Modeling and Control of Strip Transport in Metal Peeling

Abstract Metal peeling refers to the process of forming a thin metal strip from the surface of a rotating feedstock using controlled material removal—machining under an applied strip tension. In this paper, the mechanics of strip formation process is described, while emphasizing the role of strip tension in ensuring uniformity and quality of the peeled strip. This includes an analysis of the deformation history in the peeling zone and the transport dynamics of the strip as it moves from the cutting edge to the coiler. Using conservation laws, governing equations for strip tension and velocity that incorporate dynamic spatiotemporal interactions between peeling and transport processes are developed. Experimental demonstration includes the setup of a lab-scale prototype metal peeling system designed to validate the proposed dynamic model describing the strip transport behavior and control approach. Peeling experiments are performed with steel to evaluate the proposed control approach. Comparisons between two control strategies, with and without tension feedback, are presented and discussed. The importance of real-time tension control for mitigating strip thickness variations and improving other dimensional features of the strip such as flatness and edge waviness is also briefly discussed.