impulse responses at all of the measuring points z1 to z 33 are compiled in

one single diagram, then the three-dimensional diagram in figure 99 is obtained.
It can be seen here how a wave, starting from the point of excitation in the zinc
bath, propagates by way of the bath. The wave is reflected at the deflector roll in
the tower and returns in phase opposition. The process repeats itself time and
again, with the wave become gradually smaller and wider under the influence of
the damping.
The simulation provides data on the wave velocity and the natural frequency,
which concur to within around 2% with the data that are calculated using the
continuous wave equation. This shows that the masses in the discrete simulation
model are finely distributed to an adequate degree. The natural frequencies are
dictated by the wave velocity and the strip length. Applicable here are:
fn = η C/2L
and
(6) fn = η (σ/ρ)1/2/2Ι_ n = 1,2, 3, ...
L = 34m
ρ = 7800 kg/m2
The frequency is shown in figure 100 for η =1 to 3. The initial energy that is
needed to generate the natural vibrations, and the input required to maintain the
vibration, are proportional to the square of the amplitude and to the square of the
frequency. Because of this quadratic dependency on the frequency, the
fundamental mode will tend to develop if the strip is excited mechanically. The
development of higher natural vibrations is improbable.
100
0.02 ι — Γ
h = 0,5 mm
0.015 f- s = 20 Mpa
ν = 4 m/s
0.01
' · —
I II A A
π' h ¡ν ιh ι\h iπ /k r
0005 Λ
E
c.
0
t\
ΜΛ„. Ι '
Ν
,J
Κ f j ;
-0.005
-0.01h
-0.015
-0.02
5
t in s
Fig.98 Deviation of the strip in the middle of the cooling tower due to an
impulse excitation by the stabilising roll
y in m
t in s
Fig, 99 Run of a wave up and down in the tower due to an impulse excitation
by the stabilising roll
101
3
η =j^
2
"NT η = 2^
>·.
o
cz
α>
I 1
η =1
0
10 20 30 40
tension [ MPa]
Fig. 100 Natural frequency depending on strip tension
102
Periodic excitation
The journals of the rolls in the zinc bath are subjected to heavy wear, figure 101.
As a result, the rolls often run eccentrically, and the journals may also stray with
random movements in the bearings. Only the simple case of a reproducibly
eccentric running roll will be examined here for the time being.
Eccentrically mounted bath rolls excite the strip with periodic vibrations whose
frequency depends on the roll diameter D and on the strip speed v, as expressed
in
(7) f = ν/(π D)
roll diameter D:
stabilising roll 240 mm
correction roll 273 mm
pot roll 799 mm
Because of the heavy bending of the strip at the rolls, it is not possible here to
disregard the moment of resistance to bending. The three bath rolls thus excite
the strip with three frequencies at the same time. The two frequencies generated
by the stabilising roll and the correction roll are so similar, however, that no
distinction has to be made between them. Two excitation frequencies, therefore,
remain.
Figure 102 shows how the strip responds in the middle of the cooling tower when
it is excited by eccentric bath rolls. Pre-specified are:
Tension 20 N/mm2
Pot roll amplitude 10 mm
Stabilising roll amplitude 1 mm
In the upper part of the diagram the strip speed is so high that the excitation
frequency originating both from the pot roll and from the stabilising roll lies above
the basic natural frequency of the strip. The strip movement encompasses both
frequencies. The accompanying amplitudes are relatively low, however.
In the lower part of the diagram the strip speed was selected in such a way that
the pot roll just excites the strip with its resonant frequency. The amplitude in the
middle of the tower attains 18 times the excitation amplitude in the process. It is,
therefore, necessary to avoid any excitation at the resonant frequency.
As the excitation frequencies depend on the strip speed, and the natural
frequency on the tension, there are certain combinations of tension and speed
where resonance occurs. These critical combinations are shown in figure 103.
103
stabilising roll
correction roll
bath
Fig 101 Guidance of the strip by the bath rolls
104
I I 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1
too
Geschwindigkeit 3 m/s
Freq. Pottrolle 1.2 Hz
50 Freq. Stabirolle 3.6 Hz -
£
ε
.Ε
to
O Â^VA/VAÂ^ /V' w A / w v y \ , ^ •v/V·
-50
-1001-• 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1
10 12 14 16 18 20
200
Geschwindigkeit 1.9 m/s
150 Freq. Pottrolle 0.75 Hz
Freq. Stabirolle 2.25 Hz
100
10 12 14 16 18 20
tin s
Fig. 102 Deviation of the strip in the middle of the cooling tower due
to a periodic excitation by the bath rolls
105
bath roll
0> ¿
o.
CO
lo
o
correction roll
stabilizing roll
20 30 40
tension [MPal
Fig. 103 Critical speed of the strip depending on strip tension
106
2.3.4.2 Aperiodic excitation and self-excitation
Besides the easy-to-comprehend periodic excitations involving the rotational

frequency of the rotating rolls in the bath and tower, aperiodic changes and
disturbances in the form of rapidly decaying shocks can trigger the strip
vibrations. Shocks excite vibrations across the entire frequency range, especially
those with low frequencies as apply to the transverse strip vibrations.
Aperiodic changes are to be expected as a result of

• irregular anharmonic movements of the rolls in the bearings
• changes in the air flow conditions (in the air knife and cooler units)
• changes in the shape of the strip entering via the pot roll (may also include
critical periodic component)
• changes in the strip geometry, including the accompanying passage of welds,
and changes in the strip speed.
Two mechanisms can prevent the once triggered strip vibrations from decaying
rapidly, or may even make them more pronounced:
a) repeated jerky movements of the rolls in the bearings which re-excite the strip
vibrations before they can largely decay; in the worst case, the time intervals
of these jerky movements might correspond to the period of vibration or to low
multiples of the same;
b) self-energisation of the strip vibrations through energy input that is self-
induced by the once triggered vibration ("self-excited vibration"), as is
conceivable as a result of a vibration-induced change in the flow conditions in
the air knife nozzles and in the cooling units.
Combinations of a) and b) are also conceivable.
In both cases, even minor disturbances trigger the strip vibration, and higher strip
speeds increase the probability of the vibration becoming more pronounced. The
impact energy, for example, becomes greater with increasing speed, just like the
energy that is available for the self-excitation of the vibration.
A detailed description and verification of these more complex approaches was no

longer possible within the scope of this project and re ' s reserved for further
research activities.
107
3. Optimisation of air knives" geometry for 55% Al-Zn coating (ACERALIA)
3.1 Introduction
Project pursues two complementary objectives: the first one is to optimise the
shape of air-knife lips in order to improve the quality of the coating produced in a
galvanising line, eliminating known edge defects and reducing zinc consumption by
avoiding overcoating on the edges. This optimisation were developed through
computer simulation based on the Finite Elements Method (FEM).
The second objective of the project is to design a model for the air knives coating
control system in Aceralia's HDG line 1. In view of the complexity of the physical
phenomena involved in the coating process - swirling and laminar flows, free
boundaries, solidification processes, etc. - this model were based on Artificial
Intelligent techniques.
The development of this connectionist model requires the collection of operation
data from line, in particular from the coating process, to train the neural network
that will be used for the model.
The main advantage of this model, as opposed to conventional mathematical
models based on fluid dynamics equations, is that, as the model is based on actual
line data it will take into account all the particularities of the facility (wear,
modifications, defects, etc.) that cannot be taken into account by a more general
mathematical model.
3.2 Description of aceralia's HDG line 1
The product coated in this line are cold-rolled steel coils coming from the upstream
rolling mills. These coils, which are received with the required thickness, are
unwound, cropped at head and tail ends and joined in an overlap welder to form a
continuous strip. Subsequently, heating it in a non-oxidising atmosphere cleans the
strip and, once clean, it undergoes a heating-cooling cycle known as annealing to
improve the mechanical properties of the steel.
The strip is then dipped into a molten zinc bath to apply the zinc coating. The
coating thickness is controlled by means of pressurised air jets projected on the
surface of the coated strip. If light oxidation occurs during storage or transport
some white spots appear on the surface of the strip, showing the presence of
oxide. This "white rust" does not hinder the corrosion resistance of the product but
it impairs its appearance. To prevent this, the strip undergoes a surface treatment
with chromic acid, after which it is levelled and given the final format: coils or cut
sheets.
The galvanising line is divided into three sections:
• Entry Section, which includes the pay-off-reels, leveller, shear and welding
machine.
• Process Section, including the tension unit, process furnace, coating unit,
coating control system, cooling equipment, chemical treatment unit and
levellers.
108
• Section III or Exit Section, which comprises the coilers and coil despatch
equipment, shear, levellers, inspection station, piling and despatch of rejected
sheets, piling and despatch of prime quality sheets.
3.2.1 Entry Section
At the entry to the line, the coils are placed on skids with sufficient capacity to store
several coils of maximum width.
The two pay-off-reels are expansion mandrel type, equipped with a hydraulic
cradle car with vertical and transverse movement. At the exit from the pay-off-reels
the strip is levelled in two levellers, after which the strip is pulled through by a dual-
way tension unit for threading.
The pneumatic backcut double shear number 1 is used to crop the ends of the
coils in order to remove the length out of thickness tolerance at each end of the
strip. A double tension-roll unit is located at the entry to the shear.
Then, the head-end of the incoming strip is joined in an overlap welder to the tail-
end of the strip in the line to form a continuous strip. The line is equipped with a roll
tension unit at the entry to the welder.
3.2.2 Process Section
The tension unit (bridle) number 1 keeps the tension in the strip.
The entry strip accumulator allows a certain length of strip to be stored in order to
keep a constant speed in the process section. Two steering rolls ensure the proper
centring of the strip. After the accumulator, the tension in the strip is controlled by a
tension measuring roll and the tension unit number 2.
In the process furnace, the strip can undergo different thermal treatments:
normalisation, annealing and full hard, although annealing is the most common
treatment for this process. The furnace is divided into five zones:
• Preheating and Cleaning Zone (F-1). Here, the strip coming from the Tandem
mill is cleaned and heated to a temperature of 450 - 800 °C depending on the
thickness and thermal cycles applied.
• Heating Zone (F-2). Once the strip is clean and at a temperature 450 - 800 °C,
the strip is further heated to a temperature in excess of 780 °C.
• Controlled Cooling Zone (F-3). After reaching its highest temperature in F-2,
the strip undergoes a controlled cooling to obtain the desired mechanical
properties. This cooling is performed by strip-atmosphere heat exchange. Air-
cooled tubes cool the atmosphere.
• Fast Cooling (Jet Cooling) Zone (C-1). In this section, the strip is cooled to a
temperature adequate for the coating process, i.e., slightly above the molten
zinc temperature. This zone is divided into three identical zones governed by
the pneumatic signal from an electro-pneumatic instrument, triggered in turn by
an electric signal from a radiation pyrometer that measures the temperature of
the strip immediately before entering the pot.
109
• Turn Down Zone. In this section the strip is deflected towards the molten zinc
pot. The downward shroud is hermetically sealed at the level of the liquid metal.
The zinc pot has been designed to keep the zinc molten (liquid). The smelting is
done by electric heating. The melting temperature is maintained by the heat input
from the strip and, if this is not sufficient, it can be increased by the use of electric
resistances.
The "sink-roir is submerged in the molten zinc bath at an adjustable depth. Its
purpose is to invert the direction of the strip inside the pot.
Then, the strip is cooled with a forced draught from one vertical and five horizontal
pipes. A deflector roll installed after the vertical air pipe directs the strip towards the
tension unit (bridle) number 3, after which there is another deflector roller.
Subsequently, the strip is cooled in the cooling tank by water sprays on each side.
The coating control system controls the coating thickness by projecting jets of high-
pressure air against both sides of the strip.
In the chemical treatment unit the strip is coated on both sides with a thin film of
CrCUHb, to prevent the white rust which may appear during storage or transport in
rainy conditions.
The exit strip accumulator (number 2) allows the speed in the section to be kept
constant.
Four deflector rolls drive the strip, passing under the pot, to the exit strip
accumulator 'and the steering rolls. The equipment of the coating thickness gauge
is installed in two of these deflector rolls.
For thicknesses under 2 mm, the strip is levelled in the Continuous Stretcher
Leveller. A photocell installed at the exit of the accumulator detects the position of
the weld and sends a signal to open the CSL rolls when the weld passes through.
Four tension-rolls sets produce the tension required to obtain a 2% elongation of
the strip. A set of tensiometer rolls installed at the exit of the CSL provides an
indication of the flatness of the strip.
110
o
b
in
ir,
LU
U
O
C£
α
Figure 104- Layout of HDG line 1 (ACERALIA)
111
3.2.3 Exit Section
This section is equipped with two expansion mandrel coilers fitted with an
automatic hydraulic strip-centring system. One of the coilers can be used as a pay-
off-reel to feed the sheet cutting section. Depending on the requirements of the
customer, the coils can be oiled in the oiling machines located at the entry to the
coilers. For unloading the coils, each coiler has a skid with capacity to store up to
two coils of maximum width.
A pinch roll unit and a loop pit (strip accumulator) located at the entry to the sheet
cutting section reduce the tension in the strip and guide it into the cutting shear.
This shear cuts the coil into predefined length sheets.
3.2.4 Coating Control System
The coating control system used in practically all the continuous galvanising lines
worldwide is an air knife system. This system, which is the one currently used, has
not yet been upgraded. Its operation is described below.
General Description:
The air-knives used to control the thickness of the coating are designed to produce
a laminar flow air jet. There is an air knife on each side of the strip, at a short
distance above the level of zinc in the pot. The laminar airflow is directed against
the strip as it comes out of the pot, impinging perpendicularly on it and trimming the
liquid film of metal coating. The excess of zinc drips down to the bath. The metal
film remaining on the strip exhibits an excellent surface finish, highly uniformity
throughout the width of the strip.
Air knives are designed to produce laminar airflow over the width of the strip up to
a distance of 20 mm from the edges. At this point, a turbulent flow is produced; the
airflow is widened producing a pressure reduction and an increase in the noise
level.
The system comprises two symmetrical knives (top side/bottom side). There are
four air-knives available forming two sets, one in operation and the other one used
as a spare set.
The two knives in operation are supported on articulated devices (pantographs),
which provide the necessary rigidity against the torsional movement, which would
affect the knife-strip distance. These motor-driven pantographs also produce the
vertical and horizontal movement of the knives, providing the ability to modify the
height of the air-jets relative to the zinc pot and the distance between the knives
and the strip.
The air blown through the knives is supplied by a facility specifically designed for
such purpose. Two compressors located in the basement under the pots provide
the required pressure. The operation is switched for one compressor to the other
when the sink roll is changed.
112
Galvanising Strip
North-West Pantograph
Figure 105 - Air-knife coating control system
3.2.4.1 Air Knives and Pantographs
Air Knives
The air knives are the equipment used to project the air jet against the strip. The
blower (the air knife itself) is made of two articulated parts located on the same
axis, around which they open or close.
In the closed position, the knives are closed leaving only a calibrated gap along the
whole length of the knife width, through which the pressurised air is blown. The
adjustable profile of the air jets is defined by the lips of the knives.
Each unit is equipped with a hydraulic device for the opening and closing
operation.
113
Air Chamber
Figure 106 - Schematic cross-section of an air knife
Figure 107-Schematic layout showing an air knife and its auxiliary systems.
Pantographs
The pantographs are the devices that provide the vertical and horizontal movement
of the knives. Each pantograph is equipped with two electric motors, one for the
vertical movement and the other for the horizontal movement. Each knife is
supported on two parallel pantographs, enabling a differential movement to be
made at each end of the knife.
Four pantographs as the ones shown in the following figure are permanently
installed on both sides of the zinc pot. The ends of the knives are supported on
these devices, and their movements are controlled independently.
Limit switches limit the stroke of the pantographs. The operation is controlled
through the air-knife control panel.
114
Figure 108 - Pantograph without knife
Figure 109 -Pantographs with West-side air knife.
115
Blowing Angle
As described previously, the air knives are equipped with a device that enables the
air jet direction or blowing angle to be adjusted at 20° intervals between the limits
set at +5° and -15° relative to the horizontal axis. The blowing angle is adjusted
manually with the hand-wheel designed for this purpose.
Figure 110 - Possible blowing angles for air knives.
Normally, both air-knives are operated with a blowing angle of 0° (flow

perpendicular to the strip) for all products. This angle is achieved with the axis of
the knives sloping at 20° to the horizontal axis (see figure 110).
Air jet profile
The behaviour of the air jet on the strip is determined by the blowing direction and
on the profile or gap between the air knife lips.
This profile has to be the same for both knives. The blowing profile is adjusted by
modifying the shape of the lower lip with the regulating and holding screws of the
knife, or by modifying the position of the adjustable closing stops.
The heights at different points along knife width are detailed in Figure 111. As can
be seen in the figure, the gaps formed are symmetrical with respect to the vertical
axis. These profiles represent the gap between the lips of a closed air-knife with a
hydraulic system pressure of 110 to 120 Kp/cm2. Before this research the profile
using at facility is shown at figure 111. Upper lip is flat and lower lip is gauged as
showed against upper lip.
2.60 2.30 2.001.70 1.401.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.40 1.70 2.00 2.30 2.60
I I I r—I 1 I I 1 1 — I — I 1 1
I I I I I I I I
4 5 6 7 Τ 6' 5' ^ T T
V v
Figure 111 - Heights of different points of the air-knife for the galvanising process
(units in cm).
116
3.3 Development of the work
The work was divided in several steps in order to determine the most important
variables influencing on coating to be able to develop a coating modelling. The
main steps were as follows:
• Determination of initial situation, studying the coating uniformity and
accuracy to be used as reference. It included the use of thermographies,
systems to measure differential pressures of the knives and the installation
of an "ad hoc" vision and data acquisition system.
• Finite Elements modelling of the coating process in two steps: 2D and 3D
and finally
• Set-up modelling of the positioning of the knives in order to obtain the best
uniformity and accuracy. The model was built in two stages: firstly studying
the influence of knives on coating profile and later the construction of the
model with the previous results.
The first approach consisted in a FEM (finite elements method) analysis based on
the Volume of fluids (VOF) model, taking into account the additional complexity
derived from including a "free boundary" in the problem. This modelling process
has been developed in two steps: a first step using a two-dimensional model and
second step with a 3D model.
After modelling and simulating the air knives currently used in the line, another
blowing profile type was simulated with the aim of optimising the deposit of zinc on
the steel strip. The results of the simulation were subsequently confirmed by online
tests.
The second methodology used is based on the neural model developed, using
normal line operation data. For this purpose the data set was increased by adding
the collection of new data such as the coating thickness returned by the
SENTROL®, the target coating thickness and, especially, the position of the air
knives.
Then, the data were studied applying multivariate statistic analysis techniques, to
determine the relations existing between the variables, in order to minimise as
much as possible the number of parameters considered in the model. The models
used were:
• Variable selection methods:
- Univariant algorithm
- Multiple covariance analysis algorithm
- Minimum error algorithm
- Multivariant adaptive regressive splines (MARS)
• Projection methods:
- VQP's method
117
A very important input for this selection of variables comes from the knowledge and
experience of the zinc pot operators. The project team observed their work during
several days, trying coincide with all the shifts, to obtain information on the greater
or lesser relevance of some given parameters.
After applying these methods, the neural network was generated to simulate
efficiently and with minimum error the operation of the coating control system.
3.3.1 Data acquisition system
Since many of the parameters essential for the study were not available in the
existing line control systems, it was necessary to develop a system to acquire the
values of such parameters for subsequent study.
These parameters were the following:
Top coating, north side
Top coating, centre
Top coating, south side
Bottom coating, north side
Bottom coating, centre
Bottom coating, south side
West knife horizontal position
West knife vertical position
East knife horizontal position
East knife vertical position
The collection of these coating data - given by the SENTROL® system - required a
serial link communication between the SENTROL® computer and the process
computer located in the top floor of the control cabin.
3.3.1.1 Options considered
A more complex method was required to determine the positions of the air knives.
The various options considered were:
1. High Accuracy Laser Sensors: One of the options studied consisted in
using laser sensors to measure the movements of the knives. More
specifically, the sensor considered the model Z4M-W100 (Long range
version of the Z4M model manufactured by OMRON®. The long range
capability was required in view of the long measuring distance - slightly
less than 100 mm - if such sensors were installed on the pantographs).
The most relevant features of these sensors are:
• Minimum thermal drift
• Guaranteed resolution of 1.5 μΐη, with an response time of 60
ms
• Range indicators
• Minimisation of detection errors produced by variations of
colour within the detected object.
118
• Laser emitter switch-off signal
• Amplifier for installation on DIN rail
Although this system was considered the most suitable of all those studied in terms
of the quality of the measurements and its capacity to operate in "dirty"
environments, it was eventually rejected due to its high cost and to the fact that the
system would require eight units per zinc pot (two for each pantograph: one for
height and one for knife-strip distance).
Figure 1 1 2 - Laser sensor Z4M, with its amplifier
Magnetic Tape: This system consists in a magnetic polarised tape

