Application of Innovative Methods of Predictive Control in Projects Involving Intelligent Steel Processing Production Systems.

This paper describes the enhancement of the existing predictive system of quality management in the processes of metallurgic manufacturing. Specifically, it addresses steel-strip manufacturing. The main quality management innovation is the transition from the current methodological process of a single-step defect evaluation to a two-step evaluation. A two-step defect check of the strip's surface involves checking for defects during the hot-rolling process first, and double-checking it during the process of pickling. These defects are detected in a well-established process of camera imaging in the production process. The recorded image is then processed mathematically to find the degree of defect correlation in those processes. The two-step evaluation enables a more detailed focus on a particular defect and its position on the strip. Decisions concerning further processing are based on defect evaluation, for instance, whether a rework is necessary to maximize the product utilization and minimize the eventual negative impact of the defect on production equipment. A crucial aspect is also the reduced probability of failures in the manufacturing process.

Establishing the Optimal Density of the Michell Truss Members.

Topology optimization is a dynamically developing area of industrial engineering. One of the optimization tasks is to create new part shapes, while maintaining the highest possible stiffness and reliability and minimizing weight. Thanks to computer technology and 3D printers, this path of development is becoming more and more topical. Two optimization conditions are often used in topology optimization. The first is to achieve the highest possible structure stiffness. The second is to reduce the total weight of the structure. These conditions do not have a direct effect on the number of elements in the resulting structure. This paper proposes a geometric method that modifies topological structures in terms of the number of truss elements but is not based on the optimization conditions. The method is based on natural patterns and further streamlines the optimization strategies used so far. The method's efficiency is shown on an ideal Michell truss.

The Research of the Rolling Speed Influence on the Mechanism of Strip Breaks in the Steel Rolling Process.

This paper evaluates the results of research aimed at changing the rolling speed and the effect of foreign particles in the steel strip, as well as the forces in the rolling process. It also compares the correlation of lab results, theoretical expectations and real-life observations. It supplements the already existing practices aimed at strip-break elimination that were developed and implemented worldwide. Records from a five-stand tandem mill were used for the data analysis. The historical databases developed based on incidents (strip breaks) since 2013 were used; the detailed position of each strip break was documented, along with defects found at the portions of steel strips that broke or the information that no defect was found. The paper contains an evaluation of metallographic analyses of the samples of the strip breaks.

Fire Size of Gasoline Pool Fires.

This article presents an experimental investigation of the flame characteristics of the gasoline pool fire. A series of experiments with different pool sizes and mixture contents were conducted to study the combustion behavior of pool fires in atmospheric conditions. The initial pool area of 0.25 m2, 0.66 m2, and 2.8 m2, the initial volume of fuel and time of burning process, and the initial gasoline thickness of 20 mm were determined in each experiment. The fire models are defined by the European standard EN 3 and were used to model fire of the class MB (model liquid fire for the fire area 0.25 m2), of the class 21B (model liquid fire for the fire area 0.66 m2), and 89B (model liquid fire for the fire area 2.8 m2). The fire models were used to class 21B and 89B for fuel by Standard EN 3. The flame geometrical characteristics were recorded by a CCD (charge-coupled device) digital camera. The results show turbulent flame with constant loss burning rate per area, different flame height, and different heat release rate. Regression rate increases linearly with increasing pans diameter. The results show a linear dependence of the HRR (heat release rate) depending on the fire area (average 2.6 times).