Roll control during slip form paving

A method of controlling a slip form paving machine, the machine including:

• a machine frame having a front end and a rear end;
• a plurality of ground engaging wheels or tracks;
• front and rear height adjustable lifting columns supporting the machine frame from the ground engaging wheels or tracks, the lifting columns being adjustable to adjust a longitudinal inclination of the paving machine frame in a paving direction;
• a slip form mold supported from the machine frame for molding a mass of concrete into a formed not yet hardened concrete slab as the paving machine moves forward in the paving direction;
• and
• an oscillating beam supported from the machine frame behind the slip form mold for engaging an upper surface of the formed not yet hardened concrete slab and oscillating transversely to the paving direction upon the upper surface to smooth the upper surface;
• the method comprising:
• (a) monitoring with at least one sensor at least one parameter indicative of a current or a predicted size of a roll of not yet hardened concrete created in front of the oscillating beam and generating at least one sensor signal representative of the at least one parameter;
• (b) based at least in part on the at least one sensor signal, determining with a controller a current or a predicted deviation of the size of the roll of not yet hardened concrete from a desired size and generating a corresponding command signal;
• and
• (c) in response to the command signal, automatically adjusting the longitudinal inclination of the machine frame in a direction to counteract the deviation.