wound around a metal reel. To measure the relative movement between
two elements, the metal reel is placed on one of the parts and the end of
the tape is attached to the other, in such a way that when the tape is
wound or unwound it produces an electric current with a value and a sign
proportional to the movement.
The magnetic tape considered is manufactured by SI KO®, with the

following features:
• Width 20 mm
• Height 2.2 mm ±0.2
Max. length 5.0 m
Min. length 0.2 m
119
Figure 113 - SIKO® Magnetic Tape
This system was rejected since it was considered unreliable to operate in

the harsh environment of the zinc pot. The free movement of the magnetic
tape could be affected by liquid zinc splashes (quite frequent due to the
operation of the air knives) or by the dust and oil present in the area.
Moreover, the tape could be involuntary cut by the operators during the
usual operations around the pot.
3. Artificial vision systems based on digital cameras: The purpose of this

system is to detect and measure the movement of the pantographs through the
use of digital cameras. This specific application would require two cameras -
one on the north side and the other on the south side - which would take
pictures either at regular intervals or triggered by a mechanism synchronised
with the movement of the pantographs and air knives.
The images taken would be subsequently processed using adequate software
and the data obtained would be sent to Aceralia's DCI system.
This system is more complex than the other two previously described, and
would also require more time for fine tuning. Nevertheless, its economic cost is
much lower.
3.3.1.2 Image acquisition system
The system consists in digital photographic cameras, placed in front of the zinc or
Algafort© pot - both pots have been wired - that will take images of the movement
of the pantographs (or, what is the same, of the air-knives).
120
The harsh environment is not a problem, as the camera is far enough from the zinc
pot and it was protected by a metal casing with easily cleaned transparent piece on
the front.
The images were sent through the serial port of the camera to a computer placed
in the top floor of the galvanising operators' cabin. This computer will receive the
images from the north-side camera through its serial port.
Due to the number of ports required for the process it was necessary to install a
UART card in order to increase the number of serial and parallel ports.
Once the images are in the computer, the recognition process for outstanding
parameters can begin. For this, an application that can analyse the images
acquired in minimum time was developed.
Digital cameras
The cameras are Kodak®, model DC210®. This model was chosen due to the easy
availability of a SDK (development kit) to develop applications. This SDK allows the
camera to be controlled by software.
Figure 114 - Digital camera Kodak DC120 ·
To protect the cameras from dust and mechanical damage, they were enclosed in
a metal casing with a front glass through which the images can be taken.
121
3
Figure 1 1 5 - Open casing housing a digital camera Kodak DC120
A transformer-rectifier installed in the rear of the casing supply the power to the
cameras.
The cameras have been fitted on a metal support to ensure the correct angle of
exposure, and an halogen spotlight has been installed to illuminate the zinc pot as
the light conditions vary in this facility operating 24 hours a day.
However, the assembly is different on both sides of the pot (north and south), since
there is much more space available on the north side (closer to the control cabin)
than on south side, which is saturated with air and water pipes.
The camera on the north side has been placed on a metal support 1 meter above
the ground, and the halogen projector has been suspended from the same support.
On the south side, the camera has been fixed on an existing metal plate and the
halogen spotlight has been installed on the ground, next to the pot.
122
Figure 116 - North side camera seen from the east
Both cameras have a 230 Kbps serial connector RS-422/232, used for sending
images to the computer installed in a room on the top floor of the operators' cabin.
Cameras are triggered two minutes after the operator has pressed any of the air-
knife control buttons. To do this, the buttons have been wired in such a way that
when one of them is pressed, it opens the circuit connecting them to one of the
serial ports of the computer. Then the program detects the opened circuit and
begins a delay of two minutes, after which cameras are triggered, first the north
side camera and then the south side camera.
The ¡mages taken by these cameras have a 1280x960 resolution, with 16.7 million
colours. They are transferred in compressed BMP format and saved in JPG format
in order to save disk space, as each BMP photo takes 3601 Kb.
Furthermore, the camera can use an internal flash although this feature has been
disabled, as the flashlight was reflected on the protection glass, producing a
completely blank image. The flashlight has been replaced by a series of spotlights.
123
Figure 1 1 7 - Layout of the north side camera installation (seen from the east).
9 r^^^Ç
**&% «fr ¿ a ij
f..,..* VWBI.. > W , '
Figure 118 - Image taken by the north side camera.
Two cameras where installed - one on the north side and the other one on the
south side - as shown in the following figures118,119 and 120. Also, it was
foreseen wiring and layout to move cameras in front of second pot in case of pot
change along the project.
124
Figure 119-South side caméra.
Figure 120 - Location of north and south cameras.
125
Processing computer
The computer used is an IBM compatible, with the following technical features:
Data acquisition computer

Microprocessor INTEL Pentium 120 MHz
Hard disk 1.2 Gb and 233 Mb
RAM 32Mb
Monitor 14"
Video card •* Trident 9440 PCI SVGA
CD-Rom drive NEC4X
Serial ports 2 (COMÍ and COM2)
Parallel ports; 1 (LPT1)
UART card NS 16C550 (4 serial and 2 parallel ports)
Table 6 -Technical features of the image acquisition computer.
As can be seen in the above table, this computer has two hard disks. The smaller
one (233Mb), installed as drive C, contains the operating system (Windows 95),
the development system Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0, Kodak's development kit and
other programs required for the project (picture viewer, format converters...)
The second hard disk (drive D) stores the images acquired with both digital
cameras. Its capacity has been limited to 260 images (130 from each camera).
Once this limit is exceeded, the oldest images are overwritten.
A UART card has been installed in this computer, with 4 serial and 2 parallel ports,
which added to the original PC ports (2 serial and 1 parallel) makes a total of 6
serial and 3 parallel ports. However, as only 4 serial and 2 parallel ports can be
used simultaneously, it was decided to use the serial ports (COM1 and COM2) and
the parallel port (LPT1) of the PC, and two serial ports (COM3 and COM4) of the
UART card. The other UART card ports have been disabled with jumpers.
The camera triggering signal is received through port COM2, while COM1 is used
for the mouse. UART card COM3 and COM4 ports from were used for acquiring
the ¡mages from the north side and south side cameras, respectively.
126
Figure 121 - Computer with ports installed
© G\ φ
Γ
COM2
Cameras
©
((S • x"
COM1
L, Γ—Τ_
Mouse
% ΐ -y ¿-—U
Parallel Port
Νr Λ
Λ' 0gÊgt!> Video Output
COM3 COM4 1
' - " M i l u m» - >;·Η!ύ •
UART Ports
\ ¿SP· -—-^
\ β'
UART Ports
'\ a t
' 'IHIimjLlTilfr 1
v..
»"'-- ¿.«HMtUBaiïfc • •
L ·:';,->
Figure 122 - Physical location of the ports in the PC
127
UART card
Compatible UART card NS16C550, with 4 serial ports and 2 parallel ports of 115
Kbps.
COM3
COM4
C0M1
COM2
Figure 123 - Schematic diagram of the card, with its 4 serial ports and its 2
parallel ports. Two serial (COM1, COM2) ports and one parallel (LPT1) port have
been disabled.
This UART card is a dual slot card, where triple output adapters can be connected
- two serial ports and one parallel port -. As mentioned above, two serial and one
parallel ports have been disabled. Only two UART serial ports, and therefore only
one connector of this type, were used.
The IRQs assigned to the different ports are the following:
IRQs and port addresses

COMÍ IRQ 4 (03F8-03FF)
COM2 IRQ 3 (02F8-02FF)
COM3 IRQ 5 (03E8-03EF)
COM4 IRQ 9 (02E8-02EF)
PAÄ IRQ 7 (0378)
Table 7 - IRQs and addresses assigned to ports of both the PC and the UARTcard.
128
Halogen projectors
Two CORMORAN B500® model halogen projectors manufactured by MAZDA®
have been installed -one for each camera -. However, they were eventually
removed, as they dazzled operators due to their low position.
aJ
©
Figure 124 - Halogen projector CORMORAN B500
Wiring
To carry out this project it was necessary to wire the cables for data transfer from
the two cameras to the computer. Screened cable was used to prevent the
Influence of electromagnetic noises in the plant and in view of the considerable
distance between the cameras and the PC. For possible Algafort® campaigns, and
in order to cover the whole range of products of the line, the Algafort® pot has also
been wired.
Electric wiring (220 V) was also required to supply the cameras -through a
transformer-rectifier - and the halogen projectors. Several 220 V connectors have
been installed around both pots. Algafort® pot was wired the same way.
129
Figure 125 - Power connector next to the zinc pot.
3.3.1.3 SENTROL® data collection system
The data acquired by the coating gauge (SENTROL®) is transferred via a

specifically developed serial communication link between the SENTROL®
computer and the process computer.
Each time the SENTROL® computer screen is refreshed after receiving data from
the gauge, the information is sent through the serial port to the process computer
located in the top floor of the control cabin. A communication program embedded
within the image acquisition software receives these data. The data are stored in a
file on the computer's hard disk and subsequently sent to the DCI system together
with the data from the cameras.
3.3.1.4 Data collection software

A specific software application was developed to acquire data from SENTROL®, to
take and analyse the images and to send them to the DCI ®system.
Black and white discs were stuck on the pantographs to allow the software to
determine the position of the air-knives; the application will look for this pattern in
the images acquired by the digital cameras (see figure 126).
130
Figure 126 - Diagram of the pantographs
The operation of the application developed is as follows:

When the application starts, the system checks the status of the cameras and
opens them to prepare them for operation.
When the information in the SENTROL® computer is refreshed, this computer
sends the data to the application through the serial port COM2. When the
application receives the data, it packs them with data from the last image stored,
and sends the whole package to the DCI®.
Time between exposures is configurable. The default value is 10 minutes. This
means that an image is taken every 10 minutes, and subsequently analysed by the
computer. The images are taken in BMP format (Windows Bitmap).
131
71 GALTECH. Aiea de Proyectos E.T.S.1.1.G. Linea de galvanizad« 71 GALTECH. Aiea de Proyectos E T S.II.G. Linea de galvanizado. Α..
Archivo Imagen Vei... Aüuda Archivo Imagen Vei... Aüuda
DCI o I '• I ?J t l © l ••."cijisl c|¿1 ? l i
__J j>
Preparado Enviando al DCI...: G0304031.196,194.179,159.206.163.1293;0,0.0.Û
i
Application inactive Data from SENTROL® have been received
and are being sent to the DCI
71 GALTECH. Area de Proyectos Ε.T.S.1.1.G. Linea de galvanizad«! 71 GALTECH. Aiea de Provectos Ε.T.SI.LG. Linea de galvanizado. A... Wtfs
¿rchivo imagen Ver... Ayuda archivo Imagen Vet... Ayuda
; tj@| Hralcj.--.-l 2} t | @ l ¡>ÎI|ÎS| G\,/:\ ?!
Cargando Imagen CANCEL Pasando a escala de grises.
Received image after decompressing

A compressed image is being
received
71 GALTECH. Aiea de Proyectos Ε.T.S.I.1.6. Linea de g a l v a n i z a d « 7ΐ GALTECH. Aiea de Proyectos Ε.T.S.1.1.G. Linea de galvanizado. A... Hl!
Archivo imagen Ver... Ayuda ¿rchivo Imagen Ver... Ayuda
î[©l-PCI|ÏS1.' cl*·3! J J
Image is converted to shades of grey Lost pixels are removed
132
Tí GALTECH. Area de Proyectos E.T.S.I.I.G. Linea de galvanizad«! 71 GALTECH. Atea de Proyectos E.T.S.I.I.G. Linea de galvanizado. Α..
Archivo Imagen Ver... Ayuda Archivo Imagen Ver... Ayuda
I c|.· i
Enviando al Da...: G0304031,213,203,170,154,187,138,13Q8Ä0.0.0. Buscando marca derecha...
The system looks for the left mark and The system looks for the right mark
simultaneously sends the data from SENTROL^
to the DCI
Figure 127 - Steps in the operation of the data collection software
The application calculates the distance in pixels from the pantograph mark to the
edges of the picture, and returns a measurement proportional to the actual position
of the air-knife.
Although the program communicates with the DCI for sending the data, in order to
increase data reliability and to avoid undesired data losses it also stores the data
received from SENTROL© (sentro.txt) and from cameras (camaras.txt) in a trace
file.
Here is an example of the SENTROL® data file:
G0299595,179,169,160,14 0,161,156,1319,2000_10_27,11_4 2_2 9

G0299595,167,176,163,151,172,163,1276,2 000_10_2 7,11_44_24
G02 995 95,166,163,155,153,175,164,1280,2 000_10_27,12_18_06
G0299595,16 6,165,157,153,175,169,12 82,2 000_10_2 7,12_2 0_04
G0299595,165,16 9,155,163,191,172,12 67,2 000_10_27,12_22_0 9
G0299595,162,167,15 6,161,178,163,1267,2000_10_2 7,12_2 4_0 2
G0299595,177,168,159,156,179,163,1306,2000 10 27,12 26 01
133
And an example of the camera data file camaras.txt:
cam nor 2000 10 27 12h01mlzq:261, 851 Der: 603, 876 Cuchillas: 1,4
cam nor 2000 10 27 12h11mlzq:261 852 Der: 603, 876 Cuchillas: 1,4
cam nor 2000 10 27 12h42m Izq: 261 852 Der: 603, 877 Cuchillas: 1,4
The application is fully configurable (Figure 128), and it can operate simultaneously
with two cameras. The parameters that can be configured are the following:
Serial port for camera 1
Serial port for camera 2
Use of flash for camera 1
Use of flash for camera 2
Data transfer speed for camera 1
Data transfer speed for camera 2
Zoom for camera 1
Zoom for camera 2
Folder where JPG images will be saved
Maximum number of images in hard disk
Use of timer for camera triggering
Serial port for communication with SENTROL®
Pattern search zone in pantographs
ηκρηι Γ Utx Canata Sur '

Ï? Utar Camota Norte
Cámara Suf"
r: Camera Noite r •--'••-• ' ConRgweción
Puerto- |CCM3
zi . • Oligtñel' .
FueitD ' . |COM4 ~r]
Velocidad -
Vdockiad . j 3 8 4 O 0 ;
^ j
¡38400
zl
:
• Modo«tFte»h • ;'. OFF ' MododdFlarii · IrjFF
Z o o m ' / . ; . ;-|l11 mm >]' Zoom.· I 77 mm ή\

B !
N foto* en la cámara [g Ν* fot« antecámara- [g
rOkectoiiode'iaUdadelaciulogiafiai-T—
C\iegindo\Eiecütabfe\ •
Número miximo da
JPGa en el directorio Cambiar dwecttxïo
remporcadoi/Pultador— : ——'—
Toma lotos cada j ÏQ" mnuloj Cancelara l·
, ^«ta,|C0M2 T],
ÍV Uíerternpcrnador - (datai SenttoiVpu; jadot¡
Figure 128-Application configuration window
134
3.3.1.5 Overview of the entire data collection system
The entire data collection system is shown in the following figure.
• The SENTROL®data are received through the serial port COM2, while the data
from the cameras are received trough serial ports COM3 and COM4. The port
COM1 is reserved for mouse. Results from the image analysis and coating data
are sent through the parallel port LPT1 to the DCI system using a converter and
adapter card.
Fisher S Porter
Digital Camera
Sentrol Gauge
1
,-, !
α
m
40
m
• ·
¿=ά k=¿,
Figure 129 - Whole data collection system
3.3.2 Temperature analysis

In order to analyse the real effects produced during the coating, thermografies
were used. The thermographies provide interesting information on different air
impacts on the strip, but also they can be used to discover maintenance problems
as they were discovered here.
3.3.2.1 Options considered
In order to obtain a continuous measurement of the transversal temperature of the

strip passing through the air knives, a test using RAYTEK®'s infrared sensor
Thermalert TX® was carried out.
135
Figure 130 - IF Thermalert TX sensor.
,í
Another option considered was to include an infrared sensor Thermalert ΜΡ4^ in
the system. This instrument provides strip scanning capability and produces
excellent temperature measurement quality.
Figure 131 - Scanner type sensor IF Thermalert MP4.
This test revealed the inability of the sensors to produce a reliable tempeFrancisco
Ortega Page 126 23/08/01 rature measurement, mainly due to the mirror
like appearance of the strip, as at the measuring point the zinc on the strip is still
liquid and because the effect of solidification establish a unstable emisivity making
impossible the use of such devices. Another consideration was the physical
impossibility to install it without obstructing the work of the zinc pot operators.
3.3.2.2 Option selected

In view of the above, the final solution consisted in taking measurements at regular
intervals based on thermographic images taken with a camera from Land
Instruments International Ltd. This instrument includes the therma[ image
processing and analysis software WinLips v2.23 ® for Windows 3.X/9510, which
store the images in the proprietary, format IMG. The most relevant feature of this
application is its ability to display isothermal curves.
136
Λ LIPS loi Windows 97112702 IMG
=M*l
Efe £<*
Isotherm
— - • - — . . —
Figure 132 - WinLips v2.2 main screen
In the thermographic images taken, the strip has been divided into in three zones:
1. Blowing (or bottom) zone.
2. Cooling (or middle) zone.
3. Cold (or top) zone.
Obviously, the size of these zones depends on the type of strip being processed. A
thick strip will require more cooling time than a thin one, so its cooling zone will be
bigger than the cold zone.
137
Cold zone
Coolant zone
Impinging zone
Lens : Norm Dist :1.6m Emiss : 0.36

Window : M 4 T.Back :21.0"C Atm. :0.17%
Figure 133 -Thermograph of the whole strip, obtained by combining three

thermographs from different zones. The image also shows the chains
used to charge zinc ingots into the zinc pot and their reflection on the
strip.
138
The analysis of the thermographic images revealed that the south side of the strip
was consistently several degrees colder than the north side. This can be seen in
the following series of thermographs of various isotherms from the cooling zone.
Lens : Norm T.Back 20.5 "C

Window : M A Emiss 0.36
Dist : 1.6 m Atm. 0.17%
T.Max 280C T.Max : 275C

T.Min 278C T.Min : 272C
•¿¿j

Figure 134 - Thermograph of a strip with EG1 coating (275gr/m2), showing

several isotherms.
139
Lens : Norm T.Back : 20.5 'C
Window : M 4 Emiss : 0.36
Dist : 1.6 m Atm. :0.17Ä
T.Max 257C T.Max 250C

