This study was carried out in the Laboratory of Computer and Information Science in Helsinki University of Technology. The work is a part of a national Technology Development Centre (TEKES) program "Applications of learning and intelligent systems".
I would like to thank my supervisor Olli Simula and instructor Pirkka Myllykoski for their support. I wish also to thank all the people in the Laboratory of Computer and Information Science and in the Neural Networks Research Centre for their help and support. Worth a special mention are Jari Kangas and Aapo Hyvärinen, who helped me during this work, although it was not one of their duties.
TEKES, Rautaruukki Research Center as well as Rautaruukki thin sheet division in Hämeenlinna financed this work and the process data was provided by Rautaruukki. I wish to thank them for financing this work.
I would also like to thank my family for all the support during my studies in Helsinki University of Technology as well as in Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
In Otaniemi, February 15, 1996
Jaakko Hollmén