Mill engineers aiming to improve the geometry of rolled strip require knowl
edge of the temperature distribution in the roll. Theoretical evidence show
s that the core temperature evolves more slowly than surface temperatures a
nd governs the thermal expansion of the work roll. For practical purposes t
hen, a model th at predicts core temperature wi II allow online prediction
and tracking of roll cambers. The present pa per builds on previous work in
developing rapid models of roll core temperature. A previous model derived
using Laplace transforms is improved using a matrix formulation and conver
sion from an explicit to an implicit time discretisation. The implicit solu
tion is more stable and allows for larger time steps than the explicit form
ulation or iterative methods used previously. The model has been tested and
found to make good qualitative predictions but to underestimate the camber
in comparison with actual plant data and a two-dimensional finite differen
ce model. I&S/1443.