Published by: School of Artificial Intelligence | Edited by: Media Convergence Center

WUST News — A paper authored by Professor Li Weigang and his research group from the School of Artificial Intelligence at Wuhan University of Science and Technology (WUST) has been selected for the prestigious 2024 Frontrunner 5000 (F5000) list, an authoritative recognition of China’s top-tier scientific journal articles. The paper, titled Research and Application of Thickness Defect Tracing in Hot Strip Rolling, was published in the journal China Metallurgy and stands as one of only 13 papers from that publication chosen for this year's F5000.

Initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology and administered by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC), the F5000 project aims to showcase excellence in Chinese scientific publishing. The selection process is highly rigorous: from over 6,900 S&T journals in China, only 300 are designated as “Outstanding S&T Journals.” Among these, the top 1% most-cited papers across disciplines—capped at 20 per journal—are honored annually. F5000 serves as a key indicator of research quality, influencing academic evaluation, journal rankings, and talent assessment nationwide.

Professor Li’s research tackles a critical industrial issue—precise thickness control in hot strip rolling. The team developed an innovative defect-tracing model that integrates metallurgical principles with expert insight, enabling accurate analysis of key factors such as roll gap settings and rolling force dynamics. This approach allows intelligent, automated root-cause identification of thickness defects, significantly boosting diagnostic efficiency and accuracy in real-world production environments.

This achievement not only underscores the academic impact of Professor Li’s work but also reflects WUST’s leading role in advancing “AI + Metallurgy”—a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field. It exemplifies the university’s commitment to driving intelligent, digital transformation in traditional industries through innovative research. (School of Artificial Intelligence)