In-Situ Temperature Distribution Monitoring of Hot Mill Rolls using Fiber-Optic Sensors

Abstract

For hot rolling applications, traditional thermocouples can only provide single-location temperature data, which is not an effective method for acquiring detailed temperature distributions in rotating, high-temperature environments. Similarly, infrared (IR) pyrometers are limited to line-of-sight surface measurements and are highly sensitive to emissivity variations caused by oxide scale, surface condition, and cooling water. In addition, continuous monitoring of the rotating roll is challenging due to obstruction by strip contact and limited viewing access. These limitations restrict the ability of conventional measurement techniques to capture the spatial and near-surface thermal gradients required for accurate thermal crown evaluation and process control. This study presents a novel rotary-joint fiber-optic sensor system integrated into a 635 mm length roller on a lab-scale rolling mill that consists of a motor-gearbox system, large work rolls, adjustment screws, side rails for roll installation and removal, an extensometer, and a pyrometer, as shown in the experimental setup. The fiber is embedded through 1 mm diameter EDM-drilled holes positioned 0.5 mm from the roller surface, providing near-surface temperature measurements during rolling with sub-millimeter spatial resolution (~0.65 mm). The distributed Rayleigh-based optical frequency-domain reflectometry (OFDR) system successfully measured real-time temperature variations across the roll surface and identifying plate-roll contact regions during a reducing pass. This approach aims to support detailed thermal mapping of the work roll, improved thermal crown prediction, flatness control, and industrial-scale process optimization through real-time, spatially distributed temperature monitoring using Rayleigh backscattering.

Department(s)

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Second Department

Materials Science and Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

distributed temperature measurements; fiber optics; hot rolling; rotary joint; thermal crown

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-093076745-7

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1551-6997

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2026

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