US3693701A

US3693701A - Continuous casting plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals

Info

Publication number: US3693701A
Application number: US100705A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herbert V Waclawiczek
Original assignee: Voestalpine AG
Current assignee: Voestalpine AG; Voest AG
Priority date: 1970-01-09
Filing date: 1970-12-22
Publication date: 1972-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-26
Also published as: BE761100A; CA931320A; FR2076003B1; AT298712B; CH536150A; DE7046582U; GB1339918A; DE2062127A1; FR2076003A1; ES386903A1; BR7100122D0

Abstract

The invention envisages a plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals comprising an intermediate supply vessel having a substantially horizontal outlet duct, a water-cooled mould arranged with play substantially in alignment with said outlet duct, a cooling passage including guide means for continuous cast stock following said mould, and reshaping means for further processing said cast stock, in which the mould is arranged to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and connected to a rocking drive for oscillatory movement of said mould in peripheral direction relative to said supply vessel, said play between said mould and said supply vessel being sealed by a covering ring having inlet means for introduction of a lubricating and sealing agent. By adoption of the new arrangement according to the invention it is possible to reduce the construction height of continuous casting bays, thereby eliminating any risks of accidents involved in the previous cascade arrangement.

Description

United States atet Waclawiczek [451 Sept. 26, 1972 [54] CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT FOR CONTINUGUSLY CASTING HOT [73] Assignee: Vereinigte Osterreichishhe Eisenund Stahlwerke Aktiengesellschait,

Muldenstrasse, Linz, Austria 22 Filed: Dee.22, 1970 21 Appl.No.: 100,705

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Jan. 9, 1970 Austria ..A 166/70 [52] U.S. Cl. ..164/260, 164/83, 164/281 [51] Int. Cl. ..B22d 1l/I0 [58] Field of Search ..164/73, 76, 82, 83, 260, 268, 164/270, 283

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,040,396 6/1962 Hudson ..164/73 3,598,173 8/1971 Dore et al ..164/268 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,313,398 11/1962 France ..164/276 896,988 11/1953 Germany ..164/83 Primary ExaminerR. Spencer Annear AttorneyBrumbaugh, Graves, Donohue & Raymond [57] ABSTRACT The invention envisages a plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals comprising an intermediate supply vessel having a substantially horizontal outlet duct, a water-cooled mould arranged with play substantially in alignment with said outlet duct, a cooling passage including guide means for continuous cast stock following said mould, and reshaping means for further processing said cast stock, in which the mould is arranged to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and connected to a rocking drive for oscillatory movement of said mould in peripheral direction relative to said supply vessel, said play between said mould and said supply vessel being sealed by a covering ring having inlet means for introduction of a lubricating and sealing agent. By adoption of the new arrangement according to the invention it is possible to reduce the construction height of continuous casting bays, thereby eliminating any risks of accidents involved in the previous cascade arrangement.

1 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures PAIENTEnsms I972 INVENTOR. By HEZBERT WACLAWICZEK M m5 ATTOKNEYS CONTINIJGUS CASTING PLANT F03 CONTINUOUSLY ASTING HGT LIQUID METALS The invention relates to a continuous casting plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals comprising a tundish or a supply funnel and a water-cooled, preferably horizontally arranged mould from which the cast bar is drawn, further cooled and, if desired, reshaped under stretching.

' In most continuous casting plants which are in operation today the casting platform is arranged relatively high above mill floor level so that the casting ladle has to be lifted. This necessitates an adequately high casting bay and may lead toaccidents. Therefore attempts have been made to build continuous casting plants with as low a height as possible. In the customary plants the mould is usually arranged vertically and the cast bar leaves the mould vertically in downward direction, whereupon, after passing a cooling zone, it is drawn or bent into horizontal direction. The mould. may also have the shape of a circular arc so that the bar follows a circular line when leaving the mould. For operational and metallurgical reasons the radius of this are must not fall below a given measure which determines the limit in any attempt to reduce the construction height of a continuous casting plant. The best solution of the problem to build with a low height would be the application of the horizontal continuous casting process, in which the mould is arranged horizontally and the steel flows from a heat retention furnace or some other intermediate vessel directly into the mould.

