Improved strip quality by stable strip tension in a continuous annealing line

摘要

At the Sidmar steel works in Belgium, ArcelorMittal Gent produces approximately five million t/year of steel. 40 percent of the production consists of automotive steel strip. The continuous annealing and processing line (CAPL) at Sidmar is mainly used for the production of automotive strip steel including exposed part quality grades. Sidmar is continuously working on improvements of the strip quality for the end users. In order to guarantee a high constant strip quality and eliminate the risk of strip breaks Sidmar wants full control of the strip tension in the furnace section of the CAPL. However, the furnace section of the CAPL is a very demanding application for the measurement of strip tension (table 1). In particular, reliable automated operation demands a stable signal without influence from furnace temperature changes and without axial forces deriving from thermal roll expansion.