Continuously operable production plant and method for operating the production plant when there is a fault

Method of operating a production plant, comprising arranged in a row one after another, a thin slab continuous casting machine (1), a roller hearth furnace (2) for receiving a cast strand (1a) or at least one cut-off section of the cast strand (1a), a rolling mill (3) for rolling the cast strand (1a) or the cut-off section thereof that was heated or kept warm in the roller hearth furnace (2), and an associated coiler (21), wherein the continuous casting machine (1) and the rolling mill (3) are operable in a continuous operating mode, and wherein the roller hearth furnace (2) is associated with a furnace ferry system (15) arranged laterally with respect to the roller hearth furnace (2), and the rolling mill (3) has a first stand group (12), a second stand group (13), and a heating device (18), in particular an induction heating device provided between the first and second stand groups (12, 13), and wherein upstream of the roller hearth furnace (2) in displacement direction of the slab, there is provided first slab or strip cutting device (10), in particular strip cutting shears, preferably pendulum shears, and at an outlet side, in the slab displacement direction, of the roller hearth furnace (2) and upstream of the first stand group (12) of the rolling mill (3), there is provided second slab or strip cutting device (14), wherein the second slab or strip cutting device (14) is formed as a flame cutting device, and wherein in an outlet region of the roller hearth furnace (2), preferably in an elongate section of the roller hearth furnace (2) having a length corresponding to a longitudinal extent of the furnace ferry (16), a third slab or strip cutting device (17) formed as a flame cutting device, is provided and on an outlet side, in the strip displacement direction, of the first stand group (12) of the rolling mill (3) upstream of the heating device 18, a fourth slab and strip cutting device (24), in particular a strip shears, preferably a drum shears, is provided, the method being characterized in that:

• at a standstill of a slab or strip transportation during an accident in the production plant, all of the first through fourth slab or strip cutting devices (10, 14, 17, 24) are activated, and
• the thin slab or at least a cut-off section thereof and the strip are cut-off at respective positions of the first through fourth slab or strip cutting devices (10, 14, 17, 24).