Cooling method and cooling apparatus for hot-rolled steel sheet

A method for cooling a hot-rolled steel sheet after finish rolling of a continuous hot rolling process, the cooling method comprising:

• cooling the hot-rolled steel sheet by jetting cooling water from a plurality of spray nozzles to a steel sheet conveyance region in a width direction of the steel sheet conveyance region, wherein the steel sheet conveyance region is a region that the hot-rolled steel sheet occupies on conveyor rolls, the plurality of spray nozzles configured in a plurality of spray nozzle pairs, two of the plurality of spray nozzles forming one of the plurality of spray nozzle pairs, each of the two of the plurality of spray nozzles forming the one of the plurality of spray nozzle pairs is arranged on a respective lateral side in the width direction of the steel sheet conveyance region, and the plurality of spray nozzle pairs are aligned in a conveyance direction of the hot-rolled steel sheet,
• wherein in regard to a collision region of cooling water jetted from the spray nozzle at the steel sheet conveyance region, a far end in a jet direction is positioned at an end of the steel sheet conveyance region, and a near end is positioned on an inner side of the steel sheet conveyance region, and
• the near end of the collision region on one width side of the steel sheet conveyance region and the near end of the collision region on the other width side coincide without overlap at a meeting in a front view in a conveyance direction.