Method of and apparatus for continuously rolling steel slabs

An apparatus for producing a strip by a hot rolling process including the steps of welding a piece of slab at its leading end to the trailing end of a steel slab while transferring said steel slab by making said piece of slab follow said steel slab, moving said steel slab including successive steel slab pieces welded together in series through a heating furnace to heat said steel slab, and effecting a hot rolling of said steel slab by passing said steel slab through a rolling mill, characterized by comprising:

• a first transfer passage means for delivering pieces of steel slab;
• a second transfer passage means for moving said steel slab through a hot rolling mill continuously;
• rails disposed ahead of said first transfer passage means and extending forwardly with respect to the moving direction;
• carriage means to receive said pieces of steel slab delivered from said first transfer passage means and to move on said rails from said first transfer passage means to said second transfer passage means, at the same speed as said moving steel slab while keeping the leading end of said piece of steel slab in abutment with the trailing end of said steel slab;
• welder means mounted on said carriage for welding the piece of steel slab on said carriage to said steel slab, and provided with means for driving said welder in the direction parallel to the joint line between abuting ends of said steel slab and said piece of steel slab during said welding;
• and means for shearing said steel slab at the welded joint line after it has passed through the hot rolling mill.

An apparatus for continuously rolling slab steel comprising:

• a serial linear arrangement of a front table, a carriage having an inlet table and an outlet table, a rear table, and a rolling mill;
• said front table having a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted in a common plane for supporting pieces of steel slab, and at least one of said rollers including power means for selectively driving it to feed said pieces of steel slab in a path parallel to said linear arrangement to said carriage;
• said rear table having a plurality of rollers arranged in said common plane for supporting a continuous strip of slab steel during its movement along said path and into said rolling mill;
• said carriage having a length along said path that is substantially less than the distance between adjacent ends of said front table and said rear table, and said carriage being mounted for reciprocating movement along said path from closely adjacent said front table to closely adjacent said rear table;
• said inlet table of said carriage having a plurality of rolles arranged in said common plane for supporting pieces of steel slab, fed from said front table, and at least one of its rollers including power means for selectively driving it;
• said outlet table of said carriage having a plurality of rollers arranged in said common plane for supporting said continuous strip of slab steel;
• control means for actuating said power means of said front table and said power means of said inlet table of said carriage to advance successive pieces of steel slab at a speed greater than the speed of the moving strip to abut each piece of steel slab, successively, with the trailing edge of said strip when said carriage is closely adjacent said front table;
• said carriage having mounted thereon means butt welding the leading edge of a piece of steel slab on said inlet table to the trailing edge of said continuous strip of slab steel on said outlet table;
• and
• means for driving said carriage from closely adjacent said front table toward said rear table at the same speed as said strip of slab steel during operation of said welding means;
• and
• means for thereafter returning said carriage to closely adjacent said front table.