In order to prevent the solidifying bar' shell from sticking to the mould wall it is necessary in continuous casting to create a relative movement between the mould wall and the drawn bar so that the mould is oscillated in the direction of its longitudinal axis. In vertical continuous casting plants this oscillating-of the mould does not present any problems. The only disadvantage is the constantly changing width of the gap between the lower margin of the mould and the first pair of supporting and guiding rollers; the bar shell is very thin in this area and there is the danger that the bar might break through. Therefore one is forced to limit the casting speed to a degree at which it will be assured that the casting shell has a sufficient thickness and an adequate strength in relation to the ferrostatic pressure of the liquid bar core.

In horizontal continuous casting, however, the oscillation of the mould in longitudinal direction of the bar has met with major difficulties because it is scarcely feasible to provide for a sealing towards the tundish or heat retention furnace which is directly connected with the mould; this problem of sealing so far has prevented any large scale application of the horizontal continuous casting process.

The invention is aimed at avoiding these disadvantages and difficulties and in a continuous casting plant of the kind defined in the introductory part resides in that the mould is arranged to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and connected with a drive adapted to periodically change the direction of rotation so as to oscillate the mould in peripheral direction. A horizontal mould mounted to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis is known per se. In the known construction, however, the mould and the bar are rotated in the same sense and; with the same angular velocity around eir co on ion 'tudinal is soasto reve t the bar rom stic ing to e moufion one S186 an thus, an uneven cooling of the bar or heating of the mould, respectively, as well as the disadvantages caused thereby (bending and jamming of the bar and the mould).-The rotation drive thus does not cause an oscillating relative movement between the mould and the bar; for the oscillating movement of the mould an individual drive is provided which, in customary manner, moves the mold to and fro in the direction of its longitudinal axis.

The gap between the tundish or the supply funnel, respectively, and the mould is suitably surrounded by a covering ring into which via a conduit a lubricating and sealing agent may be introduced.

'Since in such a continuous casting plant only. round cast bars may be produced at least one rolling stand for stretch-rolling round billets into, if desired, quadrangular, e.g., square, or polygonal, rolled products may be provided.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood it shall now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which;

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a horizontal continuous casting plant and;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a mould along the line II-II of FIG. 1. v

The liquid steel is cast from a ladle or heat retention furnace 1 into a tundish 2 having a refractory lining; the water cooled mould 3 is directly joined to this tundish. The cast bar 4 is drawn out by means of a device not shown in the drawing. The bar 4 comprises a solidifying bar shell 5 and a liquid core 6. Numeral 7 denotes supporting and guiding rollers. The bar is further cooled by means of a water cooling device 8. The cooling zone is followed by several rolling stands destined for further shaping of the bar. Two

horizontal rolling stands

9, 9

and two vertical rolling stands 10, 10' are provided for. Using the stretch-rolling process, it is possible to obtain products of any desired cross section and to convert at the same time the structure as cast into a rolled structure.-

The mould 3 is provided with a ring 11 having a conduit 12 for supplying a lubricant into the gap 13 between the tundish 2 and the mould 3. The ring 11 may be rigidly connected with the mould 3. The mould is arranged on rollers 14 to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and is moved by means of a motor 17 via a

crankdrive

15, 16 so as to be oscillated in peripheral direction as illustrated by a double arrow in FIG. 2.

I claim:

l. A plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals comprising an intermediate supply vessel having a substantially horizontal outlet duct, a water-cooled mould arranged with play substantially in alignment with said outlet duct, a cooling passage including guide means for continuous cast stock following said mould, and reshaping means for further processing said cast stock, said mould being arranged to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and connected to a rocking drive for oscillatory movement of said mould in peripheral direction relative to said supply vessel, said play between said mould and said supply vessel being sealed by a covering ring having inlet means for introduction of a lubricating and sealing agent.

* IF i

Claims

1. A plant for continuously casting hot liquid metals comprising an intermediate supply vessel having a substantially horizontal outlet duct, a water-cooled mould arranged with play substantially in alignment with said outlet duct, a cooling passage including guide means for continuous cast stock following said mould, and reshaping means for further processing said cast stock, said mould being arranged to be rotatable around its longitudinal axis and connected to a rocking drive for oscillatory movement of said mould in peripheral direction relative to said supply vessel, said play between said mould and said supply vessel being sealed by a covering ring having inlet means for introduction of a lubricating and sealing agent.