An optimal start-up phase tension and looper control in hot strip finishing mills with sequential mode transition using decoupling control

This paper considers a design method for a model predictive control (MPC) approach based on a unified performance index throughout the start-up phase tension and looper control which consists of the non-contact and contact modes while the looper contacts with the strip as quickly as possible. The approach employs an optimal control condition with unknown terminal time, and the terminal condition. In addition, a decoupling control during the contact mode is employed in order to suppress the deviation of the strip tension. The efficiency of the proposed method is shown through a numerical simulation.