T.Min 254C T.Min 247C

Figure 135 - Isothermal lines of an EG1 coated strip (275gr/m2).
Regarding the isothermal curves, it should be noted that in this application each
curve does not represent one single temperature but a range of values comprised
between the maximum and minimum shown under each picture.
This irregular temperature pattern, which seems due to an irregular blowing, can
also be observed in spot temperature measurements taken at different points (see
figure 136).
140
Dele : 27/11/97
Time : 10:49:88
Lens : Norm
Window :M 4
Dis« : 1.6 m
X.Back : 20.5 'C
Emiss : 0.36
Aim. ni/%
No 1 -C I
1 269.7 0.36
z 260.7 0.36
3 zíe.} 0.36
4 250.8 0.36
5 243.6 0.36
& 266.8 0.36
7 235.9 0.36
8 235.9 0.36
9 250.8 0.36
10 231.9 0.36
Mino
Date 2//11/9/
Time 10:49:54
Lens Norm
Window M -1
Dist 1.6 m
l.Back 21.0'C
Emiss 0.36
Atm. 0.17%
No T'C 1
1 234.1 0.36
2 245.6 0.36
3 229.9 0.36
4 229.9 0.36
5 241.9 0.36
6 225.5 0.36
7 223.9 0.36
8 238.1 0.36
9 225.'» 0.36
Figure 136 - Thermographic image of an EG1 (275gr/m2) coated strip, with

indication of the temperature at various points on its surface.
It is clear that absolute temperatures obtained are no adjusted to real ones but the
only necessary in order to understand the behaviour of air jet against the strip is
differences of temperature and was perfectly achieved with thermographies
obtained.
141
3.3.3 Analysis of air-knife outlet pressure
Determining the profile of air-knife pressures requires an off-line test, as it cannot
be done during the normal operation of the line since the presence of measuring
instruments would obstruct the airflow and would impair the coating. Furthermore,
as this test is carried out manually, it would involve a high risk for the operator.
Thus, the determination of the pressure profile had to be postponed until the
annual maintenance downturn of the galvanising line.
The measuring instruments originally considered were pressure transmitters.
These sensors, usually of piezoelectric type and available for a wide range of
pressures, generate a 4/20mA output signal proportional to the pressure
measured. The first option consisted in installing a row of this type of transmitters.
However, their high cost, the high number of units required and the high price of
the equipment necessary for processing and reading the signals (PCs and
converter cards) made them an undesirable solution. These instruments have been
used for measuring the pressure in the knife air supply line, as this application
requires only a limited number of units and therefore it is economically viable.
Finally, the pressure profile was obtained with a measuring instrument specifically
designed and constructed for that purpose. The test carried out produced a
qualitative value of the pressure at the outlet from the air-knives.
3.3.3.1 Description of the instrument
The instrument designed for measuring the pressure at the outlet of the air-knives
consists of'two sliding parts running along two metal pipes up to the tops at each
end. The inner sliding piece holds a welded rod from which an 8 χ 4 cm metal plate
is suspended, while the outer sliding piece has a bracket on which the
dynamometer is hooked.
The SK dynamometer, measuring up to 10 kg with an accuracy of 100 g, is hooked
onto the two sliding pieces.
The assembly is reinforced with two stiffener pipes installed at each side. The U-
shaped end of each pipe is fixed onto the 2 bolts on each side of the air-knife.
142
Figure 137 - General view of the instrument in front of the air-knife over the
Aigafort pot, just before performing the test
Figure 138 - Detail view of the instrument, showing the dynamometer support and
the metal plate are shown.
143
Figure 139 - SK dynamometer used for the test.
The instrument is placed on the air-knives over the pot (zinc or Algafort©), and the
hydraulic system for closing the lips and the compressed air system are connected.
Then, the air-jet is projected against the metal plate turning it upwards; in doing so,
the plate pulls on the dynamometer, which shows the force applied.
144
The test was conducted on air-knife number 2 for the Algafort© pot, at usual
working pressure.
N° Dist(cm) 0cm 0.5cm 1,5cm.

Measure , •*
1 12 1200 850 900
2 16 1400 1050 1000
3 20 :
1300 1000 1050
4 24 1500 1000 900
5 28 1350 900 1000
6 32 1300 900 900
7 36 * 1300 900 800
8f 40 1300 900 1000
9 44' 1200 800 -
10 48 1300 800 -
11 52 ; 1200 800 -
12, 56 1200 800 -
13 60 1300 800 -
14 64 1300 800 -
15 68 1250 900 -
16 72 1300 900 -
1? 7<ξ ' 1200 900 -
43 80 i 1250 900 -
19 84 ; 1200 900 -
20 8β 1200 900 -
21 92 1100 900 -
22 96 . 1100 900 -
23 100 1200 900 -
24 104 1200 900 -
25 108 1200 900 -
26 1Í2 1250 800 -
11 116 1250 1000 -
28 120 > 1300 1000 -
29 124 S- 1300 1000 -
30 ' 128 1300 900 -
31 132 1300 900 -
32 136 1200 900 -
Table 8 - Test results (gr.). The measurements taken at 0.5 and 1.5 cm show large
fluctuations, so the values retained are the averages.
Measurements were made at 4cm intervals all along the air-knife. Three
measurement series were taken, at 0 cm, 0.5 cm and 1.5 cm from the lips of the
air-knife, respectively.
145
0 cm 0,5 cm · 1,5 cm
1600
1500
1400 .IILÂ
1300
i ι
Κ fA+jfc^lc
rtArp A*í 3*W*Ï*Î
F' «'
1200 -iíArl 4*r
1100 - ' ' AvA~i—-—:-:~~;—r—
1000
900
• • ;•
800 V >
700
600 -I 10 11 12 20 | 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
m S00
'
1350 1300¡1300¡130O 1200 130011200 1200
900 I 900
10001 900 800

800 800 800
lil300ll2i 12O0
900
Figure 140 - Values measured with the dynamometer (g), for the different
measurement points on the air-knife. (Zero = South side).
The results Obtained can only be considered valid for the measurement taken at 0
cm. In the other cases, the air pressure on the plate made it to turn around the
sliding part producing a movement of dynamometer pointer. However, at distances
greater than 0.5 cm this rotation moved the plate away from the air-knife and into
the turbulent flow zone, producing severe vibrations of the metal plate and large
variations in the dynamometer readings.
The data from the three measurement runs and those corresponding to maximum
and minimum oscillations when entering the turbulent flow zone have been plotted
with the data processing application XDPM3.0 (own tool elaborated by Area
Proyectos UNIOVI).
The data obtained are highly inaccurate due to:
• As the plate used for the test was too close to the air-knife (it was impossible to
move it further away), the air jet made it rotate and hit the supporting plate; the
situation got worse as the measuring device was moved away from the knife.
• Furthermore, although the plate was placed 1 mm away from the air-knife lips,
the air jet drove it into the turbulent flow zone. This caused the dynamometer to
vibrate, preventing any valid measurement. This effect would probably be even
more severe with the air-knives adjusted for galvanising, as they operate at
higher pressures.
146
The swirling effect increased as the air jet impinged on the supporting plate
causing turbulences which further affected the measurement.
The marks on the measuring device were not clearly legible due to poor light
conditions, thus contributing to the inaccuracy.
The vibration of the dynamometer did not allow the measured value to be
accurately read.
In spite of all the problems encountered during this test, the following points should
be noted:
1. The pressure on the south side of the air-knife (on the left in the chart) is higher
than on the north side (right side of the chart). This is consistent with the
conclusions derived from the thermographic images above.
2. The swirling flow is further away from the air-knife in the north and south than in
centre zone.
3.3.4 Finite elements method analysis

3.3.4.1 FEM Overview
The Finite Elements Method consists in dividing a real object into a large number
(1,000 or 100,000) of elements, forming small cubes. The behaviour of each small
element is predicted by mathematical equations. Then, the behaviour of all of the
elements is analysed to predict the behaviour of the real object, after setting
components of transition between the elements.
This procedure includes the following steps:
a) Selection of a suitable domain: Isolation of a piece of the physic system
to be modelled.
b) Formulation of the equations that govern the flow in the domain.
c) Selection of the boundary conditions in the domain.
d) Weak formulation of the problem.
e) Generation of the grid: allocation and distribution of the elements.
f) Discretization of the weak problem. This discretization leads to a linear
equation system.
g) Solving the linear equation system by means of a suitable method,
h) Post process: analysis of the results.
Domain selection
The selection of the domain is not a simple task. The domain has to isolate a whole
part of the system to be modelled. However, an extension larger than what is
actually needed would significantly increase the computational costs to a point
where the problem could become unsolvable, whereas the selection of a too
limited extension would not allow the model to take into account details which may
influence the final solution, thus returning an erroneous solution.
147
Another difficulty for selecting the domain is the fact that the geometry of the
computational problem is unknown, as neither the shape nor the position of the
coating thickness limit curve are known (they are another unknown to be solved).
For selecting the domain, the following hypothesis have been formulated:
• Above the air knives, Zinc solidifies without any noticeable variation in
thickness.
• The problem is symmetric with respect to the strip.
Figure 141 shows the two-dimensional domain used to solve the problem. The
geometrical parameters of the domain are:
• Distance from the air knife to the strip: 10-20 mm
• Air knife gap: 0.5-4 mm
• Distance from the surface of the coating pot to the air knife: 25-50 cm
• Width of the pot: 20 cm (the pot is actually wider, but this distance has been
considered sufficient to formulate the problem)
Exit
Outside
Strip
Vt'¡, j . <·
Pot
L'
Figure 141 - Section of the two-dimensional domain
After selecting the domain of the problem, the following step is to study and
formulate the equations to model the flow in said domain.
Continuous Media Conservation Laws
The equations modelling the movement of a fluid are the "Navier-Stokes
equations". They can be applied under the following hypothesis:
1) The fluid is not reactive.
2) The problem is considered as a continuous mean
3) There is enough regularity to pass from the Integral Conservation
Principles (mean) to equations in partial derivatives (points)
These equations are:
148
Mass conservation or continuity equation
— + div(pü) = 0
dt
where:
ρ -> fluid density
ü -> velocity
Equation of motion
—{pu) + à\v{pu ®u) + Vp = μ(Άΰ + -V(divü)) + pg + F
where:
ρ -> static pressure
ρ -> density
pg -> gravitational force
F -> external force

Energy equation
~s 1
— {pE) + div(u(pE + p)) = dTAT + μ(Αϋ + -V(divü))ü + δν+ Fü + f

dt 3
where:
• E represents "Energy"; using its own definition, it can be expressed as
E=E +pCT
C * V
and Ec-> kinetic energy

Cv-> Specific heat at constant volume
Τ -> Temperature
• dTAT -> represents the energy transfer due to thermal conductivity
• δν -> Viscosity dissipation
• f -> Heat that could be produced by heat sources or heat sinks
Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations
A continuous mean is said to be incompressible if density remains constant in
space. This condition is characterised by divu = 0.
In this case, the equation of motion is expressed as:
149
du — — — —
ρ— + (MV)« +Vp = μΔύ + f
and the energy equation:
— + ÜVT = αΔΓ + σ + - ^
where:
dT
• a = -1- is the thermal diffusivity
• q is the external heat

δ..
represents viscosity dissipation, usually neglected.
PCV
Physical Parameters
Physical Properties of Zinc
• Density
The formula proposed by Hogness for liquid Zinc is:

pz = 6.59 -0.00097(Γ- 419)
where units are expressed in:
p-> gr/cm3
T-> degrees Kelvin
• Viscosity
Gerhin and Sauerwald expressed the viscosity of liquid zinc viscosity
as a function of temperature as follows:
Temperature °C 450 500 600

3
Viscosity (Kg/m.s) 3,168 10" 3
2,779 10" 2,233 10"3
• Surface tension
The surface tension of liquid zinc calculated by Matuyama is shown in
the following table:
Temperature °C 470 505 545 616
Surface Tension (dyne/cm) 773 762 750 740
150
Physical Properties of Air
DENSITY = 1,225 kg/m3
VISCOSITY = 1,7894 10"5 kg/m.s
Other considerations
The following hypothesis are formulated for the problem:
Fluid is not reactive
The problem behaves as a continuous mean.
There is enough regularity to pass from integral conservation principles (mean)
to partial derivative equations (points)
There are no external forces influencing the system
It is a multiphase problem involving two fluids of interest: Air and Zinc.
Zinc and Air are not mixable fluids.
The surface limiting the boundary between air and zinc is a free surface.
Variations of viscosity are very small in the range of temperatures considered.
Fluids are incompressible: their densities are constant in space, although they
can vary with temperature. Air can be considered incompressible as the global
pressure drop is a small fraction of the total pressure in the system, and its
linear velocity is not close to the speed of sound.
• Zinc is assumed not to slip over the strip: the speed of Zinc on the strip is the
same as the speed of the strip itself.
• A stationary solution will be calculated for a non-stationary problem.
The Navier-Stokes equations model only the behaviour of one fluid. This being a
multiphase problem with a free surface implies that some modifications to the
equation are required to apply them to the problem.
3.3.4.2 Development of the 2D Simulation
The boundary between a gas and a liquid is known as "free surface". It is called
"free" because its shape depends on the flow of the problem.
Due to the low density of gases, their inertial effects can be neglected when
compared to the inertial effects of liquids. So, liquid moves freely relative to gas,
the only influence of the gas on the liquid being the pressure it applies on the
latter's surface.
The presence of a free boundary (or in motion) generates serious difficulties for
solving the problem. It is necessary to apply special methods to be able to define
the location, movement and influence of the free boundary over the flow. The
methods addressing the problem of free surfaces can be grouped into two types:
a) Methods where the grid moves with the fluid. These methods uses a grid
able to deform in space and a three step iterative cycle:
1. In the first step of the problem, a specific shape is assumed for the
free surface.
151
2. The field flow in the domain delimited by the above free shape is
calculated, without taking into account any of the boundary
conditions.
3. The shape of the free surface is adapted by imposing the boundary
condition denied in step number 2.
This iterative cycle is repeated until the target convergence is reached.
These methods have several drawbacks. On many occasions, the
iterative cycle does not reach the convergence and, when it does, as it is
a fixed-point iteration it reaches it very slowly. Moreover, the variables of
the old grid must be interpolated to the new grid at each iteration, and a
new finite elements problem has to be solved each time.
New mobile grid models have been implemented to try to solve the
problems arising with the previous models. These new models eliminate
the successive iteration between the position of the free surface and the
field variables, introducing the position of the nodes over the free surface
directly as degrees of freedom. Thus, the system produced is coupled
between the field variables and the position of the free surface. This
system can be solved using an iterative method of the Newton-Raphson
or quasi-Newton types.
Nevertheless, this modification requires assembling and solving a linear
system of unknown variables at each iteration, which is very time
consuming from a computational standpoint. It additionally requires the
development of new special techniques to solve for efficiently moving the
nodes without distorting the grid.
b) Methods in which the grid remains fixed. These methods require the
development of special techniques to move the boundary across the
grid. Some of the more relevant methods of this type are HSM (High
Surface Modelling), MAC (Mark Cell), MAS (Marker Surface) and VOF
(Volume of Fluids).
Some features of the various numerical approaches that can be used for modelling
of free surfaces are briefly described in Appendix land 2.
The method selected for solving the galvanisation line problem was the VOF
method, which combines the good results obtained with fixed grid techniques with
a lower computational cost.
Introduction to the VOF method
The VOF method considers the flow as a simple fluid of variable density, which
allows the Navier-Stokes incompressible equations to be used together with the
"Volume fraction continuity equation" that completes the linear system. Since of
flow equations can be solved for the liquid zone and for the gas zone, it is not
necessary to set boundary conditions between both phases.
152
Equations used by VOF method
• Volume Fraction Equation:
OF
—2- + üdivF, = 0
dt -
where:
F2 -> Volume fraction of the second phase inside the cell
Ft = 1 - F2 -> Volume fraction of the first phase
• Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations:
di vu = 0
ou — — —
ρ h (ù"V)û + Vp = μΑΰ + pg
dt
The density and viscosity that appear in these equations are calculated from air
and zinc density and from the fraction of volume present in each control volume.
Density and viscosity for each cell are given by following equations:
p = F. ρ . +(l-F. )p .
r zinc" zinc V aire J r aire
M = FzincMz,nc + C1 ~ F
aire)'Maire
Interpolation close to the Free Boundary

The diffusion and convection flows across the control volume faces are calculated
inside the control volume with one of the following methods: geometrical
reconstruction, donor-receptor or implicit and explicit Euler method. The implicit
Euler method has been selected for the 2D simulation because it is the simplest for
the search of a stationary solution.
The implicit interpolation method uses standard finite differences schemes to
obtain the face flows of all the cells, including those close to the free surface,
according to the following equation:
Fq
F + A(Í/; + 1 F; + , ) = O
Δί
153
The implicit method owes its name to this equation, as it requires the volume
fraction in the current step instead of in the previous step as the explicit method.
The use of the implicit method requires solving the problem in an iterative way and
the use of a transport equation for each time step for the secondary volume
fraction.
Boundary Conditions
The boundary conditions show the value of the flow variables on the border of the
physical model. It is essential to introduce this condition to formulate the problem
properly, i.e.:
1. For the problem to have a solution
2. For the solution to be unique
3. For the solution to depend continuously on the data
The fluid problems require a boundary condition for each border.
The boundary conditions used for the galvanising line problem are the following:
Wall
The WALL type boundary conditions are very useful for boundaries that
delimit the space between solid and liquid (or gas) zones. This condition
has been applied for two different areas of the domain: null velocity for the
deposit of Zinc and variable velocity of Zinc on the strip.
Pressure
This condition is useful if the unknown variable is the entry speed, but not
for the pressure.
The entry pressure is the value of the total pressure relative to the
operating pressure (atmospheric pressure). In the case of an
incompressible fluid, the total pressure is calculated by:
P0=P,+-^P\Va\
where:
• pO -> absolute pressure

