Abstract
A multivariable regulator for a hot strip mill is developed which is robustly stable for changes to the mill modulus while still providing high strip thickness accuracy. This is in contrast to the conventional automatic gauge control which has to trade of nominal performance to provide robust stability. The performance and stability off the multivariable H∞ controller and the conventional controller are analysed and the benefits of the multivariable controller is demonstrated using a nonlinear simulation.
