The manufacture of steel encompasses processes that operate under extreme environmental conditions that makes measurement of temperature, strain, position, and chemistry both difficult and expensive to implement. Yet, as Industry 4.0 methodologies are adopted in the manufacture of steel, it is imperative that new sensing systems be developed and adapted to enable the 4.0 technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, neural net learning and digital twins, and to confirm the accuracy of predictions made using these tools. Sensors based on optical fiber offer some unique advantages for the steelmaking environment, such as small size, electromagnetic interference immunity, distributed sensing capability and compatibility with the harsh environment. In this lecture, current advancements and potential applications of fiber optic sensing methods in steelmaking and casting will be reviewed and discussed.
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