Abstract: The SSC (short stroke control) is a key issue in the width control of the strip head end in hot tandem rolling process. In order to enhance the width precision， an SSC adaptive strategy was proposed， the objective function with the key points of the SSC curve and actual width error curve was founded， and in the process for looking for the optimal solution， the NM(Nelder-Mead) simplex algorithm was used， finally the optimized width compensation curve was received， and the SSC on-line adaptive strategy was realized with the exponential smoothing method. The adaptive strategy was successfully applied to a tandem hot mill， and the application result showed that the width deviation between the head end and the stable part can be controlled within 2.0mm， and the proportion is up to 90 %， which can meet the actual production， and has good application prospect.

Key words: hot rolling, short stroke control(SSC), objective function, adaptive strategy, simplex algorithm