Steel plant for the production of long metal products and corresponding production method

Steel plant for the production of long metal products comprising:

• a continuous casting machine;
• a rolling mill disposed downstream of the continuous casting machine;
• one or more transfer paths for the semifinished cast products, configured to connect the continuous casting machine and the rolling mill;
• and further comprising:
• at least one maintenance and/or heating furnace to maintain at temperature and/or to heat semifinished cast products, disposed near the transfer paths;
• a discharge plate for the semifinished cast products;
• an aerial transfer device configured to transfer rapidly by aerial path semifinished cast products between the one or more transfer paths, the maintenance and/or heating furnace and the discharge plate;
• wherein said maintenance and/or heating furnace and said discharge plate are positioned externally to the continuous casting machine and the rolling mill, on reciprocally opposite sides with respect to a work axis defined by the continuous casting machine and the rolling mill, and in that said aerial transfer device is configured mobile transversely to the work axis, in order to serve the maintenance and/or heating furnace and the discharge plate;
• and
• further wherein said continuous casting machine and said rolling mill comprise respectively two casting lines and two rolling lines aligned with each other along at least a work direction, which defines the direction of the flow of material from the continuous casting machine to the rolling mill, and connected by two transfer paths, wherein said discharge plate is located laterally and externally in proximity to one of said transfer paths and said aerial transfer device slides above at least said transfer paths and said discharge plate.

Method for the production of long metal products, comprising continuous casting, rolling downstream of the continuous casting and transfer of semifinished cast products by means of one or more transfer paths from continuous casting to rolling, and further comprising:

• maintaining at temperature and/or heating semifinished cast products in a maintenance and/or heating furnace at the one or more transfer paths between casting and rolling;
• discharging semifinished cast products in a discharge plate;
• rapid transfer by aerial path of semifinished cast products between the one or more transfer paths, the maintenance and/or heating furnace and the discharge plate;
• further comprising positioning semifinished cast products in segments on the one or more transfer paths, subsequently to pick up said semifinished cast products from the one or more transfer paths, to transfer by aerial path said semifinished cast products toward the maintenance and/or heating furnace, to maintain said semifinished cast products in the maintenance and/or heating furnace, to transfer said semifinished cast products by aerial path from the maintenance and/or heating furnace toward the one or more transfer paths and to send said semifinished cast products for rolling, where they are rolled;
• and
• further wherein, after positioning said semifinished cast products on the one or more transfer paths, and before transferring the semifinished cast products to said maintenance and/or heating furnace, the method provides to transfer by aerial path said semifinished cast products toward the discharge plate.