Hardware component of the system for monitoring the motion parameters of the mold oscillation mechanism

Oleksii Lastovetskii; Oleksandr Yemets; Serhii Chuprykov; Oleksandr Bondarenko

doi:10.15222/TKEA2025.3-4.56

Oleksii Lastovetskii Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0954-1913
Oleksandr Yemets Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6111-9808
Serhii Chuprykov Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0311-1771
Oleksandr Bondarenko Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4276-1145

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15222/TKEA2025.3-4.56

Keywords: oscillation mechanism, mold, continuous casting, MEMS, accelerometer, gyroscope, microcontroller, movement parameters monitoring, RS-485 interface

Abstract

The paper presents the development and experimental investigation of a multi-node measurement system for monitoring the oscillatory motion parameters of the mold in continuous casting machines. Ensuring stable oscillation program is crucial for slab solid shell formation, reduction of surface defects and prevention of surface breakout accidents. However, the known monitoring solutions based on discrete displacement or vibration sensors are often bulky, expensive, limited in the number of measurement points and difficult to integrate into existing equipment. The aim of the work is to increase the effectiveness of monitoring the mold oscillation mode by using compact MEMS inertial sensors integrated into a distributed microcontroller system with a robust industrial communication interface.
The proposed system includes four sensor nodes based on STM32F3 microcontrollers with built-in digital MEMS accelerometer and gyroscope and a central master module on STM32F0, interconnected via an RS-485 bus. Each sensor node performs synchronous acquisition of three-axis linear acceleration and angular rate at a sampling frequency of 100 Hz and transmits the measured data frames to the master, which aggregates them and forwards to a PC in CSV format for further analysis. The paper describes the hardware architecture of the nodes, the structure of the RS-485 communication protocol with synchronization frames and checksums, and the basic algorithms of firmware implementation.
Experimental tests on a laboratory stand confirmed stable operation of the developed system at 100 Hz with simultaneous data acquisition from four measurement points, sufficient bandwidth of the communication channel and correct reconstruction of inertial signals for typical oscillation modes.
The developed technical solutions can be used as the basis of an industrial complex for monitoring the oscillation of the mold of a continuous casting machine, in particular of a digital twin of the mold; for studying the oscillatory movements of mechanisms on other productions; as well as a training and research stand for delivering courses in measures and control systems.

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