Plant and method for the production of flat rolled products

A rolling method, for producing a final strip starting from a slab having a certain starting thickness, in a rolling plant comprising at least one walking beam heating furnace configured to heat at least said slab to a certain starting temperature, and a finishing rolling train disposed operatively in line with at least one roughing stand and configured to reduce the thickness of an intermediate rolled product, at exit from said roughing stand, until said final strip is obtained;

• said finishing rolling train comprising at least one pre-finishing stand able to reduce the thickness of said intermediate rolled product in order to obtain a pre-finished rolled product, and a plurality of finishing stands able to reduce the thickness of said pre-finished rolled product in order to obtain said final strip, wherein the rolling method comprises at least one detection step in which, by means of mechanical deformation detection means directly associated at least with the last of said at least one pre-finishing stand, the rolling force applied on said pre-finished rolled product is detected, at least one heating step in which, by means of a rapid heating device interposed between said at least one pre-finishing stand and said plurality of finishing stands, said pre-finished rolled product is heated, and a command step in which, by means of a command and control unit connected both to said mechanical deformation detection means and also to said rapid heating device, said rapid heating device is selectively activated at least as a function of said rolling force detected by said mechanical detection means, in order to thermally compensate for any cold zones and make the temperature of the bar uniform on its entire length.