Steel Strip Property Estimation for Accurate Cut-Off Positions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for assessing the quality of steel-strip products, which rely on temperature measurements, fail to consider other influencing factors, leading to inaccurate quality assessments and inappropriate cut-off positions, resulting in either leaving behind inferior quality areas or cutting off satisfactory ones, thus reducing yield.

Innovation Solution

A material-property-value estimating method and apparatus that collect and analyze multiple manufacturing condition items, including chemical composition, thickness, width, and temperature, to accurately estimate material properties and determine optimal cut-off positions, reducing yield loss.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If quality assessment is performed using only temperature measurements, then the assessment process is simple, but the accuracy of quality assessment is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality assessment accuracyVSAvoidassessment system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple measurement systems (temperature measurement, chemical composition analysis, thickness measurement, width measurement) into a unified quality assessment system. By merging these different measurement approaches, the system comprehensively evaluates quality based on multiple factors rather than relying solely on temperature, thereby improving assessment accuracy while managing system complexity through integrated processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a composite assessment approach that integrates multiple types of data (temperature, chemical composition, dimensions) to evaluate material quality. This composite evaluation method considers the combined effect of various factors on quality, providing a more accurate and comprehensive quality assessment than single-factor methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If cut-off positions are determined based on insufficient quality assessment, then the assessment process is fast, but inferior quality portions are left behind or satisfactory portions are cut off

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecut-off position accuracyVSAvoidmanufacturing efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs comprehensive quality assessment measurements (temperature, chemical composition, dimensions) before determining cut-off positions. By conducting these measurements in advance during the manufacturing process, the system accumulates sufficient data to make accurate quality judgments, ensuring reliable cut-off position determination without compromising manufacturing efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously monitors multiple quality parameters and uses this feedback information to dynamically determine appropriate cut-off positions. The feedback from comprehensive measurements enables real-time quality assessment, allowing the system to accurately identify where to make cut-offs based on actual material conditions rather than predetermined positions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3205418B1Material-property-value estimating method, material-property-value estimating device, and steel-strip manufacturing method
Publication Date: 2024.11.27 JFE STEEL CORP
  • EP3205418B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3205418B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3205418B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An actual result DB 6 stores therein actual result data associating values of manufacturing condition items with a material-property-value, the values including a chemical composition per component of a steel-strip product manufactured in the past and a measured value by each measuring device in each of processes 12 to 14 of reheating, rolling, and cooling collected in a manufacturing process of the steel-strip product manufactured in the past, for each corresponding one of meshes dividing the steel-strip product. An actual value collecting device 5 collects a measured value for each of meshes dividing a target steel-strip product, by obtaining a measured value by each measuring device in a manufacturing process of the target steel-strip product while tracking a measurement position of the measured value. A property estimating unit 23 of an apparatus main body 2 estimates, for each of the meshes, a material-property-value corresponding to values of manufacturing condition items, by use of the actual result data, the values of manufacturing condition items being a chemical composition per component of the target steel-strip product and the collected measured value for each of the meshes.