Process of and apparatus for continuous casting with detection of possibility of break out

A process of continuous casting comprising the steps of:

• casting molten metal to one end of a continuous casting mold at a given controlled casting speed;
• drawing solidifying cast block from the other end of said continuous casting mold at a given drawing speed;
• measuring the temperature of a wall of said continuous casting mold at a plurality of temperature measuring points oriented in circumferential alignment with a given interval;
• deriving the rates of temperature change at respective temperature measuring points;
• deriving an average rate of temperature change based on the rates of temperature change of respective temperature measuring points;
• deriving a difference between the rate of temperature change at each temperature measuring point and said average rate of temperature change;
• comparing the derived difference with a predetermined threshold for detecting abnormal temperature change of each temperature measuring point;
• observing sequential distribution and propagation of abnormal temperature measuring points for detecting possibility of break out when predetermined pattern of sequential distribution and propagation of the abnormal temperature measuring points is detected;
• and
• controlling at least one of casting speed and drawing speed for preventing the cast block from causing break out.

A system for detecting break out in continuous casting comprising:

• a plurality of temperature measuring devices arranged in circumferential alignment with a given interval on a wall of a continuous casting mold for measuring temperature of said wall at respective temperature measuring points and producing casting wall temperature indicative signals representative of the measured temperatures at respective temperature measuring points;
• first means for deriving rates of temperature change at respective temperature measuring points;
• means for deriving and average rate of temperature change based on the rates of temperature change of respective temperature measuring points;
• second means for deriving a difference between the rate of temperature change at each temperature measuring point and said average rate of temperature change;
• and
• third means for comparing the derived difference with a predetermined threshold for detecting abnormal temperature change of each temperature measuring point, and observing sequential distribution and propagation of abnormal temperature measuring points for detecting possibility of break out when a predetermined pattern of sequential distribution and propagation of the abnormal temperature measuring points is detected.

A continuous casting apparatus for casting molten metal to one end of a continuous casting mold at a given controlled casting speed, and drawing solidifying cast block from the other end of said continuous casting mold at a given drawing speed, comprising:

• a plurality of temperature measuring devices, arranged in circumferential alignment on the wall of said casting mold, for measuring temperatures of the wall of said continuous casting mold at a plurality of temperature measuring points oriented in circumferential alignment with a given interval between them, each of said temperature measuring devices producing a temperature indicative signal indicate of the measured temperature at an associated temperature measuring point;
• first means for receiving said temperature indicative signals from said temperature measuring devices and deriving rates of temperature change at said respective temperature measuring points to produce rate of temperature change data;
• second means for receiving said rate of temperature change data from said first means and for deriving an average rate of temperature change based on the rates of temperature change of said respective temperature measuring points, said second means producing average rate of temperature change data;
• third means for comparing said rate of temperature change data of respective temperature measuring points with said average rate of temperature change for deriving a difference between the rate of temperature change data at each temperature measuring point and said average rate of temperature change;
• fourth means for comparing the derived difference with a predetermined threshold for detecting abnormal temperature changes of each temperature measuring point;
• fifth means for observing sequential distribution and propagation of abnormal temperature measuring points for detecting possibility of break out when a predetermined pattern of sequential distribution and propagation of the abnormal temperature measuring points is detected;
• and
• sixth means for controlling at least one of casting speed and drawing speed for preventing the cast block from causing break out.