• ps -> static pressure
• ρ -> density
• va -> air velocity
The direction of the airflow at the outlet from the knives has been assumed
perpendicular to the boundary surface. A null pressure has been
introduced in the air surrounding the problem, allowing the airflow to be
reversible in this area.
154
Outflow
The outflow condition is very useful to model the output flow, where
velocity and pressure are a priori unknown and are obtained with the
solution to the problem solution. Velocity and pressure are extrapolated
from the domain, assuming that there are no diffusion flows on this
boundary acting perpendicularly to the output plane.
This condition has been applied in the top part of the domain.
Considerations concerning the Grid
Generating the grid is a very important task - and sometimes quite complex - for
solving a problem using a finite elements method. The grid for this problem turned
out to be very complex due to the following:
• Large differences in scale between the problem and the coating, which makes
the problem highly complex: the relation between the gap of the knives and the
coating thickness is in a proportion of 104 to 1.
• The grid has to achieve a compromise between the time required to generate it,
the numerical diffusion and the computational cost.
The grid created is more detailed in the coating and blowing area and less detailed
in other areas. The elements chosen for the grid are rectangular. The ratio
between the sides of the rectangles does not exceed 5:1. This condition
guarantees a good performance of the elements considered over the numerical
diffusion, assuring the convergence of the solution.
Analysis of the results
The two-dimensional simulations have produced results concerning the validity of
the model, the influence of variables on the process and alternative geometries for
the knives.
Coating Areas
The combination of inertial forces due to the speed of the strip and gravity, added
to the perpendicular effect of airflow and Zinc viscosity, give rise to different profiles
of flow behaviour, depending on the zone of the strip considered (see Figure 143).
Zone / is a transition area between the flow produced by the movement of the strip
inside the coating pot and the flow of the liquid zinc over the strip surface, where it
is retained by viscosity forces. The characteristics of the movement of the liquid in
this area will depend on the speed of strip through the pot, the position of the
stabiliser rolls inside the bath and the presence of dross or other kind or other
disturbing elements occur on the surface of the bath.
Zone II is the area comprised between Zone I and the air knife jet impact zone.
The flow in this zone remains constant and its value is determined by a balance
between the upward viscosity forces due to the vertical movement of the strip, and
the downward force of gravity.
155
3(T«a:
R · " l*4fT
•
• ank«!
• •tfc-Kr
B:m:«p
• ι ;nfx·
Zn coated _J
strip ...'"•
" Air knife
g IJBMd!
S tenir
1 f ífc-tfl!
%Sj«TwOl •
nnv+m
i
Figure 142 - Speed contour of air-blast flow obtained for zone in2DF.E.M.
simulations
When the air knife is acting, the movement of the coating over the strip is the result
of two components: one upward and another downward. The first one (upward)
acts on the area close to the strip surface. The downward flow, which is caused by
inversion of the direction as the air jets impinge on an upward moving coating,
occurs in the outer layer of the coating. The thickness in this zone, which remains
constant, satisfies two conditions:
1. Total upward flow is equal to the final weight of the coating on the strip.
2. Total mass on the strip, i.e. the sum of the upward and downward flows,
is the maximum supported by the forces of viscosity in the strip-coating
interface.
Zone III is the air knife impact zone. This impact introduces a pressure gradient on
the surface, giving rise to a pressure flow superimposed on the velocity flow
generated by the strip movement. On the lower section of this zone the two flows
are in opposite directions, and thus, the pressure acts as a "barrier" which behaves
as if it were "measuring" the quantity of coating liquid which can be carried by the
strip.
On the other side of the impact zone, the pressure flow adds to the velocity flow.
This flow deforms the velocity profile over the strip until the target thickness is
attained, causing a slight reduction in said thickness due to the higher speed.
Zone IV is the area located after the impact zone. Here there are no forces caused
by the pressures produced by the impact of the air knives.
156
Region VI
Figure 143 - Diagram of the different coating zones and their respective speed
profiles
At figures 144,145 and 146,as example of pictures obtained in 2D F.E.M. model, it

can be seen velocity vectors of Zn related to strip speed. It is possible to see
figures 144 and 146 the behaviour of liquid Zn layers. In the area, above impinging
zone particles from outside goes faster than strip. However in area under impinging
zone it can be seen Zn travelling in opposite direction than strip at outsider layers.
That gives us an idea that simulation works well. Remark must be done about
similar results obtained in Zn speed in 2D F.E.M and obtained in numerical model
result show in figure 143.
157
Figure 144 - Speed profile calculated by means of numerical simulation in upper
zone of air-knife
Figure 145 - - Speed profile, calculated using numerical simulation of air-knife

impact zone
158
*Π1ΙΜΠΙ
im
• if η- i m
« i
i-JJj ι DI
•r'DV-Hll
2ntz ι α ι
i.ttv+m
1
ι η ν ι π1
5-ΠΙι.· t e n
•JD1^+LU
4 SfSMTS
Figure 146 - Speed profile, calculated by numerical simulation of air-knife lower

zone
Influence of speed
The profile selected for the knife design must be able to produce any type of
coating by changing the process parameters. Nevertheless, one of these
parameters, speed, should not be used to control the Zinc mass on the strip due to
the constraints imposed by the mechanical features of the process. So the optimal
knife shape must be able to tolerate changes in the line speed.
Figure 147 shows the coating thickness obtained at different speeds, with constant
air knife outlet pressure. Each series corresponds to a different air knife gap, in
increasing order. The simulation results show an incorrect initial behaviour in the
coating but with a clear tendency to greater thickness.
A plateau can be observed in all the curves, generally in the range from 1.5 to 2
m/s. In view of this, the larger air knife gap seems to be the most suitable. Anyway,
other effects must also be taken into account during the actual process: the outlet
pressure does not remain constant and an excessively large air knife gap could
lead to problems in the line that might prevent the target thickness from being
uniformly obtained over the entire surface of the strip.
Consequently, tolerance to changes in speed recommends the use of a slightly
bigger air gap than the one currently used.
159
i ; \ \
W o r k Zone ; i
E_
t/i
! •
< "Nj \S* > i 'y^c\
•\---i----?0^>^-^-i---\
O
^^*"**mmÊÊÊép*2t*0'^ '^^β^^^^ΧΛ.
'AXXeszsZZ*'....... [... Λ Α \ m
V VCurrent
Thin
0.0005 Am««« Medium
* » Large
0 ,—,—, M—,—,—_ 1
' 1 1 H- ' \ i 1 — , ί-
Velocity (m/s)
Figure 147 - Influence of speed on coating thickness, for various air knife gaps.
Distances
The coating thickness is controlled mainly by the position of the knives: vertical
distance (from knives to Zn bath) and horizontal distance (from knives to strip).
For the horizontal distance, the results obtained from simulations show the
expected effect: the greater the distance, the thicker the coating. This relation is
not proportional as can be seen in figure 148. When distance is very large, the
increase in thickness is less than expected, the limit being determined by the
maximum mass of Zn that could be deposited without the presence of the air
knives.
160
0 0017
0 00168
0.00166 --
0 00164
"Ê" 0.00162
^ 0.0016
(Λ
cu
e 0.0015Θ -
υ
le 0.00156
I-
0.00154
0.00152
0.0015
0 00148
10 15 20 25
Distance (mm)
Figure 148 - Coating thickness for different knife - strip horizontal distances.
In this case, it is recommendable to work in the area with medium slope because it
allows a better control of the coating.
In general, the height of the knives is kept constant during the coating process.
However, the Zn consumption involves a light modification of this distance. The
optimal knife profile must be able to provide a tolerance to knife height variations
during the process.
161
Figure 149 - Behaviour of different profiles depending on the vertical distance
Figure 149 shows the effect of the vertical distance for different knife profiles. The
optimal profile must be fully controlled with the horizontal movement of the knives,
but it must be tested at different heights.
The results obtained with the two-dimensional simulation suggest the following
profiles as an alternative to the one currently used:
• Flat profile with a gap similar to the current one but increased by 0.5 mm
• Profile similar to the current one with the gap increased by 0.5 mm
• Parabolic profile.
3.3.4.3 3 D Mathematical Simulation

As above mentioned a 2D simulation was developed as a first approach to the
mathematical model of the flow that governs the movement of the flow in the
galvanising process. This simulation was used to study the combined effect of flow,
pressure, distance and air-knife gap. It describes partially the process behaviour,
providing some insight into the behaviour of Zinc in the presence of the air jet.
Nevertheless, this simulation is not able to introduce the combined effects of
turbulence in the longitudinal axis and the knife design.
3D modelling allows all these effects to be considered. Nevertheless, due to the
complexity of the 3D model, it was necessary to simplify the problem considering
only the behaviour of the air. This simplification was possible because 2D
simulation had provided a complete study of the behaviour of Zinc in the presence
of the air knife jets, allowing an exhaustive study to be made on the influence of the
knife design on the air jet. The air jet flow has been considered turbulent, which
allows a more realistic analysis of the air flow behaviour.
162
Selection of the domain
For selecting the domain, the problem has been assumed to be symmetrical with
respect to the strip and to the centreline of the knives. Another aspect taken into
account in the selection of the domain was modelling the flow inside the air nozzle
to study the effect of the design of the nozzle on the flow outlet and its impact on
the Zinc coated strip. Since the 3D model does not include the modelling of Zn, the
flow simulation can be limited to the area comprised between the knife and the
strip, considering the impact zone and extending the domain to the area
immediately above and below the impact zone in order to avoid the influence of the
boundary conditions on the air flow.
Figure 150 - Diagram of air-knives design
Hypothesis formulated for the model

The hypothesis formulated for generating the model are the following:
• After the outlet of the air knife flow, the problem evolves until it reaches a
stationary state.
• The air knife flow has a completely turbulent behaviour when it impinges on the
Zinc.
• Molecular viscosity is negligible.
• The air knife flow only exerts a force perpendicular to the Zinc surface
• There is symmetry with respect to the strip
• There is an axial symmetry with respect to the longitudinal centreline of the air
knife
• High temperatures do not affect the air knife flow
• Air density remains constant.
Mathematical Model
The equations that describe the behaviour of an incompressible fluid are the
Navier-Stokes equationsd
163
"S
Σ^™"Κ) = 0
(Continuity equation) (1)
- ^- + MV U, + P9i =P "l
2
' = 1 -2>3 (Equation of motion) (2)
where
/? -> density
Ui -> i component of velocity, i = 1, 2, 3,
ρ -> pressure
t -> time
(91,92,93) = (0,0,-9.8)-» gravity
These equations can be applied to describe a turbulent flow, but their solution
involves a high computational cost due to the large fluctuations of speed and
turbulence around their mean values. So, it will be necessary to develop new
turbulence models that can be solved faster and with a lower computational cost.
This is done by introducing the "adjusted time velocity" concept which is defined as
the velocity average time in a time interval t 0 (¿7,· = — \ 0u¡dt). The value of time t0
'0
taken is high with respect to the oscillation turbulence time, but low with respect to
the variation time of the pressure difference that causes the flow. Instantaneous
velocity can be considered as the sum of two velocities: adjusted time velocity and
fluctuation velocity.
u, = a, + u, (3)
For the pressure, an analogue fluctuating expression can be obtained:
P = P + P' (4)
Introducing the equations (3) (instantaneous velocity) and (4) (instantaneous
pressure) in the equations (1) and (2), and considering an average time, the
adjusted time continuity and motion equations - also known as RANS equations
(Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes) - are obtained:
7=ι.3 ϋ Λ ;
- f f + μ ν \ - χ ¿ - (ΡΦ) ) + Pg¡ = ρ ^ i = 1,2,3 (6)
Comparing the RANS equations with equations [1] and [2], it can be seen that the
continuity equation remains unchanged with the exception of the components of
adjusted time velocity that are replaced by the components of instantaneous
velocity.
164
The velocity and pressure magnitudes have also been replaced by their
corresponding adjusted magnitudes in the equation of motion, in which new terms
related to the fluctuations of turbulent velocity have been added, ρϋ^ΰ), known as
Reynolds stresses, must be modelled to complete the equation (6).
Boussinesq's hypothesis has been used to relate Reynolds Stresses to the
average velocity gradients.
, , .da, duj 2. . 8n,.c ,„

puU', =-μ(-±- + —'-) + _ (pk + μ —L)5 (J\
3 F ™ dx¡ IJ v ;
Ht
' ' dXj dx¡
where μ { is a turbulent coefficient of viscosity which generally varies significantly
with the changes in the position, and k is the turbulent kinetic energy.
The turbulent coefficient of viscosity has been calculated using a k-ε Model that
takes into account two additional transport equations (one for the turbulent kinetic
energy, k, and another one for turbulent dissipation rate, ε). μ{ is calculated as a
function of k and ε.
There are various types of k-ε models. The model selected for modelling the
galvanising line is a realizable k-ε model due to its good performance for solving
flow problems, and its capacity to simulate flows with high pressure gradients,
separation or recirculation.
Realizable k-ε model
The realizable k-ε model is based on the following equations:
Σ3
7=1,3 ϋ Λ
y
(M+M')dk
σ
κ dx
j
+ Gk-ps = pddkt (8)
3 ε2 ds
Σ
7=1,3'"V
σε dXj
+ pC^Ss-pC2- -_-_=/>-
k + ^νε dt
(9)
where:
μ -> air viscosity,
ok -> Turbulent Prandtl coefficient for k,
σε -> Turbulent Prandtl coefficient for ε, S = ,/2SijffS//'J· ,
S, = 1 (v U¡ + ^-) -> Stress tensor

" 2 dx¡ dXj
k2
μ, = pC -> turbulent viscosity (Ο μ is calculated as a function of turbulence
" ε
fields k y ε, and the stress tensor),
165
Gk = μβ2 -> Kinetic energy generated by average gradients of
Sk "
speed,C, -max 0.43,
Sk + 5s_
C 2 -> constant
ν -> cinematic molecular viscosity
For modelling the air knife, the air flow is described by the following equations:
Φ . „2.. . ν 3 , oü, öu dk du.

+ ^Vu,+ > / . y/s) +ρ
(/i, • ' + / Mt +pg,=pμ ' 1 = 1,2,3
ÔX: ^ 3 Sx j ' dXj dx, dxi ™' dt
2 dk_
\M + Mt)-¿—+ ^(S -ρε = ρ
di
dXj
Σ1
-
¿- Βχ.
1.2 ax,
+ pCjSs - pC2
/f + -Jvs dt
where
ρ = 1.225 kg/m 3 ,
μ = 1.7894x10 - 5 kg/m- s ,
a k = 1, σ> = 1.2
C2=1.9
Processing of turbulent air flow close to the walls

The presence of walls have a great influence on the turbulent flows: close to the
walls, the tangential component of the fluctuations is larger than the perpendicular
component, and all the fluctuations tend to zero in the area close the walls
The processing of turbulent flows close to walls has a significant influence on the
numerical solution of the problem, as the walls are the main source of turbulence
and vorticity. Although this transition is continuous, the area located close to the
wall is divided into three different areas: a laminar sublayer, where molecular
viscosity has a great influence on the momentum transfer; a transition zone where
laminar and turbulent effects are equally important; and a full turbulence area
where laminar effects are negligible.
The numerical processing of the area close to the walls consists in applying semi-
empirical formulae known as wall functions which act as a link between the area
close to the wall and the full flow area. A special type of functions, called "non
balance wall functions", has been used.
166
These functions provide a more accurate approach to the complex separation and
impact flows, subject to high pressure gradients. These functions include:
• Laws to calculate the average velocity close to the wall (calculated from
Launder-Spalding logarithmic law)
• Formulae to calculate turbulence close to the wall.
Considerations concerning the grid
As mentioned above, the generation of a grid, which is suitable for the problem, is
an essential condition to reach a successful solution. For processing a 3D problem,
the generation of an adequate grid becomes considerably more complex than for a
2D model. In addition to the difficulties involved in a 3D problem, the generation of
the grid must take into account the strong interaction between the mean flow and
the turbulence. These interactions generate a certain dependence of the numerical
results of the turbulent flow on the grid. It is important that the zones where the
average flow changes quickly (inside the air knives and at the outlet of it) should
have a small-mesh grid.
The steps used to solve the 3D problem are:
• Creation of a grid of hexahedral elements which allow a higher side ratio,
thus decreasing the numerical diffusion
• Solving the problem
• Analysis of results and resizing of grid
• Solving the problem
• Analysis of results and final grid resizing to check there is no dependence
on grid size.
Results obtained by numerical simulation
The behaviour air flow has been simulated for the air knife profiles 1, 2 and 3,
previously obtained with 2D modélisation, and the results obtained have been
subsequently analysed. In every case, the images selected were the pressure
contour at the outlet from the knives, a cross-section of the velocity contour and a
chart of the velocity contour in the impact area.
167
;1 ι
•1 5
0
05 ι
•
r"*T
i ? 3 * 5
PROFILE 1
•·, ·' í S
ψ 1* i
1 ,., <
*··•<}"
,-• +—* • — • — • « > - «eâ- 1

2.5
i^. WH» |
-
! •HB '
I Λ a j
κ»« '
,,.- 'i 5.5
••' . * • : • •
• . . , . · , · .
ι wwwuEO^r .Τ»·ΚΒ
-;• » » » Λ » « : · UMB
,-,^,...... . M!
Z3MS
•mmiwfc im
'• EflMB
i • ' • '
• ttr~x «... ' »»· '.

t»HC
- H K ••..• . · , · ...;.
r
•.--< K N B H Β
5 9ΛΛ1
îS*trtî J
I· I
Figure 151 - Design of air-knife profile 1. Pressure contour at air-knife

outlet, in the nozzle in zone 4 - 6 . Cross-section of the speed contour
Speed contour in impact zone.
The design of Profile 1 is the same as the one currently used in ACERALIA, but
with a larger gap between the lips. The results show that pressure in centre part of
the air knife is higher, and that this pressure decreases as the air nozzle surface
increases.
The design of Profile 2 is flat. Figure 152 shows a uniform air nozzle output,
which generates a uniform shear flow on the strip.
168
PROFILEN
arre-ai
2 Β»-01
Jí
ΐ+ΰΐ
9ΛΚ-Κ31
í-tül
8S9.4ÍJ1
• •«1
ΙΠΠΟΙ
MOI
6w«+ai
HOI
6H1Ï4C!
5.151+01
IÄ+01
-J J.O»-ffl1
2£Ä+ai
I.TÄ401
L EJ
Figure 152 - Design of air-knife profile 2. Pressure contour at air-knife outlet, in the
nozzle in zone 4 - 6 . Cross-section of the speed contour.
Speed contour in impact zone.
169
The design of Profile 3 has a parabolic shape, which softens the profile currently
used, giving rise to a more uniform airflow.
PROFILE II
3BMB
¡2.TSHCE
2J44»*Û2
¡s.iée+Œ 2.14a «02
lÄfe*02
^s^t*aι ; l£3»*02
! 1ϋ-Λ2
|0.1»Λ1
|β.11»Λΐ
L·
»3J06»«O1
,4
IOJOO»*OO
Figure 153 - Design of air-knife profile 3. Pressure contour at air-knife outlet, in the
nozzle in zone 4 - 6 . Cross-section of speed contour. Speed contour in impact
zone.
Complete FEM 3D modelling is not possible due to unknown mechanical properties

during the coating phase. It is not possible to determine the exact surface tension
at the borders of the strip or the viscosity of the liquid Zn alloy at that temperature.
Also there are not currently tools advanced enough to represent correctly boundary
free problems although some of them are supposed to include that feature. The
consequence is that data based or rules based models will be necessary in any
case for fine tuning the physical models.
170
3.3.5 Data based model
A complete modelling of the coating process in the galvanising pot includes the
development a system to produce the set-up of the position of the air knives.
In order to produce the model it is necessary to study the influence of the variables
on the coating from two points of view:
• The uniformity of the coating thickness and
• Accuracy.
To afford both studies different techniques were applied. The study of the
uniformity was afforded with multivariate statistical techniques as VQP (Vector
Quantisation and Projection) while accuracy was achieved with the use of a neural
network.
The results of the position must be coherent with the 2D and 3D modelling created
with the Finite Element technique.
3.3.5.1 Introduction to Neural Computation
Neural networks are a special data processing method. A neural network is a
structure made by a high number of very simple processing units, or "neurones",
each of which has a generally small local memory. Neurones are connected by
means of communication channels known as "connections" that handle numerical
data. As they only operate with local data, they have a great potential for parallel
processing because the calculations in each neurone are independent.
Most neural networks have some kind of training rule, which is used to adjust the
weight of each connection as a function of the sample sets or standards presented
to the network. There are many different training methods, and the number
increases every day. Depending on the training standards used, the neural
networks can be divided into two main groups:
• Supervised networks: During the training phase, the network is told what
output must be produced for each standard, fitting the weights as a function of
this value. Supervised training is the method typically used with of networks
designed for data fitting.
• Non-supervised networks. In this case, the network searches the input data
for features that it can use to classify the standards into different groups. Non-
supervised training is typical for networks handling data, which is not pre-
classified. The network is used to detect intrinsic regular features in the data in
order to define the best possible classification.
Similarly, the neural networks can be classified in two groups, according to their
topology:
• Progressive or unidirectional networks: These networks are designed to
transform a given set of input data into a set of output data. Each input data set
has a corresponding output data set. The final objective is to produce a network
able to synthesise this transformation, allowing the transfer function to be
generalised by extrapolation of similar data pairs. Thus, the network training
171
data are "input/output" pairs that must be followed after the training phase. This
supervised training is done through a process in which the synaptic weights of
network neurones are fitted in such a way as to meet some approach or
optimisation criteria. Typically, this kind of network is based on a multilayer
architecture where each layer is connected to the following one. The prototype
of these networks is the "multilayer perceptron" which will be discussed in detail
later on.
• Recurrent or backpropagation networks: These networks are mainly
designed to store information efficiently, so that each recorded item can be
easily retrieved when the network is excited by a similar input. The network
operates as a dynamic system in which the balance points represent the items
stored. A network input data is interpreted as the initial state of the system, from
which the network evolves until it reaches an equilibrium state. The record of
this state is taken as the output or response of the network. The network
training process consists in fitting the weights to adjust the equilibrium points to
the specified recorded items. Typically, this type network is based on a single-
layer architecture with a high degree of backpropagation (feedback) among the
neurones. This model, better known as Hopfield's network, has been used as a
staring point from which more complex networks such as bi-directional
networks or Boltzmann's network have evolved.
Advantages of using Neural Networks
Main advantages are:
1. Learning from experience. Neural networks find a typical application in those
systems which are difficult to specify or for which an organizing-type solution is
difficult to find, but which generate a great amount and variety of data from
which an answer can be inferred, and the system learns from that answer.
2. Generalisation from examples. A feature of any self-training system is its
ability to interpolate data from previous cases. A carefully designed neural
network can produce high levels of generalisation and give a correct answer to
data never processed before.
3. Extraction of information from noise-polluted data. Since neural networks
are essentially statistic systems, they can recognise underlying standards from
the process noise. This is a feature frequently used in applications such as
machine monitoring.
4. Faster solutions with less dependence on experts. Neural networks learn
from examples. Provided there are sufficient examples and that an adequate
design is used, the neural networks can provide " ;tive solutions faster than
the traditional techniques.
5. Adaptability. The nature of the neural networks anuws them to adapt to any
kind of operative situations. For instance, in an industrial application they can
avoid variations due to wear, etc.
6. Computational efficiency. Neural network training requires high computing
capacity, although the requirements in the operation mode are very limited.
7. Non-linearity. Most techniques are based on the assumption of a certain
linearity, which limits their application to real problems. Because of their
172
construction, neural networks are powerful non-linear processors that can be
trained to operate in a wide range of complex situations.
Multilayer Perception
The best known topology of forward propagation networks is the "multilayer

