Considerations for multivariable control of the twin-roller strip caster

Twin-roller steel strip casters may offer advantages with respect to classical continuous casting hot rolling processes. Some works have reported control aspects of this process, however, the cross coupling elements have not been evaluated. In this work, the derivation of a 3 × 3 linearized multivariable model for process control purposes proposed in previous investigations is presented. The model was simplified to a 2 × 2 plant. The purpose of this work is to show that the process is highly interactive by performing an analysis of its multivariable characteristics. Some important considerations for process control design based on such multivariable characteristics of the process are discussed.