Hot rolling mill controls

Claim 1

APPARATUS COMPRISING A SEQUENCE OF ROLLING STATIONS EACH COMPRISING ROLLERS HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN AND BEING ALIGNED TO ROLL A METAL BODY INTO A STRIP OF DETERMINABLE GAUGE, CLEARANCE ADJUSTING MEANS COUPLED TO THE ROLLERS OF EACH STATION, FIRST CONTROL MEANS COUPLED TO THE CLEARANCE ADJUSTING MEANS OF THE FIRST AND LAST STATIONS TOI PROVIDE CONSTANT ROLLER CLEARANCES THEREIN ACCORDING TO A PREDETERMINED PROGRAM, FIRST MEASURING MEANS IN SELECTED OF THE STATIONS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND LAST STATIONS TO MEASURE ROLLING PRESSURE IN SAID SELECTED STATIONS, SECOND CONTROL MEANS IN SAID SELECTED STATIONS AND COUPLED TO SAID FIRST MEASURING MEANS, SECOND AND THIRD MEASURING MEANS RESPECTIVELY POSITIONED FOLLOWING THE SAID LAST STATION AND AT A STATION BETWEEN THE FIRST AND LAST STATIONS, SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEASURING MEANS MEASURING STRIP THICKNESS VARIATIONS AT THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS, MIXING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID SECOND AND THIRD MEASURING MEANS TO COMBINE THE MEASUREMENTS RECEIVED THEREFROM, AND COMPUTER MEANS COUPLED TO SAID MIXING MEANS AND TO SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS AND CONTROLLING THE LATTER ACCORDING TO A COMBINATION OF THE SAID PREDETERMINED PROGRAM AND THE COMBINED MEASUREMENTS, THE SECOND CONTROL MEANS BEING ALSO CONTROLLED BY SAID FIRST MEASURING MEANS, SAID SECOND CONTROL MEANS BEING COUPLED TO AND CONTROLLING SAID CLEARANCE ADJUSTING MEANS WHEREBY TO COMPENSATE UNDESIRED VARIATIONS IN SAID GAUGE.