perception". A single perceptron is very limited. Its main limitation is that it cannot
distinguish classes which cannot be linearly separated. If a number of perceptrons
are organised in layers, this limitation can be overcome. Each layer is made of
several neurones which receive their input from the previous layer, and which send
their output to the units in the following layer. There is no contact with any other
layer or between the neurones in the same layer. The first layer, called input layer,
receives the input signal but does not process it. The output of the network is given
by the state of the neurones in the top layer, known as output layer. Intermediate
layers are called "hidden layers"
One of main lines of research in the field of neural network is focussed on the
adjustment of the weight of the links to get the desired system behaviour. This
adjustment is frequently based on Hebb's rule, which states that that the
connection between two units must be reinforced if both units are activated at
same time. The general expression of this rule is:
Δ ^ = £(α,.(0Λ)· Α ( ο < (')'%•)

where:
WÍJ Weight of the connection from neurone i to neuroney'
a/t) Activation of neuroney' in time t.
t. Target output of unit j in a training standard
Oi(t) Output of unit i intime t
g(...) Function, depending on unit activation and training function
h(...) Function, depending on the output of the previous neurone and the
weight of the connection
In multilayer networks, both the number of layers and the number of neurones in
each layer are essential parts of the design. The number of layers is directly
related with the learning speed; that is why the number of hidden layers is often
limited to one or two. The number of neurones in the hidden layers determines the
number of free parameters in the model and their operation. If there are few
neurones, the adjustment cannot be made; if there are too many neurones the
generality is lost.
Generally, multilayer networks which learn through backpropagation of the error
are used in simulations of unknown functions, using input and output signals pairs
obtained from training examples.
173
In these cases the network should be able to generalise correctly, so when it
receives signals not previously included as training standards it should return
correct results. The most common topologies are the following:
Backpropagation networks
This is the most common progressive supervised network algorithm. The weight
updating rule, also known as generalised delta rule is expressed in a very
generalised way as follows:
Aw,,
f'j (Sj ){tj - o¡) if unit y' belongs to output layer
öj =
f'j (sj ) 2 $k wjk if uni* J belongs to hidden layer
where:
Sum of inputs weighted with connection weights
ξ Learning factor (constant)

Error in unity (difference between actual and target output).
t. Target output for unit j

j
Oi(t) Unit i output at instant t

/ Activation function of neurones
Index of units previous to unit j with wy connections from i to j
J Current unit index
k Index of units after unit j with w,-¿ connections from j to k
Sometimes, this formula is corrected by adding another term called momentum (a).
Weights are updated in accordance with the previous rule, and the error is
evaluated. If the error decreases, the changes are applied again until the error
increases. Then, the new gradient is evaluated and the learning process goes on.
The momentum term introduces the change of old weights as a parameter in the
calculation of the change in the current weights. This can prevent common
oscillation errors when the minimum area of the error surface is very small.
New weight change:
Δηΰ(ί + ΐ) = ξθ^ι+αΔ\νν(ί)
where α is a constant, which showing the influence of the momentum term.

Some models add random variables to the updating rule, hoping that with some
randomness the system will be able to avoid the local minimum.
174
This approach has sometimes been successful but it adds complexity to the
classifier, which might become invalid. In general, if sufficient time is taken and a
low enough η (speed learning parameter) is used, an optimal minimum can be
found. To be caught in a local minimum is normally less of a problem than finding
the correct architecture, the appropriate α and ξ, and the other algorithm variables.
VQP
The Projection and Vectorial Quantification (VQP),also called Curvilinear

Component Analysis (CCA) (17), are a strategy of dimensional reduction and
representation of multidimensional data sets. The principle of the VQP ¡s a auto-
organised neuronal network that makes two missions: vectorial quantification (VQ)
of the structure of input data and a non-linear projection (P) of these vectors
quantified towards an exit space, making an unfolding of the structure.
The VQP intention is to give an advisable representation of the data in a low
dimension, for a later group and classification. The quantification and the projection
non-linear are made in two layers of connections, as it is seen in the figure 154.
Input layer , f? output layer
Figure 154-Schemeof the VQP operation
Each one of the Ν neurones has two vectors of weight. The input vectors
{*,., i = \,...,N} they are of dimension n, whereas the corresponding output vectors
{y¡} are dimension p, with ρ <n.
The input vectors become the prototypes of the distribution using one of the
several methods of Vectorial Quantification.
The output layer must construct a projection non-linear of the entrance vectors, to
obtain it, consider the Euclidean distances between the departure points
xi:XiJ=d(xi,Xj). The corresponding distances in the output space are
Y¡¡ = d(y¡,yj) • The objective is to force to that Yy is equalled to X¡¡ for each pair of
Zand/. Since a perfect equalisation is not possible in case the data are not linear, a
quadratic cost function is introduced as:
£ = }ΣΣ(^-^) 2 ^Λ)
175
Generally. / · ( ) . / , ) ¡s chosen as a bounded and monotically decreasing function.
Several types are acceptable, but the simple function step is valid;
/••(» Λ )
lo si ν λ
After training neurones weight, with a especial algorithm, are adjusted seeking
obtaining a minimum of cost function.
3.3.5.2 Exposition
In the galvanising line production, those coils with a coating (g/m2) thinner than
required are rejected. Therefore, operators tend to overcoat the coils. This excess
entails a high cost for the company due to the waste of coating material. The
different types of coating applied are shown in the following table:
Average coating!« (g/m")

Coating One .sample Three samples
Minimum Minimum Target
1 (,\ 85 100 105
ICH 170 200 210
EGC 235 275 290
Table 9 - Types of average coatings
As the studies carried out for the East side of the strip (bottom side) can be
extrapolated to the West side of the strip, only one side was taken account in the
research.
In this research, only the most frequently used coatings were studied EGA. EGB
and EGC
Figure 155 -Coating defects on the bottom side of the strip (g/m2), in 52 g/m2 coatings. Abscissa
axis means increment or decrement against aimed coating expressed in microns. Ordinate axis
means number of sample. Each line in the plot means coating in both edges and centre coating
176
«... - ;
ι.
IT" κ
:
_ π
Figure 156 - Coating defects on the bottom side of the strip (g/m2), in 105 g/m2
coatings. Abscissa axis means increment or decrement against aimed coating
expressed in microns. Ordinate axis means number of sample, Each line in the plot
means coating in both edges and centre coating.
ι id J : ¿*
LX W .V
¿~. „ —
H» -
Τ (ίι
Figure 157 - Coating defects on the bottom side of the strip (g/m2), in 145 gr/m2
coatings. Abscissa axis means increment or decrement against aimed coating
expressed in microns. Ordinate axis means number of sample. Each line in the plot
means coating in both edges and centre coating.
177
Figures 155, 156 and 157 show, as example, coating defects on the bottom side of
the strip. Each line represent instantaneous sampling of difference of coating
compared with aimed coating. The errors are larger in thin coatings like EGA, (52
g/m2) than in thick coatings like EGC (145 g/m2). As can be noticed in these
figures, the coating errors are sometimes very large, leading to a significant waste
of zinc.
Many samples were taken for this study. Each of them contains data of different
variables from the galvanising line process.
For the results to be suitable the following restrictions were applied:
• All the coils processed in the line are valid for the study, regardless of their
width, thickness, length, process speed or coating.
• Cases with errors due to abnormal line operation will not be considered.
• Incomplete data were removed, and no algorithm was used to interpolate
the missing data from previously obtained data because this would
introduce errors, which would be difficult to detect.
3.3.5.3 Search space determination
Selection of variables
One important objective, in order to make the data based model, is to determine
which variables have a greater influence on the final product quality. In this context,
quality refers to a uniform coating, never below the target thickness, all along the
strip.
From the big quantity number of variables from the line, several campaigns of data
acquisition were taken account.
After that, many statistical studies were done by using techniques as:
- Univariant algorithm
- Multiple covariance analysis algorithm
- Minimum error algorithm
- Multivariant adaptive regressive splines (MARS)
As result, variables shown in table 10 were elected as relevant ones:
Label Variable description

PC718T East air knife pressure (Kg/cmz)
SIA80 Galvanising line speed (m/min)
TE628R Zinc bath temperature (°C)
SMA80 Current in bridle n°3 (A)
SCA80 Strip tension in process section (Kp)
DIN Coating on bottom side of strip, north zone (g/mz)
178
DIC Coating on bottom side of strip, centre zone (g/m ¿ )
DIS Coating on bottom side of strip, south zone (g/W1)
ANCHO Strip width (mm)
INF-X Air knife position in horizontal axis (pixels)
INF-Y Air knife position in vertical axis (pixels)
ROB Target coating thickness (g/m ¿ )
Table 10 - Variables elected as relevant ones
Statistical behaviour of the variables:
PC718T SIA80 TE628R SMA80 SCA8Q

Average 92.94 77.54 475.49 1.02 246.51
Mode 94 98 449 -1 220.60
Median 94 91.80 463 -1 227.10
Maximum 94 113.10 568 20 461.70
Minimum 90 -0.1 438 -1 29.70
Typical Dev. 1.76 27.01 29.89 4.06 61.93
Table 11 - Statistical behaviour of east air knife pressure (PC718T), line speed
(SIA80), zinc bath temperature (TE628R), current in bridle (SMA80), strip tension
in process section (SCA80).
DIN DIC DIS ANCHO INF-X INF-Y
Average 138.55 144.52 140.47 1224.88 541.14 710.07
Mode 158 177 158 1266 539 712
Median 145 149 146 1265 542 713
Maximum 284 264 1250 1410 672 829
Minimum 48 44 18 160 447 600
Typical Dev. 24.01 30.01 31.44 94.36 21.95 21.89
Table 12 - Bottom north side coating (DIN), bottom centre coating (DIC), bottom
south side coating (DIS), strip width (ANCHO), distance between strip and air knife
in X axis (INF-X), distance between strip and air knife in Y axis (INF-Y)
The correlation between variables has been studied. The correlation matrix shows
that there is no significant linear correlation between independent variables, and
that no variable can be removed for being implicitly included in another variable.
It should be remark that the variables with the highest linear correlation indexes
with the coating thickness are the strip width (0.33) and the east air knife pressure
(-0.34). As expected, the target coating shows a strong linear dependence (0.77).
Pre-processing of data based on statistical criteria
Previously to above study a pre-processing of data was made in order to avoid

uncertain due to possible errors from acquisition phase.
179
The most common source of errors is a missing digit, or the transposition of a digit
during data acquisition and transfer. To prevent these errors, allowed variation
ranges have been defined for each variable.
For characteristic coatings, besides the statistical criteria, the target coating
thickness will also be taken as a reference.
• Allowed variation ranges
The variation ranges of the variables TE628R (zinc bath temperature),
SMA80 (current in bridle) and SCA80 (strip tension in process section) are
determined by the process.
Air-knife pressure variation range is small and discrete; errors can be
easily detected.
The process determines maximum and minimum line speed.
Negative values for current in bridle are returned when the bridle is
dragged by strip (in order to keep the tension in the strip, the bridle should
rotate faster than the strip). So negative values are not wrong, they are in
fact common due to the slight speed oscillations that occur frequently in
the line.
For the coatings, limit values are defined on the basis of statistical criteria
and target thickness.
The strip width variation is determined by the upstream rolling process.
The distance from the air knives to the strip (X-axis) and to the zinc pot
base (Y-axis) will vary depending on the target coating thickness and the
other variables. That makes this range of accepted values the hardest to
determine. It was determined on the basis of statistical methods, taking
previous experience into account.
All these criteria are shown in table 13, with the maximum and minimum
ranges of validity for the above variables.
PC718T PC71SD S1A80 TE628R SMA80 SCA80 DIN DIC DIS ANCHO INF-X INF-Y
Maximum 94 92 113 568 20 407 284 225 271 1398 672 829
Minimum 90 82 13.50 438 -1 55.60 48 48 59 811 447 600
Table 13 - Allowed variation ranges for air knife pressure.
180
• Statistical behaviour of the data selected:
PC718T SIA80 TE62&R SMA80 SCA80 DIN DIC DIS ANCHO INF-X INF-Y
Average 92.90 79.20 475 1.04 248 138 144 140 1227 541 711
Mode 94 98 449 -1 221 150 177 150 1266 558 712
Median 94 92.60 463 -1 227 144 149 146 1265 544 713
Maximum 94 113 568 20 407 284 225 271 1398 672 829
Minimum 90 13.5 438 -1 55.6 48 48 59 811 447 600
Typical Dev. 1.7S 24.8 29.7 4.11 57.3 24.1 29.6 22.3 89 22.1 9.84
Table 14 - Statistical behaviour of east air knife pressure (PC718T), line speed (SIA80),
zinc bath temperature (TE628R), current in bridle (SMA80), strip tension in process
section (SCA80), bottom north coating (DIN), bottom centre coating (DIC), bottom south
coating (DIS), strip width (ANCHO), distance between strip and air knife in X axis (INF-X),
distance between strip and air knife in Y axis (INF-Y).
The non-valid data, i.e. the values outside of the allowed ranges, were studied
separately in order to detect abnormal behaviours, which can be classified in:
1. Local overcoating due to the weld seam between strips.
2. Coating surface unevenness caused by sudden changes in the position of the
air knives.
3. Uneven coating due to the strip not being parallel to the air knives as it passes
through the zinc bath.
4. Uneven coating surface caused by non-uniform air knife pressure.
5. Surface defects in the strip.
6. Anomalies due to incorrect operation of the radioactive coating thickness
gauge.
7. Damage caused by the operators during their usual work (removal of dross
from the pot, introduction of new zinc ingots, air knife position control, etc.).
The valid data from irregular situations were stored for future analysis.
Application of VQP's projection technique.
In order to classify different status of line a study applying VQP techniques has
been done.
The Euclidean distance between the following variables were projected using,
initially, VQP's technique: east air knife pressure (PC718T), west air knife pressure
(PC718T), line speed (SIA80), zinc bath temperature (TE628R), current in bridle
(SMA80), Strip tension in process section (SCA80), strip width (ANCHO), distance
between strip and air knife in X axis (INF-X), distance between strip and air knife in
Y axis (INF-Y). Thirteen groups can be distinguished (see figure 158).
181
? m
Group 2
Group 3 / * ,Group9
Group 8
\ ]*jîS& ' / «* · Group 6
¡jj\* ; Groups'/
ν . H* Group 4 • < **. fff τ
Λ » ' •*
***• * *m t Γ
φ» • $ $ T Group 12 . .
> u Group 10
Group 13
Group 1 &i)
/
Group 7
Figure 158 - Different VQP projection groups (Euclidean distance) for the process
variables. The variables related to actual coatings are not included
Selection of working groups
It was clear that a classification could be done because there are several cluster as
result of projections.
In order to clarify with more possibility to define status of cluster a new study
making a subdivision of data by material classes. As result, the following clusters
were obtained, and the possibility to associate each cluster to a determine coating
profile as can be seen at following figures 159, 162 and 165:
182
EGA Coating
The groups showing the best behaviour are:
Figure 159 - Clusters obtained with EGA material
• Group 3 shows reasonably small overcoating errors with acceptable deviations,

but the final shape of the strip is not uniform.
Figure 160 - Coating profile for the best EGA group (considering the minimum error).
Group 4: The errors are larger and show considerable deviations, but the final
shape of the strip is much more uniform.
Figure 161 - Coating profile in the best EGA group (considering uniformity).
183
EGB Coating
Figure 162 - Clusters obtained with EGB material.
Groups 1 and 2 show very small overcoating errors with acceptable deviations, but
final shape of the strip in not uniform.
Figure 163 - Coating profile of the best EGB group (considering the minimum error/
Group 5: The errors and variations are larger but there are no undercoating errors.
Figure 164 - Coating profile of the best EGB group (considering uniformity;.
184
EGC Coating
Most Uniform (,3 m^~ ¿z>
Figure 165 - Clusters obtained with EGC material.
Group 5 shows reasonably small overcoating errors with acceptable deviations, but
the final shape is not uniform and there are undercoating defects (which are
uniform)
Figure 166 - Coating profile of the best EGC group (considering the minimum
error).
The other groups show similar characteristics. None of them determines uniform
profiles.
So, with that technique was possible to establish a relationship between variables
taken account and coating profile for each type of material.
185
3.3.5.4 Use of neural networks
Neural networks are used for two different purposes: to estimate the relative
position between the air knifes and the strip for a given set of conditions (network
input variables) and to determine which group do the points - characterised
Determination of air knife position
The process variables that were used as network inputs are shown in Table 5, with
the exception of the positions of the air knives in both axes which were used as
outputs.
Due to the high number of inputs (10), the number of neurones in intermediate
layer must be slightly bigger than double the sum of inputs and outputs. In this
case, the number of neurones was 28.
For every network type, three different training patterns were created, each with a
different random data distribution. These were trained and tested separately, the
success rate results being based on the allowed tolerance (admissible error
percentage). The success rates achieved are shown in Tables 15 and 16.
' - Hits
Topology ι Type 1% 5% 10%
PI P2 P3 PI P2 P3 PI P2 P3
10-28-2 Quickpropagation 63% ( 68% 65% 74% 79% 75% 87% 88% 81%
10-28-2 Standard Backpropagation 71% 74% 72% 95% 96% 96% 99% 99% 99%
10-28-2· BackpropagationWeightD 65%) 65% 63% 74% 73% 71% 88% 89% 81%
Table 15 - Success rates in each pattern for the different networks trained. Output INF-X.
Hits
Topology Type 1% 5% 10%
PI P2 P3 PI P2 P3 | PI P2 P3
10-28-2 Quickpropagation 83% 87% 85% 93% 94% 95%' 99% 99% 99%;
10-28-2 Standard Backpropagation 92% 92% 90% 99% 99% 98% 99% 99% 99%
10-28-2 BackpropagationWeightD 65% 65% 63% 94% 93% 91% 99% 99% 99%
Table 16- Success rates in each pattern for the different networks trained. INF-Y output.
In view of these results, it was decided to implement the Standard

