Hot rolling of metal strip

A method of rolling hot metal strip in which the leading end of the strip issuing from between the work rolls of the last stand of a multi-stand hot rolling mill is passed along a run-out table;

• comprising the steps of first employing a non-contact-type of strip shape detector adjacent to, and downstream of, the last stand to detect variations in shape across the width of the metal strip and to produce first signals representative of said variations across the width of the strip;
• employing said first signals to adjust the gap between the work rolls of at least one of the stands of the rolling mill in the sense to reduce shape variation across the width of the strip substantially to zero;
• bringing said leading end of the strip into engagement with means located remote from the rolling mill to apply longitudinal tension to the portion of the strip between said means and the last stand of the rolling mill;
• then discontinuing employment of said non-contact-type of strip shape detector and employing a contact-type strip tension detector adjacent to, and downstream of, the last stand to detect variations in shape across the width of the actual strip and to produce second signals representative of said variations across the width of the strip;
• and employing said second signals instead of said first signals to adjust the gap between the work rolls of at least one of the stands of the rolling mill in the sense to reduce shape variations across the width of the strip substantially to zero.