STTR Phase I: An Interface Engine for an Intelligent Imaging System for Detecting and Eliminating Hot Rolled Seams

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Project will develop an imaging system with intelligence so that it can be used as an intelligent advisor for process design and control. Integrating the inspection system with an inference engine provides the intelligence in the imaging system. This inference engine will be based on software for predicting the formation of seams in the multi-pass hot rolling process, a probabilistic approach for predicting defect frequency and a framework for design optimization and on-line process control. The project will develop the predictive finite element algorithm and to provide it the capability of handling material, process and design uncertainties. An innovative model based inspection and control system, could integrate inspection and measurement systems with an inference engine based on probability of on fault generation. This could provide a tool to determine the severity and frequency of defects and permit changes to be made to correct the process for defect elimination. This inference engine can also be used for off-line design of robust rolling schedules that are insensitive to uncontrolled noise factors. The broader (commercial) impacts of this technology will be the ability to identify control parameters to detect surface defects in seams. The ability to identify defects will provide the steel rolling industry to have the ability to increase productivity and have products with improved surface qualities.