Backpropagation network as final model, and the weights of the network trained
with the so-called P2 pattern were considered as definite values.
As regards tolerance, 5% was deemed a suitable level, since stricter tolerances
would be above the accuracy levels provided by the data-acquisition equipment.
It is also worth mentioning that the high success rate for the Y-axis position is
attributed to a lower data variation range that facilitates "decision-taking" by the
network.
186
The neural distribution of the network selected is shown in Figure 167.
Figure 167 - Neural distribution of the network selected.
1 Γ
500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
Figure 168 - Error variation of the test/training pattern ((MSE/cycles).
187
The top curve (red) in Figure 168 represents the error trend for the trained
patterns, whereas the bottom line (black) corresponds to the test pattern evolution.
In said figure, certain confluence tendency of high values can be observed which
means that a considerable number of training cycles are required by the network.
The downward trend in both curves, without any inflexion points, ensures that the
network is not over-trained, i.e., that it were capable of operating adequately when
using patterns other than the ones used for training.
It should also be noted that small error peaks appear in the evolution of the
network response to training patterns. Such peaks are accounted for by the
randomness in the introduction of patterns in the network. This random procedure
yields higher degrees of confidence in the final results.
Classification through neural networks
In order to be able to classify without run again VQP a new data vector, a neural
network classifier was elaborated.
The classification was made through the dominant neurone method. Each group is
assigned a binary code, to differentiate it from the others. This code is the value
the neural network must predict when it receives a series of input values. This
method can operate with tolerances of up to 50%. This means that, to return a
value of 1, the output neurone needs only to returns a value equal to or greater
than 0.6.
The process variables that were set as network inputs are shown in Table 5, with
the exception of the target coating.
The output of the network were produced by two neurones, N1 and N2 (just four
groups), that represent the coded value for each group (the objective of this work is
only to differentiate one group from the others).
The high tolerances allowed will greatly simplify the topology of this neural network
and will also increase significantly the success rate achieved.
Only one type of network (standard back-propagation) was used in this study. A
success rate of 97% was achieved with a 50% tolerance.
This method was deemed sufficient to classify neural networks.
3.3.5.5 Running the simulations
Hardware requirements
The data, as received from the process line, are pre-processed in a Pentium II®
PC, with 2Gb hard disk and 64Mb RAM memory, running the 32 bit Windows
operating system. Another Pentium II® PC with 32 bit Windows operating system
was used for performing VQP's projections. This system was chosen for
convenience: the code compiled for a Windows environment was originally written
for Unix, so it could have been easily run under this operating system.
A Digital Alpha 600au workstation, 600MHz, 2Gb hard disk and 192 Mb RAM
memory was used for applying the variable selection algorithms, for generating the
neural network training patterns, for the actual training process and for running the
simulations. Although these tasks could have been carried out with other types of
Unix systems like Hewlett-Packard or Silicon Graphics (SGI) workstations or
personal computers running the Linux operating system.
Software requirements
VQP's projections were run using a commercially available code compiled for Unix
and Windows.
The variable selection algorithms and the network training pattern generation have
been carried out with XDPM 3.0, an application developed by the Engineering
Projects Area of Oviedo University .
The networks have been generated using Stuttgart University's software SNNS 3.0
[18], running under the Digital Unix operating system.
Additionally, other auxiliary programs have been used to extract information from
the data, and to assess the success rates of the networks trained.
The operating system used in the Digital Alpha workstation was Digital UNIX
V4.0D.
3.3.5.6 Results
From all the network topologies studied, the best results were obtained with the
standard backpropagation networks. This was the type finally implemented and
debugged. Using a network with a 28-neurone hidden layer, the success rate
achieved in determining the position of the air knives for a given coating is about
95% with a tolerance of 2.5%.
The data from various coils were classified applying VQP's projection method.
Unfortunately, VQP's method is not analytical and, therefore, it cannot be used to
classify new coils. For this purpose, a neural network was developed and trained
with data from VQP's projection run on other coils. This allows the system to work
on-line, with a higher processing speed.
The optimum operation zone has been found for each type of coating. This zone, in
which minimum overcoating is produced and the best coating uniformity is
achieved, can be determined by some given values of independent process
variables.
189
3.3.5.7 Neural Model Validation
A new data acquisition campaign was run on the best profiles to validate the
connectionist model.
The results obtained are shown below:
Results for position in X axis (horizontal):
Tolerance : 1 % Hits: 16.746412% Misses :83.253586%
Tolerance: 5% Hits: 61.244019% Misses: 38.755981 %
Tolerance: 10% Hits: 86.602867% Misses: 13.397129%
Results for position in Y axis (vertical)
Tolerance: 1 % Hits: 14.354067% Misses: 85.645935%
These results are not as good as those obtained with the previous model. This is
surely due to the different coatings produced in the line during the data collection
campaigns. In the first case, the coatings were mainly EGC whereas in the second
case most of them were EGA.
EGA coating is difficult to adjust, as the air knives are very close to strip
(sometimes even in contact with it, entailing a waste of coating material and the
need for frequent air knife cleaning). Due to this, the position setpoints vary from
one operator to another, making it impossible for the patterns to extract valid
information from the process.
190
3.4 On line Testing
Results of the research produce some proposed profiles to improve accuracy and
homogeneity of the coating. From 1999 those profiles began to be installed in the
line n°. 1 of Aceralia.
Tests were also carried out in the line with other profiles the designs of which are
not directly based on the results of mathematical simulations, but which provide
nevertheless a better insight into the empirical rules that could govern the profile
design.
These profiles are shown in the following figure:
BASE PROFILE PROFILE I
0
0 , ι •
OS-
1 •
1.S Λ » » »—·—-*. T*—* +T-*·

•¡S € X, •7*-
¥
X is
3 -
»
C 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 It
4 6 6 10 12 14 16
PROFILE II
^
^ ^ \
0 2 α. β 8 10 12 14 18 11 12 O
PROFILE IV PROFILE V
05- 0 5-
1-
15 - j—-· Φ-—· 0·—i;
2 -
*r ^» i ^-L
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 S 10 11 12 13
Figure 169 -Profiles tested
After the tests, a comparative analysis of Zinc consumption with each profile was
performed. The results are shown in the following tables:
191
Gauge
2.6 Ij
2.3 2
2 3
1.7 4
1.4 5
1.4 6
1.4 7
1.4 7'
1.4 6'
1.4 5'
1.7 4'
2 3'
2.3 2'.
2.6 1'
192
Profilen
Nr. of Ingots 254
Weight 210602 Kg Gauge
2.4
Total Length 2.2
Average Width 1.8

1.6
Average Thickness 1.5
1.5
Average Lengti 1.5
1.5
Average Weigh 1.6
Average Ingot
2.2
Zn Consumption (g/m2) 307.545364 g/m2 2.4
Profile III
Nr. of ingots 220
Weight Hm»MBwmiriinit446899o m^BBM Gauge
2.4 1
TotalLength 5.12562.8 m 2.25 2
2.05 3
Average Width 1204.4 mm 1.85 4
1.7 5
Average Thickness 1.227 mm , 1.6 6
1.6 7
Average Length msaam' ^mm 1.6
1.6
7'
6'
Average Weight 10441.56 Kg 1.7 5'
1.85 4'
Total Ingot Weight '-"·,- 191983 Kg 2.05 3'
2.25 2'
Average Ingot Weight 872.65 Kg 2.4 Γ
Zn Consumption (g/m2) 310.98894 g/m2
193
¡Profile II
Nr. of Ingots 340
Weig 6647510 Κ Gange
2.1 1
TqtaiLength 730049.1 m 1.95 2
1.75 3
Average Width 1214.2 mm 1.55 4
1.45 5
Average Thickness 1.4 6
1.4 7
Average Lengti 1.4 7'
1.4 6'
Average Weight 1.45 5'
1.55 4
Total Ingot Weight 1.75 3'
1.95 2'
Average Ingot Weight 2.1 1'
Zn Consumption (g/m2) 327.967733 g/m2
194
• gr/m2
Profile Profile
Profile IV
Profile V
Figure 170 - Zinc consumption for different profiles
gr/m2
Profile ν
Profile IV 3
Profile
Profile II • gr/m2
Profile I I
Base Profile
-25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10 15 20
Difference, in gr/m2, against the base profil coating
Figure 171 - Zinc consumption related to base profile
Figures 170 and 171 try to show a comparison between profiles and zinc
consumption related to that obtained with base profile. It is clear the best results
obtained with profile V that after test is being used at current time.
195
At the end of year 2000 it was made a final test with flat profile but result were not
so promising due to some problems with edges coating.
Anyway, in the idea that problems appears due to configuration of devices used in
Line 1 to help with edges coating problems, this flat profile was tested at Line 2 that
has different configuration. Results were very promising and still continuing
working with that profile confirming the good performance obtained with 3D and 2D
F.E.M.
196
CONCLUSIONS
• On-line control of strip shape and position between the air knives
(CRMJRSID)
The diameter of the rolls immersed in the zinc pot is usually chosen as small as
possible due to limitations of space and cost. Therefore plastic bending occurs in
the zinc pot and consequently curl and cross-bow are created just before the air
knives. Curl is corrected by line tension but cross-bow (or gutter) remains
downstream of the roll. Strip cross-bow causes a problem especially in hot dip
plating lines where it generates non-uniformity of coating thickness across the
strip width after wiping.
So to improve the coating thickness homogeneity it's important to control the

cross-bow. In this context, a sensor and a mathematical model have been
developed by CRM and IRSID respectively to better control the strip cross-bow
created in the zinc pot.
Trials of the CRM measurement device have been carried out in an industrial hot
dip galvanising line. The analysis of the results showed that it is possible with
such an arrangement to aim to shiny surfaces like the coated strip exiting the
wiper device. The proposed method consists in the projection of one (or more)
laser line(s) on a part of the wiper and the follow-up by a CCD camera of the
reflected image of the line(s) by the coated strip. Continuous industrial trials
carried out during many galvanising campaigns showed that the sensing head
withstands to the industrial environment (Zinc dust deposition, temperature).
During galvannealing campaigns, it has been observed that the induction heating
system installed near the wiper does not reduce the quality of the acquired
¡mages needed for further processing. Some trials have been carried out by
changing the intermeshing of the guide rolls inside the zinc pot based on the
indication of the system. A good agreement has been found between the coating
thickness distributions indicated by the cold coating gauge and the shape
indication of the developed system.
IRSID completed the modelling work giving the typical evolution of cross-bow
versus the intermesh of the guide rolls in the zinc bath. This study gives
indispensable information to develop the control algorithm of the cross-bow
correction. A sensitivity study showed clearly the influence of the plastic ratio on
the cross-bow. By simulating configurations with 2 or 3 rolls several main trends
were observed : influence of tension of the strip, intermesh of the roll, vertical
distance between 2 rolls, elasto-plastic behaviour of the strip on cross-bow ;
These trends allowed IRSID to define the principle used by an algorithm to
control the cross-bow. Finally, a validation of the results of IRSID model was
made on the galvanising line of Sainte-Agathe (SOLLAC LORRAINE). The
analysis of the results obtained during the industrial tests confirmed that the roll
positions proposed on the basis of the simulations is the best configuration to
control the cross-bow and to obtain the best homogeneity of coating thickness.
197
• Analysis of the origin of dynamic effects and study of possible solutions
(CRM,IRSID,BFI)
Besides the shape of the strip, it is needed to have a insight in the dynamic
effects and the excitation of strip vibration due to the operating of cooling devices
and the controlled drive systems versus the process parameters like tension,
temperature and coatings characteristics.
Pilot line trials during galvanising campaigns have been carried out at CRM in
order to assess the stabilising effect of the air pad. A clear advantage of such a
technique is that any direct contact between the strip and conventional rolls is
avoided. Vibrations generated by eccentricity, misalignments, thermal crown or
wear of rolls in contact with the strip does not occur by the application of an air
cushion technique. By means of simulations based on numerical modelling work
IRSID optimised the internal and external shape of the used blow boxes.
Fast Fourier Transform calculations of strip distance measurements and coating

thickness measurements obtained by chemical analysis, show that the coating
thickness variations on the collected samples due to forced vibrations could be
reduced by 50% when the blow boxes are installed near the wiper. In order to
further improve the amortisation rate of strip vibrations, an additional system has
been realised in order to control in real time the stabilising force. This force is
controlled on the basis of the measurement of the strip position with respect to
the blow, boxes. Pilot line trials at CRM have been carried out using quick
responding 4" butterfly valves which can vary the airflow supplied to each blow
box by the fan. The analysis of the results showed that it is possible to vary the
force applied by each blow box by 30 % at a frequency of 2.5 Hz. These figures
indicate that it is worthwhile to control the airflow as proposed in order to improve
the stabilising effect while keeping the same airflow or to keep the same
stabilising effect while reducing the airflow and consequently the electrical power
consumption of the system. By numerical simulation, IRSID tested a new concept
of wiper combining wiping and stabilising. The advantage of the concept is based
on the fact that the wiping gas is also used to create the air cushion. From the
analysis of the results it has been inferred that the stabilising effect can be
created but that the wiping effect is drastically reduced compared to the
conventional nozzle design. Therefore, it has been conclude that an installation
of the previously designed and tested blow boxes close to the wiper nozzles has
the best chances to be applied in an industrial line.
Because of the intense convection near the air cushion, the strip undergoes a
different thermal evolution compared to the conventional case. The cooling
capacity of the stabiliser has also been assessed during the pilot line trials by
means of the temperature measurements carried out at the exit of the stabiliser.
A cooling speed of more than 100 °C/s has been measured for a strip thickness
of 0.7 mm. However, a discrepancy exists between these measurements and the
figures of the heat transfer coefficient assessed by IRSID.
198
The conclusions of the strip vibration analyses based on on-line measurements
and modelling work carried out by BFI can be summarised as follows:
• The calculated natural frequency of the strip in the cooling tower is in the
range from 0.5 Hz tolHz, depending on the free strip length and strip tension,
and thus concurs with the strip vibration frequency measured at the furnace
platform level and in the middle of the cooling tower in a hot-dip galvanising
line.
• Mainly the bath rolls excite the strip to develop vibrations. So that the strip is
not excited with its resonant frequency, it is necessary to avoid the critical
strip speed. The latter, if the rolls run eccentrically, depends on the roll
diameters, and on the strip tension which influences the natural frequency of
the strip. For example, the critical strip speed of the examined line, which has
a pot roll diameter of 0.8 m and a strip tension of 20 MPa, is 1.9 m/s.
• Aperiodic excitations (jerky roll operation, changes in the strip shape and air
flow to the strip, etc.) and self-excitation of the strip can, under certain
conditions, also lead to more pronounced strip vibrations at higher strip
speeds.
• The strip tension has an influence on the strip vibration frequency and on the
vibration amplitudes. The quantitative relationship between strip tension and
vibration amplitudes has not be established and would require examination
within the scope of further research.
Three groups of measures are proposed by BFI to reduce disruptive strip
vibrations.
1. Guidance of the strip through transverse forces

• Magnetic guidance: The strip is guided by means of electromagnets, in which
respect the strip position is controlled.
• Pneumatic strip guidance: The strip is guided by air cushions with or without
position control.
2. Reduction of the excitation

• Improvement of the bath roll bearing arrangement
• Avoidance of the critical strip speeds
3. Vibration damping
• Parametric vibration damping by influencing the tension (effective only in
proximity of the resonant frequency)
A combination of strip guidance and excitation reduction promises the most

success.
199
Optimisation of air knives' geometry for 55% Al-Zn coating
(ACERALIA)
2D FEM modelling introduces the positive effect of increasing the nozzles gap
gap to obtain a sharper cutting air front. Unfortunately 3D modelling shows
differences for that effect. Although for a supposed infinite knife the most
successful profile could be thicker, it does not work in the borders. 3D FEM
modelling shows that when the gap grows the dispersion at the borders is too
high and the impact of the air at both ends of the strip is too soft to produce a
good control of coating profile compensating the borders effect.
The simulation shows clearly that the gap should be as flat as possible. That idea
was tested in lines 1 and 2 of Aceralia with very good results at Line 2. Line 2
maintains flat profile while Linel still have wider edges. Apparently, design of
devices used to eliminate swirling at edges has a great influence in behaviour of
this profile
The model developed includes a study to determine the possibility of designing a

model to position the lips for the best coating. The initial study for variable
characterisation brought a very interesting result. The homogeneity of the coating
profile depends of the knives position. With that theory based in VQP projections,
it was possible to define a condition monitoring system to determine the
goodness for uniformity of a given set-up. The neural network model trained with
the best data was capable to give the best position for the knives with a very high
accuracy.
The results obtained in this study confirm the assumption that the air-knife
controlled zinc-coating process can be modelled by the used techniques. It is
therefore possible to predict the air-knife position required achieving the desired
final coating properties.
The variables selected allow the system to determine the profile that will be
obtained after the coating process, through the analysis of its projection or the
related neural network. Significant benefits are expected, as this prediction is
much more accurate for the least frequent coatings. Moreover, the quality of the
strip obtained with the use of differentiated treatments for different coatings are
greatly improved when compared to the outcome of a global treatment, as is also
clearly highlighted by VQP's projection. One of the techniques used to determine
the most important variables, thermography showed interesting results. It is clear
that it could be used for monitoring as an important improvement.
Finally, it can be concluded that it is possible to optimise the coating accuracy

and uniformity with the introduction of the flat profile and the use of the neural
model.
200
Problem encountered by ACERALIA
The contribution of ACERALIA was initially aimed to be developed for 55% Al-Zn
coating. Unfortunately, due to strategical decisions of ACERALIA, along the three
years and a half of research ACERALIA did not produce Algafort® (trade mark of
55% Al-Zn), so the research was developed under scope of the Zn coating.
Anyway, techniques and methods used are fully transferable to the initial aim.
Industrial application of the research results
The sensing head developed by CRM is now permanently installed on the wiper
of the galvanising and galvannealing line of SEGAL (Belgium). The indications of
the sensor are at the disposal of the operator. It is intended by SEGAL to further
use the measurement results in order to set up a control system using the new
possibilities (on-line nozzle gap modification) offered by the DAK (Dynamic Air
Knife see (7)).
IRSID used the cross-bow model to optimise the immerged roll configuration of
the galvanising line of Sainte-Agathe (SOLLAC LORRAINE). The analysis of the
results obtained during the industrial tests confirmed that the proposed roll
positions is the best configuration to control the cross-bow and to obtain the best
homogeneity of coating thickness.
Within the reported work, most of the initial objectives/tasks have been met
concerning the strip stabilisation by means of an air pad. However, in order to
apply the controlled air stabilisation technique in an industrial line, it was initially
planned to carry out trials with the air pad in full width (>1 m). In fact the width of
the CRM pilot line is limited at 300 mm. Therefore, it was intended to test the
CRM system on the IRSID pilot line able to run in closed loop a strip having a
width of 1200 mm. Due to the modified thermal evolution of the strip, IRSID
asked to redirect the research objectives towards the modelling of the cooling
ability of the air pad. Consequently, to transfer the research results concerning
the strip stabilisation into an industrial application at least the 2 following
questions must be clarified:
• Does the application of the air pad introduce perturbing movements of the
strip (torsion) when used in full width?
• Is the surface quality of the coating impaired due to the air blowed on the
freshly coated strip in the industrial case? No visible defects could be
detected on the sample produced during the CRM pilot trials carried out in the
frame this research
CRM intends to tackle this questions in the frame of a recently granted ECSC
research starting 1/7/2001.
Finally, on-line trials have been carried out with different nozzle profiles at
ACERALIA galvanising lines. A significant improvement in the wiping efficiency
has been found for one profile that is now currently used.
201
REFERENCES:
(1) Nikoleizig, Α., Kootz, T., Weber, F. u. Espenhahn, M.:

