Abstract: The invention relates to an improvement in a metal strip rolling apparatus. The metal strip rolling apparatus consists of a rolling mill, a tension take-up reel to receive the metal strip passing through the mill, and a shape sensing roll mounted between the mill and the take-up reel. The shape sensing roll provides information for adjusting the mill for correction of the shape of the metal strip in the mill. The improvement consists of a closed loop system for automatically adjusting actual wrap angle of the metal strip on the shape sensing roll. The closed loop includes hydraulic lifts, disposed at either end of the shape sensing roll, for adjusting the position of both ends of the shape sensing roll simultaneously relative to the position of the take-up reel. A servo actuator controls the operation of the hydraulic lift. An electronic processor receives information from the shape sensing roll relating to its actual wrap angle, and it has in its memory a quantity indicative of a desired wrap angle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for automatically controlling the shape of sheet metal produced in a rolling mill, and to apparatus for carrying out the process. The shape of the sheet is sensed by a shapemeter, and each segment of the shapemeter provides an output indicative of the shape of the portion of the sheet passing over that segment. In accordance with the invention, the outputs are converted to electrical signal levels, such as current or voltage levels, and certain ones of the signal levels are averaged, and the averages are compared either with certain other signal levels, or with certain other averages. If the comparisons yield a difference greater than predetermined tolerance levels, control signals are generated to control parameters of the rolling mill.