3. Description of the process and phenomenon to be controlled

The processing of flat steels after continuous casting involves several product treatment stages, including two important rolling stages:

• hot rolling ;

• cold rolling.

In the first rolling stage, the steel is at a temperature of around 850°C, and the aim is to reduce the product from an input thickness of around 20 mm to output thicknesses of a few millimeters. This deformation is carried out in a succession of rolling stands.