Gesetzmäßigkeiten des Düsenabstreifverfahrens beim Feuerverzinken.
Stahl u. Eisen 98 (1978) Nr. 7, S. 336 - 342
(2) Bechern, W., Furken, L, Zwingmann, R. u. Knupfer, P.:
Einbau eines Wechselkesselsystem in eine
schmelztauchveredelungsanlage der Hoesch Stahl AG.
Stahl u. Eisen 110 (1990) Nr. 6, S. 83 - 90
(3) Schwarz, W., Furken, L, Brisberger, R., Litzke, H. u. Petsch, N.:
Herstellung, Eigenschaften und Anwendung von schmelztauchveredeltem
Band und Blech.
Stahl u. Eisen 113 (1993) Nr. 5, S. 57 - 65
(4) Ottersbach, W.:
Moderne Feuerverzinkungsanlagen.
Stahl u. Eisen 113(1993) Nr. 8, S. 67 - 73
(5) Greis, P.:
Die neue Feuerverzinkungsanlage der Thyssen Stahl AG in Duisburg.
Stahl u. Eisen 113(1993) Nr. 8, S. 77 - 82
(6) Hüttebräuker, K.-F., Litzke, H., Rudolph, W., Schönenberg, R., Steck, K.
u. Tacke, G.:
Die neue Feuerverzinkungsanlage der Krupp Hoesch Stahl AG in
Bochum.
Stahl u. Eisen 114 (1994) Nr. 6, S. 193 - 200
(7) Davene, J., Dondin, L, Kim, J.K. a. Kim, S.J.:
Dynamic air knifes.
Galvatech 95 Conference Proceedings, p. 205 - 213
(8) Anabuki, Y., Yoshioka, T. a. Shinohara, Α.:
Coating weight control at Kawasaki Steel continuous galvanizing line.
Iron and Steel Eng, dec. 1997, p. 37 - 39
(9) Legoupil, J.L.:
Flatness and surface developments in steel finishing.
MPT International 5 /1998, p. 106 - 111
(10) Lloyd-Jones, C , Baker, H.A. a. Worne, V.J.:
Investigation into magnetic wiping techniques as alternative to gas wiping
on hot dip galvanising lines.
Ironmaking and Steelmaking 1998 Vol. 25, No. 2, p. 1 1 7 - 123
(11) Theis, H.E.:
Corrective sheet metal leveling.
MPT International 6 /1999, p. 70 -75
(12) ECSC Steel RTD Programme Contract no. 7210-EA/205/425/331/153:
High speed continuous annealing lines.
Draft final report 2000
203
(13) Wiesemann, W.:
Abstand / Position berührungslos mesen auch unter sehr rauhen
Bedingungen.
Sensor Magazin 2 / 96, S. 5 - 7
(14) Zimnik, W. u. Schanderl, O.:
Modernisierung der Horizontal-Feuerverzinkungsanlage bei der Preussag
Stahl AG.
Stahl u. Eisen 118 (1998) Nr. 6, S. 5 5 - 6 1
(15) Degner, M., Holzknecht, N., Mentrup, H.-C, Müller, U., Thiemann, G. u.
Winter, D.:
Topometrisches Online-Planheitsmeßsystem für die Planheitsregelung
von Warmband.
Stahl u. Eisen 118(1998) Nr. 4, S. 79 - 83
(16) Betriebshandbuch Topometrische Bandplanheitsmessung TopPlan C99-
82-045
(17) Demartines, P., Hérault, J. (1995) "CCA: Curvilinear Component
Analysis", Proc. of 15th workshop GRETSI.
(18) Zell, A. y otros. (1993) "SNNS, Stuttgart Neural Network Simulator. User
Manual Version 3.0", Report, N° 3/93.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Bellomo, P., Milone, M., Spaccarotella, Α., Sanarico, M, Vicino, F. (1998)

"Stainless Steel Slab Surface Quality Prediction by Means of Artificial
Neural Networks", Applications of Artificial Neural Network Systems in the
Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop, Brussels, 22-23 January 1998, pp. 181-
193.
2 Bradshaw, A.V., Wakelin, D., (1967) Heat and Mass Transfer in Process
Metallurgy, A.W.D. Hills. Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, London,
1967.
3 Braun Η., Riewdmiller M., (1992) "Rprop: a fast adaptive learning
algorithm", En Proc. of the Inst. Symposium on Computer and Information
Science VII.
4 Cooley, W.W., Lohnes, P.R., (1971) Multivariate Data Analysis, New York:
Wiley.
5 Demartines, P. (1992) "Analyse de données par réseaux de neurones
auto-organisés". Doctoral Tesis presented at Institute National
Polytechnique of Grenoble.
6 Demartines, P., Hérault, J. (1993). "Representation of non-linear data
structures through fast VQP neural networks". En Neuromines, pp. 411-
425, Octuber.
7 Durany J., Quíntela P., Vázquez C. (1996) "Simulación y Resolución
Numérica de Problemas de Frontera Libre", Vil Escuela de Otoño
Hispano-Francesa sobre Simulación Numérica en Física e Ingeniería,
Tomo 11,1-103.
204
8 Echevarría R. (1996) "Resolución Efectiva de las EDP de Navier-Stokes
por Métodos de Elementos Finitos", Vil Escuela de Otoño Hispano-
Francesa sobre Simulación Numérica en Física e Ingeniería, Tomo II,
pp. 193-284.
9 Engelman, M.S., Ramanan, Ν., (1997) "An Algorithm for Simulation of
Steady Free Surface Flows", International Journal for Numerical Methods
in Fluids, Vol 22, pp 103-120.
10 Falhman S. E., (1988) "Faster learning variations on back-propagation: An
empirical study", Conectionist Models Summer School. T.J.Sejnowski,
G.E. Hinston y D.S. Touretzky (Eds.), San Mateo, CA, EEUU.
11 Fukushima, Κ., (1975) "Cognitron: a self organizing multilayered neural
network", Biological Cybernetics 20.
12 Fukushima, K., (1988) "Neocognitron: a hierarchical neural network
capable of visual pattern recognition", Neural Networks 1, 119-130.
13 González Rodríguez, J.A., (1999) "Predicción de la Calidad de Bandas
Laminadas en Caliente Mediante Modelos Inteligentes", Doctoral Tesis
presented at Universidad de Oviedo, Mars 1999.
14 Grossberg S., (1976) "Adaptive pattern classification and universal
recoding I II", Biological Cybernetics 20, 121-136.
15 Guinea, D., Ruiz, Α., Barrios, L.J., (1991) "Multi-sensor Integration - An
Automatic Feature Selection and state identification Methodology for Tool
Wear Estimation", Computers in Industry, Vol 17, Nr. 2&3, L. Monostori
(Ed.), pp. 121-130, Elsevier, Nov 1991.
16 Hebek Α., (1961). "Metal Finish J.", vol. 80, p. 298
17 Hopfield J. J., (1982) "Neural networks and physical systems with
emergent collective computational abilities", Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, USA, vol. 79, 2554-2558.
18 Hopfield J. J., (1984) "Neurons with graded response have collective
computational properties like those of Two-State Neurons", Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences, USA, vol. 81, 3088-3092.
19 Iwamoto H., Yamauchi Α., Hasegawa Y., Isono T. (1998) "A New Air Knife
System with Adjustable Lip Gaps for Hot Dip Galvanizing", Proceedings of
the 4th International Conference on Zinc and Zinc Alloy Coated Steel
Sheet (Galvatech '98), 757-762.
20 Kapellner A. (1997) "New Developments in Skin-passing for Hot Dip
Galvanizing Lines", Iron and Steel Engineer, 39-42.
21 Kohonen T., (1977) "Associative memory: a system theoretical approach",
Spring Verlag, Berlin.
22 Kohonen T., (1982) "Self organizing formation of topologically correct
feature maps", Biological Cybernetics, 43, 59-69.
23 Kohonen, T. (1988) Self-organized formation of topologically correct
feature maps. Ed. Springer-Verlag.
24 Kruskal, J. B. (1973) "Comments on a nonlinear mapping for data
structure analysis", IEEE Trans. Comput. C20, 1614.
205
25 Laine, J. (1998) "Analysing and Monitoring of Continuous Casting Mould
with the Self-Organizing Map", Applications of Artificial Neural Network
Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop, Bruselas, 22-23 Enero
1998, pp. 151-155.
26 Levén, J. (1998) "Integrated Simulations of Multi Pass Hot Rolling and its
Applications in Process Control by Artificial Intelligence", Applications of
Artificial Neural Network Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop,
Brussels, 22-23 January 1998, pp. 293-294.
27 Link, N. (1998) "Quality Prediction by Databased Methods", Applications of
Artificial Neural Network Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop,
Brussels, 22-23 January 1998, pp. 171-178.
28 Lubrano, M., Vicino, F., Sestini, A. (1998) "Cold Strip Flatness Predictions
on 20-Roll Mill Through Artificial Neural Network", Applications of Artificial
Neural Network Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop, Brussels,
22-23 January 1998, pp. 263-280.
29 Malmendier M., Crahay J., Noville J-F.,Wilmotte S. (1998) "Wiping by
Electromagnetic Techniques in Hot Dip Galvanizing", Proceedings of the
4th International Conference on Zinc and Zinc Alloy Coated Steel Sheet
(Galvatech '98), 751-756.
30 Maxwell, A. E. (1979) Multivariate Analysis in Behavioural Research.
Chapman & Hall. London.
31 Minsky M., (1954) "Neural Nets and the Brain. Model problem". Doctoral
Dissertation. Princeton University. Pricenton, N.J.
32 Minsky M., Papert, S., (1969) Perceptrons. An introduction to
computational Geometry. MIT Press. Cambridge, MA.
33 Nesic, S., Vrhovac, M., (1997) "A Neural Network Model for C02
Corrosion of Carbon Steel". University of Queensland, Australia.
34 Niemman H., Weiss J. (1979) "A fast converting algorithm for nonlinear
mapping of high-dimensional data to a plane", IEEE Trans. Comput. C28,
142-147.
35 Ortega Fernández, F., (1996) "Técnicas de Inteligencia Artificial Apicadas
al Control de Calidad de Procesos Industriales", Tesis Doctoral presented
at Universidad de Oviedo, 1996.
36 Ortega Fernández, F., González Rodríguez, J.A. (1998) "HSM Force Pre-
setting Using Artificial Neural Networks and Statistical Techniques",
Applications of Artificial Neural Network Systems in the Steel Industry,
ECSC Workshop, Brussels, 22-23 January 1998, pp. 239-250.
37 Pican, Ν., Alexandre, F., Bresson, P. (1998) "Artificial Neural Networks for
the Presetting of a Steel Temper Mill", Applications of Artificial Neural
Network Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop, Brussels, 22-23
January 1998, pp. 253-259
38 Plaza Villegas R.G. (1996) "Un Problema con Frontera Libre para las
Ecuaciones de Navier-Stokes", Tesis Doctoral presented at Universidad
de México. 1996.
206
39 Rauber, T.W., Barata, M.M., Steiger-GarÇao, Α., (1993). "A Toolbox for
Analysis and Visualization of Sensor Data in Supervision". Tooldiag '93 -
International Conference on Fault Diagnosis, %-7 April 1993, Touluse,
Francia.
40 Rosenblatt F., (1959). Principles of Neurodinamycs, Spartan Books, New
York.
41 Rumelhart D. E., Zipser D., (1985) "Feature discovery by competitive
learning". Cognitive Science 9, 75-112.
42 Rumelhart, D. E., McClelland, J. L. (1986) "Parallel Distributive
Processing: Explorations in the Microstructure of Cognition", Vol.1., MIT
Press.
43 Sammon, J. W. Jr. (1969) "A nonlinear mapping for data structure
analysis", IEEE Trans, on Comput. C18(5): 401-409. May 1969.
44 Schlichting H., Kestin J. (1987) "Boundary Layer Theory", Ed. McGraw
Hill, New York.
45 Singh, H., Deo, B. (1995) l&SM, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur,
Oct. 1995.
46 Sjöberg, J., (1995) Non-Linear System Identification with Neural Networks.
Ed. Linköpings Tryckeri AB 1995.28.
47 Sontag E. D., (1992) "Feedforward Nets for Interpolation and
classification", Computer J, System Sciences 45, 20-48.
48 Sörgel, G., Poppe, T., Schlang, M. (1998) "Real Time Control with Neural
Networks in Steel Processing", Applications of Artificial Neural Network
Systems in the Steel Industry, ECSC Workshop, Brussels, 22-23 January
1998, pp. 209-250.
49 Szekely, J. (1988) Fenómenos de Flujo de Fluidos en Procesamiento de
Metales, Ed. Limusa, México.
50 Tanaka, T., Endo, H., Kamada, N., Naito, S., Kominami, H. (1997),
"Trouble Forecasting System by Multi-Neural Network on Continuous
Casting Process of Steel Production". Nippon Steel Corp., Yawata Works.
51 Thornton J.A., Graff H.F. (1976) "An Analytical Description of the Jet
Finishing Process for Hot-Dip Metallic Coatings on Strip", Metallurgical
Transactions B, Vol. 7B, 607-618.
52 Hirt, C.W., Nichols, B.D., (1981). "Volume of Fluids (VOF) Method for the
Dinamics of Free Boundaries.", J. Comput.,39:202-225, 1981.
207
ANNEX 1
FREE SURFACE METHODS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE VOF METHOD

MOBILE GRID METHODS. LAGRANGIAN GRID METHOD.
This method consists in generating a Lagrangian grid that moves together with the
fluid, so it can be classified within the framework of mobile grid problems.
In this method the equations used for the numerical simulation are modified in
order to introduce suitable boundary conditions and impose the condition that fluid
can only be located on one side of the free boundary.
If this latter condition were not imposed, asymmetries would appear that would
prevent the convergence of the simulation.
The most significant limitation of Lagrangian methods is their unsuitability for
modelling surfaces with intersections that are not empty. Furthermore, most of the
surface movements must be accomplished using re-gridding techniques like the
ALE method (Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian), which considerably increases
computing time.
FIXED GRID METHODS:

SURFACE HEIGHT METHOD
The surface height method makes use of a fixed Eulerian grid. It is used for
modelling problems where the solution is a perturbation of a shear flow. The trivial
solution of movement equations is called shear flow when the free surface is part
of a horizontal plane. Said solution corresponds to a flow with a parabolic profile in
the ζ direction. For example, water movement when the wind is light.
This method is so named, because it consists in introducing a new variable, height,
which measures the deformation of the free surface with respect to the horizontal
plane.
The evolution of height (H) over time can be obtained with the following cinematic
equation, which represents the physical phenomenon of the movement of the
surface with the fluid.
BH dH ÔH
YU 1-V = W
dt dx dy
where:
u-> χ component of speed
v-> y component of speed
w-> ζ component of speed
The equation can be easily discretized by using a finite difference diagram.

One advantage of this method is that its three-dimensional implementation does
not greatly increase the computational cost, as in three-dimensional problems it is
only necessary to store the height values in a set of nodes above the horizontal
reference line. Another advantage of this method is that the introduction of the
height variable considerably simplifies the task of imposing boundary conditions.
209
However, this method can only be applied to a small number of problems due to
the condition that the free surface must be a slight deformation of the horizontal
plane. This prevents the method from being used for the problem of the galvanising
line, because of the presence of the deadlock point at the intersection of zinc bath
surface and strip.
CELL MARKING METHOD (MAC)
The cell marking algorithm uses an Eulerian fixed grid of control volumes. This is
one of the latest methods developed for flow modelling in non-stationary problems
with a free surface. The location of the fluid in the grid is achieved using a set of
marking particles, which move with the fluid but do not have volume, mass or other
physic properties. The grid cells that contain marking particles are assumed to be
full of fluid, and those cells without marking particles are assumed to be empty.
There can be a free surface inside any cell of the grid provided this cell contains
marking particles and a neighbouring cell is empty. The localisation and orientation
of the surface inside the cell is not considered in the original MAC method.
The evolution of surfaces is calculated by means of the movement of the marking
particles, the fluid speeds being interpolated locally. Special techniques are
required to define the properties of the fluid in the new cells that are filling up and
to cancel the values corresponding to those cells which are left empty.
The imposition of the free surface boundary conditions is achieved by assigning

the gas pressure to all cells of the surface. Speed components are also applied to
all nodes on the surface or just over the surface, in such a way that they
approximate to the condition of incompressibility and a null surface shear tension.
The great success of MAC methods is due to the capacity they offer for solving
complex problems of flow with a free surface. One of the reasons of their success
is that markers do not drag the boundary itself but move the volume of fluid. The
free surface is simply the boundary of the volumes so surfaces can appear, join
each other or disappear.
A number of improvements have contributed to better the convergence and

applicability of the MAC method. For example, the introduction of surface tensions
allows the method to be applied to a wide variety of problems.
However, MAC methods have the disadvantage that they can only be used in two-
dimensional problem simulation as the introduction of marking particles and
updating them requires large amounts of memory and CPU time. Usually at least
16 particles have to be introduced in each cell in order to ensure the convergence
of surfaces with severe deformations.
210
Another limitation of MAC methods is that they do not provide good flow monitoring
capability in regions with convergent/divergent flows. The markers are usually
interpreted as transfers of small elements of fluid. However, when these elements
are dragged in long rows, markers may not provide good indications about the fluid
configuration. This situation occurs when solving a problem with a deadlock point.
MARKER SURFACE METHOD
In order to decrease the amount of memory and CPU time required, markers can
be introduced only on the surfaces and not inside the fluid regions. Naturally, this
changes the volume dragging properties of MAC methods and requires additional
logic to determine how and when surfaces join together or separate.
In two-dimensional situations, marker particles on the surface can be located
linearly all along the surface; this configuration provides a large number of
advantages.
Among these advantages is the ability to keep a uniform space between particles
and the simplification of the calculations of the intersections between different
surfaces. Surface markers also provide a good way to localise the surface inside
the cell so as to impose boundary conditions.
Unfortunately, this method cannot be applied to three-dimensional problems, as
there is no easy technique to place and move marking particles on free surfaces.
211
ANNEX 2
CONSIDERATIONS CONCERNING GRID CREATION

