Using laser velocimeters to improve tube and pipe production

摘要

Laser velocimeters have been used for processing steel and other metals since the early 1990s, initially used in cold rolling of steel and aluminum. Their use improved the accuracy in measuring strip speed during rolling to improve mass flow calculations for automatic gauge control. Measuring strip speed with a laser velocimeter relies on the laser's capabilities to provide accurate, repeatable, and reliable measurements and, because it's a noncontact method, it isn't susceptible to roll slip or diameter change as the roll wears, which can contribute to unpredictable measurement errors over the long term. The result is that a greater percentage of the coil is rolled to the specified thickness, increasing the amount of yield for each coil.