Some general considerations concerning grid generation are given below.
When a grid is created, the first decision to be made is about the kind of elements
that are going to be used and the distribution of the nodes on each element. When
working in two dimensions either triangles (3 or 6 nodes) or rectangles (4 or 9
nodes)can be chosen.
2D ELEMENTS
In the choice of the type of element, the following points must be taken into
account:
• Time required for creation
• Cost of computing time
• Numeric diffusion
TIME REQUIRED FOR CREATION
If the geometry of the problem is complex, it is not easy to build a structured grid
(with rectangular elements); sometimes it can even turn out to be impossible. In
such cases, it is better to choose triangular elements.
However, the geometry of the galvanising problem is simple, although the large
differences in scale must be taken into account.
COST OF COMPUTING TIME
The smaller the number of elements, the less computational time will be used for
solving the system of equations associated with the solution of the problem using
FEM (finite elements method).
213
A good technique for achieving a good solution using the least possible
computational time is to initially consider a coarse grid, adequate to provide a good
first approximation to the solution. With this initial grid the first approximation to the
solution can be calculated.
Improvements will be made in the zones where needed. This technique has been
used in the generation of the grid for the galvanising line problem. The grid
required refining in the zone close to the strip and in the air-blowing zone.
NUMERIC DIFFUSION
Numeric diffusion, also known as false diffusion, is a common source of errors in a

large number of situations. The following consideration must be taken into account
to minimise its effect on the solution of problem:
• All the numeric configurations used for solving flow problems with fluids show
some numeric diffusion due to truncation errors made during numeric
discretization of fluids flow equations.
• Numeric diffusion usually appears in problems with a dominant convection,
where the actual diffusion term is very small compared to the dragging term.
• The effects of numeric diffusion are reduced when second-order discretization
schemes are used.
• The amount of numeric diffusion is inversely proportional to the resolution of the
grid, so increasing the grid resolution will reduce numeric diffusion.
• Numeric diffusion in minimised when the flow and the grid are aligned.
•
This last consideration has been the most relevant point for selecting the grid. If a
non-structured grid design were used (triangles/tetrahedrons), the flow and the grid
would never be parallel. In the galvanising line problem, the zinc flow is expected
to be parallel to the strip. Therefore, the grid has been generated with rectangular
elements, running parallel to the strip and perpendicular to the air knife nozzle.
GRID QUALITY
The quality of the grid plays an essential role in the convergence and stability of
numeric computation. The properties directly related to the quality of the grid are
node distribution, regularity and smoothness.
NODE DISTRIBUTION AND GROUPING
The resolution of the solution in a given zone is determined by node density and
distribution. In many cases, a poor distribution in critic zones modifies flowing
properties.
SMOOTHNESS
Sudden changes in the volume of adjacent elements entail large truncation errors.
A truncation error is defined as the difference between the partial dérivâtes in the
exact equations and their discrete approximations.
214
SHAPE OF THE ELEMENT
The shape of the element (regularity and appearance) has a significant influence
on the convergence of the numeric solution.
• In this context, the term regularity is referred to the difference between the
shape of an element and the shape of an equilateral element with the same
volume. Large element irregularities can reduce convergence and destabilise
the solution. For example, optimum quadrilateral grids will have angles close to
90 degrees, whereas triangular element grids will have angles close to 60°, all
of which smaller than 90°.
• The appearance of an element is the value of its elongation. In general,
appearance ratios greater than 5:1 should not be allowed. Nevertheless, if the
flow is isentropic, good convergence and stability results could be obtained with
higher appearance ratios.
215
European Commission
EUR 20206 — Rolling flat products

Enhanced coating thickness control in hot dip galvanising
M. Schyns, J. L. Rendueles, L. Gâcher, P. Vienot, R. Stockmeyer
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
2002 — 215 pp. — 21 χ 29.7 cm
Technical steel research series

ISBN 92-828-6723-4
Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: EUR 32.50

Venta · Salg · Verkauf Πωλήσεις · Sales · Vente · Vendita · Verkoop · Venda · Myynti · Försäljning
http://eur-op.eu.int/general/en/s-ad.htm
BELGIQUE/BELGIE NEDERLAND
Jean De Lannoy SDU Servicecentrum Uitgevers Mediatrade Ltd Les éditions La Liberté Inc.
Avenue du Roi 202/Koningslaan 202 Chnstoffel Plantijnstraat 2 Pavla Hatza 1 3020, chemin Sainte-Foy
B-1190 Bruxelles Brussel Postbus 20014 HR-10000 Zagreb Sainte-Foy, Québec G1X 3V6
Tel. (32-2) 538 43 08 2500 EA Den Haag Tel. (385-1)481 94 11 Tel. (1-418)658 37 63
Fax (32-2) 538 08 41 Tel. (31-70)378 98 80 Fax (385-1) 481 94 11 Fax (1-800) 567 54 49
E-nail: jean.de.lannoy®infoboard.be Fax (31-70) 378 97 83 E-mail: liberte@mediom.qc.ca
URL: http: www.jean-de-lannoy.be E-mail: sdu@sdu.nl MAGYARORSZAG
URL: http: www.sdu.nl Renouf Publishing Co. Ltd
La librairie européenne/ Euro Info Service 5369 Chemin Canotek Road, Unit 1
De Europese Boekhandel Ottawa, Ontario K U 9J3
PORTUGAL Szt. Istvánkrt.12
Rue de la Loi 244/Wetslraat 244 III emelet 1/A Tel. (1-613)745 26 65
B-1040 Bruxelles/Brussel PO Box 1039 Fax (1-613) 745 76 60
Tel. (32-2) 295 26 39 Distribuidora de Livros Bertrand Ld.fi H-1137 Budapest E-mail: order.dept® renoufbooks.com
Fax (32-2) 735 08 60 Grupo Bertrand, SA Tel. (36-1)329 21 70 URL: http://www.renoufbooks.com
E-mail: mail@libeurop.be Rua das Terras dos Vales, 4-A Fax (36-1) 349 20 53
URL: http: www.hbeurop.be E-mail: euroinfo@euroinfo.hu
Apartado 60037 EGYPT
P-2700 Amadora URL: http://www.euroinfo.hu
Moniteur beige/Belgisch Staatsblad Tel.(351)214 95 87 87
Rue de Louvain 40-42/Leuvenseweg 40-42 Fax (351) 214 96 02 55 The Middle East Observer
B-1000 Bruxelles Brussel E-mail: dlb@ip.pt MALTA 41 Sherif Street
Tel. (32-2) 552 22 11 Cairo
Fax (32-2) 511 01 84 Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda, SA Miller Distributors Ltd Tel. (20-2)392 69 19
E-mail: eusales@just.fgov.be Malta International Airport Fax (20-2) 393 97 32
Sector de Publicaçôes Oficiáis PO Box 25
Rua da Escola Politécnica, 135 E-mail: inquiry@meobserver.com
P-1250-100 Lisboa Codex Luqa LOA 05 URL: http://www.meobserver.com.eg
DANMARK Tel. (356) 66 44 88
Tel. (351)213 94 57 00
Fax (351) 213 94 57 50 Fax (356) 67 67 99
J. H. Schultz Information A/S E-mail: gwirth@usa.net MALAYSIA
E-mail: spoce@mcm.pt
Herstedvang 12 URL: http://www.incm.pt
DK-2620 Albertslund EBIC Malaysia
NORGE
Tlf. (45) 43 63 23 00 Suite 45.02, Level 45
Fax (45) 43 63 19 69 SUOMI/FINLAND Swets Blackwell AS Plaza MBf (Letter Box 45)
E-mail: schultz@schultz.dk 8 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
URL: http://www.schultz.dk Hans Nielsen Hauges gt. 39 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Akateeminen Kirjakauppa/ Boks 4901 Nydalen
Akademiska Bokhandeln Tel. (60-3) 21 62 92 98
N-0423 Oslo Fax (60-3) 21 62 61 98
DEUTSCHLAND Keskuskatu 1/Centralgatan 1 Tel. (47) 23 40 00 00 E-mail: ebic@tm.net.my
PL/PB 128 Fax (47) 23 40 00 01
Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbH FIN-00101 Helsinki/Helsingfors E-mail: info @ no.swefsblackwell.com
Vertnebsabteilung P./tfn (358-9) 121 44 18 URL: http://www.swetsblackwell.com.no MÉXICO
Amsterdamer Straße 192 F./fax (358-9) 121 44 35
D-50735 Köln Sahköposti: sps@akateeminen.com Mundi Prensa México, SA de CV
URL: http://www.akateeminen.com POLSKA
T e . (49-221)97 66 80
Fax (49-221) 97 66 82 78 Río Panuco, 141
Ars Polona Colonia Cuauhtemoc
E-Mail: vertrieb @ bundesanzeiger.de
URL: http://www.bundesanzeiger.de Krakowskie Przedmiescie 7 MX-06500 Mexico, DF
Skr. pocztowa 1001 Tel. (52-5) 533 56 58
BTJ AB PL-00-950 Warszawa Fax (52-5) 514 67 99
ΕΛΛΑΔΑ GREECE Tel. (4B-22)826 12 01 E-mail: 101545.2361 ©compuserve.com
Traktorvägen 11-13 Fax (48-22) 826 62 40
S-221 82 Lund E-mail: books119@arspolona.com.pl
G. C. Eleftheroudakis SA Tlf. (46-46) 18 00 00 SOUTH AFRICA
International Bookstore Fax (46-46) 30 79 47
Panepistimiou 17 E-post: btjeu-pub@btj.se ROMANIA Eurochamber of Commerce in South Africa
GR-10564Athina URL: http://www.btj.se
Te . (30-1) 331 41 80/1/2/3/4/5 Euromedia PO Box 781738
Fax (30-1) 325 84 99 Str.Dionisie Lupu nr. 65, sector 1 2146 Sandton
E-mail: elebooks@netor.gr UNITED KINGDOM RO-70184 Bucuresti Tel. (27-11)884 39 52
URL: elebooks@hellasnet.gr Tel. (40-1)315 44 03 Fax (27-11)883 55 73
The Stationery Office Ltd Fax (40-1) 312 96 46 E-mail: info@eurochamber.co.za
ESPAÑA Customer Services E-mail: euromedia@mailcity.com
PO Box 29 SOUTH KOREA
Boletín Oficial del Estado Norwich NR3 1GN SLOVAKIA
Tel. (44) 870 60 05-522 The European Union Chamber of
Trafalgar, 27 Fax (44) 870 60 05-533
E-28071 Madrid Centrum VTI SR Commerce in Korea
E-mail: book.orders@theso.co.uk
Tel. (34)915 38 21 11 (libros) URL: http://www.itsofficial.net Nám. Slobody, 19 5th Fl, The Shilla Hotel
913 84 17 15 (suscripción) SK-81223 Bratislava 202, Jangchung-dong 2 Ga, Chung-ku
Fax (34) 915 38 21 21 (libros), Tel. (421-7)54 41 83 64 Seoul 100-392
913 84 17 14 (suscripción) Fax (421-7) 54 41 83 64 Tel. (82-2) 22 53-5631/4
E-mail: clientes@com.boe.es E-mail: europ@tbb1.sltk.stuba.sk Fax (82-2) 22 53-5635/6
URL: http://www.boe.es URL: http://www.sltk.stuba.sk E-mail: eucck@eucck.org
Bokabud Larusar Blöndal
URL: http://www.eucck.org
Mundi Prensa Libros, SA Skólavördustig, 2
IS-101 Reykjavik SLOVEN I JA
Castelló, 37 Tel. (354) 552 55 40
E-28001 Madrid SRI LANKA
Fax (354)552 55 60 GV Zalozba
Tel. (34)914 36 37 00 E-mail: bokabud@simnet.is
Fax (34) 915 75 39 98 Dunajska cesta 5 EBIC Sri Lanka
E-mail: librena@mundiprensa.es SLO-1000 Ljubljana
Tel. (386)613 09 1804 Trans Asia Hotel
URL: http://www.mundiprensa.com SCHWEIZ/SUISSE/SVIZZERA 115 Sir Chittampalam
Fax(386) 613 09 1805
E-mail: europ@gvestnik.sl A. Gardiner Mawatha
Euro Info Center Schweiz URL: hltp./Avww.gvzalozba.si Colombo 2
FRANCE Tel. (94-1)074 71 50 78
c/o OSEC Business Network Switzerland Fax (94-1 (44 87 79
Journal officiel Stampfenbachstraße 85 E-mail: ebicsl@slnet.ik
TURKIYE
Service des publications des CE PF 492
26, rue Desaix CH-8035 Zürich Dünya Infotel AS
F-75727 Pans Cedex 15 Tel. (41-1)365 53 15 TAI-WAN
Tél. (33) 140 58 77 31 Fax (41-1) 365 54 11 100, Yil Mahallessi 34440
Fax (33) 140 58 77 00 E-mail: eics@osec.ch TR-80050 Bagcilar-Istanbul
Tel. (90-212)629 46 89 Tycoon Information Ine
E-mail: europublications@joumal-officiel.gouv.fr URL: http://www.osec.ch/eics
Fax (90-212) 629 46 27 PO Box 81-466
URL: http: www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr E-mail: aktuel.info@dunya.com 105 Taipei
Tel. (886-2) 87 12 88 86
IRELAND Fax (886-2) 87 12 47 47
ARGENTINA E-mail: euitupe@ms21.hmet.net
Europress Euromedia Ltd
Alan Hannas Bookshop World Publications SA
59, blvd Vitosha
270 Lower Rathmines Road BG-1000 Sofia Av. Cordoba 1877 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dublin 6 Tel. (359-2) 980 37 66 C1120 AAA Buenos Aires
Tel. (353-1)496 73 98 Fax (359-2) 980 42 30 Tel. (54-11)48 15 81 56 Beman Associates
Fax (353-1) 496 02 28 E-mail: Milena@mbox.cit.bg Fax (54-11)48 15 81 56
E-mail· hannas@iol.ie 4611 -F Assembly Drive
URL: http://www.europress.bg E-mail: wpbooks@infovia.com.ar Lanham MD 20706-4391
URL: http://www.wpbooks.com.ar Tel. (1-800) 274 44 47 (toll free telephone)
ITALIA Fax (1-800) 865 34 50 (toll free fax)
AUSTRALIA E-mail: query@bernan.com
Licosa SpA URL: http://www.bernan.com
Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Via Duca di Calabria, 1/1 Hunter Publications
Casella postale 552 PO Box 21455 PO Box 404
CY-1509 Nicosia ANDERE LANDER
1-50125 Firenze Abbotsford, Victoria 3067 OTHER COUNTRIES
Tel. (39) 055 64 83 1 Tel. (357-2) 88 97 52 Tel. (61-3)94 17 53 61
Fax (357-2) 66 10 44 AUTRES PAYS
Fax (39) 055 64 12 57 Fax (61-3) 94 19 71 54
E-mail: licosa@licosa.com E-mail: demetrap@ccci.org.cy E-mail: ipdavies@ozemail.com.au
URL: http.//www.licosa.com Bitte wenden Sie sich an ein Büro Ihrer
Wahl/Please contact the sales Office of
BRESIL your choice/Veuillez vous adresser au
LUXEMBOURG bureau de vente de votre choix
Eesti Kaubandus-Tööstuskoda Livrarla Camöes Office for Officiai Publications of the European
Messageries du livre SARL (Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry) Rua Bittencourt da Silva, 12 C Communities
5, rue Raiffeisen Toom-Kooli 17 CEP 2, rue Mercier
L-2411 Luxembourg EE-10130 Tallinn 20043-900 Rio de Janeiro L-2985 Luxembourg
Tel. (352)40 10 20 Tel. (372) 646 02 44 Tel. (55-21)262 47 76 Tel. (352) 29 29-42455
Fax (352) 49 06 61 Fax (372) 646 02 45 Fax (55-21) 262 47 76 Fax (352) 29 29-42758
E-mail' mail@mdl.lu E-mail: emfo@koda.ee E-mail: livraria.camoes@incm.com.br E-mail: info-info-opoce@cec.eu.int
URL: http, /www.mdl lu URL: http://www.koda.ee URL: http://www.mcm.com.br URL: publications.eu.int
2/2002
The overall objective of the present research is to enhance the control of the coating
thickness in hot dip coating lines. The improvement of the thickness control is approached
by complementary ways:
• correction of the cross-bow defect of the strip passing in front of the nozzles of the
wiping device by, for example, an online control system acting on the guide rolls'
position in the zinc pot (CRM, IRSID);
• reduction of the dynamic effects by development of an air floating technology and by
process procedures including better control concepts of the cooling and the drive
systems versus the process parameters (BFI, CRM, IRSID); IV)
o
INJ
• online trials of a new air knife geometry (Aceralia). o
σ>
m
The expected returns are a decrease in the production costs and higher product quality.
During the research, works have progressed in the direction of the research objectives ω
with the following results:
• installation and large-scale trials of an optical sensing head in an industrial galvanising
line to measure the strip shape just after wiping;
• completion and industrial validation of the cross-bow formation model. Based on the
results, it is possible to optimise the configuration of the immersed guide rolls and to
develop a control algorithm to position these rolls online;
• modelling and optimisation of the air pad stabilising and cooling ability;
• pilot line trials of the optimised air pad with controlled stabilising force based on the
distance measurement between strip and blow boxes;
• development and calibration by online measurements of a model able to calculate the
strip vibration in the vertical strand. On the basis of the results, it is possible to define
process parameter windows — for example, critical strip speed range;
• design and validation of improved air knives geometry by large-scale trial campaigns
in an industrial galvanising line.
Price (excluding VAT) in Luxembourg: EUR 32.50

ISBN ^S-flEfl-h7S3-i4
• * • OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
• -J^L. • OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
* OP *
* •* L-2985 Luxembourg 9"789282"867235

Enhanced Coating Thickness Control in Hot Dip Galvanising-Gp - Eudor - WEB - KINA20206ENS - 002

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Enhanced Coating Thickness Control in Hot Dip Galvanising-Gp - Eudor - WEB - KINA20206ENS - 002

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Enhanced coating

Contact: ECSC steel publications

technical steel research

Enhanced coating thickness control

Directorate-General for Research

2002 EUR 20206 EN

Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication.

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2002

© European Communities, 2002

PRINTED ON WHITE CHLORINE-FREE PAPER

1.1 Measurement of position and shape of the strip between

1.1.1 Laboratory trials

1.2 Mathematical modelling for reduction of strip cross bow

1.2.1 General assumptions

2. Analysis of the origin of dynamic effects and study of possible solutions

2.1.1 Experimental set-up

2.2.1 Validation phase

2.3 Improvement of strip flow and quality by optimisation of the

2.3.1 Evaluation of bibliographical references.to transverse

3. Optimisation of air knives geometry for 55% Al-Zn coating (ACERALIA)

3.2 Description of aceralia's HDG line 1

3.2.1 Entry Section

3.3.1 Data acquisition system

3.4 On line testing

ANNEX 1 : Free surface methods as an alternative to the VOF 209

ANNEX 2: Considerations concerning grid creation 213

Fig.1 Optical fibre displacement sensor

Table 1 Parameter setting and sample numbers of pilot line trial

• to reduce the dynamic effects by development of an air floating technology and

TRANSMITTING FIBRE Φ RECEIVING FIBRE

Fig.1 Optical fibre displacement sensor

• reflectivity dependent sensors, the output voltage is a function of the distance

1.1.1 Laboratory trials

Receiving fibre bundle in quadrants

Fig. 2 Optical fibre bundle for inclination and distance measurement

External receiving fibre bundle

Central receiving fibre bundle

Transmitting fibre bundle

Fig. 3 Optical fibre bundle only for distance measurement

Fig. 4 Detectors signals versus distance

Detector coupled to Detector coupled to

Fig. 5 Detector signal versus inclination

1.1.2 Optical method based on CCD camera and multiple lasers

As detailed in the preceding chapter, it can be inferred from the first

Therefore, another optical method compatible with the same technical

Fig. 6 Shape measurement principle of the coated strip

Fig.7 Galvanised strip at the exit of the wiper

Fig. 8 Negative image obtained by closing the diaphragm

Number of images ίο acquire ;[ÏÔ Mask from point X I | 6 0 j Y1 ^ 175 J

Fiäs name for registration , centres1.dat

Fig.9 Front panel of the image processing software

Fig. 10 Peak to peak position variations of the laser spots

1.1.3 Optical method based on a CCD camera and one laser

Because of measurement perturbations due to thermal expansions and/or

This arrangement has two main advantages:

• Measurement error reduction;

Fig. 11 Proposed optical method with 1 camera and one laser

Fig. 12 Protective enclosure

1.1.4 On-line measurements

Industrial trials carried out during a galvanising campaign of several weeks

In order to cancel out these perturbations, 2 major modifications have been

Continuous industrial trials carried out during several galvanising campaigns

Fig. 13 Modified sensing head installed in an industrial galvanising line

Influence of the intermesh of the lower snap roll on cross