Process and a device for continuous casting of slabs or ingots
AssigneeSMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellshaft
InventorHans Streubel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a process and apparatus for the continuous casting of slabs and blooms which uses a soft-reduction line including a pair of movable rollers arranged in a plane perpendicular to slab movement and a mechanism for driving the rollers towards each other and an adjustable spindle for holding the rollers apart by a desired gap, the load on the spindle is reduced during the spindle adjustment process. This reduction in load may be temporary in which case, after the adjustment is complete and the new gap has been established, the spindle load is retuned to its pre-adjustment value. Alternatively, the spindle can operate in a reduced load condition permanently in which case the desired gap can be set continuously using the reduced-load spindle with only a small spindle adjustment force being necessary.
Claims7
A process for continuous casting of slabs and blooms in a casting machine by means of a soft-reduction area including at least a pair of movable rollers arranged in a plane perpendicular to the casting direction, a hydraulic cylinder for driving the rollers towards each other and an adjustable spindle for holding the rollers apart by a desired gap, the process comprising the steps of:
- A. measuring a force applied to the spindle which keeps the rollers separated;
- B. using the force measured in step A to control the hydraulic cylinder to reduce the force to a predetermined value, the predetermined value being substantially less than a value of the force measured in step A;
- and
- C. adjusting the spindle respectively to locate the rollers at the desired gap when the force has been reduced to the predetermined value.
A process for continuous casting of slabs and blooms in a casting machine by means of a soft-reduction area including a pair of movable rollers arranged in a plane perpendicular to a casting direction, a hydraulic cylinder for driving the rollers towards each other and an adjustable spindle for holding the rollers apart by a desired gap, the process comprising the steps of:
- A. reducing from a normal load value to a predetermined value a force applied to the spindle which keeps the rollers separated, the predetermined value being substantially less than the normal load value;
- B. adjusting the spindle when the force has been reduced the predetermined value, by moving an adjustable stop against which the spindle bears from an initial position to a final position as the slab or bloom passes through the rollers;
- and
- C. increasing the force to the normal load value to allow casting to continue at the normal load value with the spindle adjusted according to step B.
Apparatus for continuous casting of slabs and blooms in a casting machine by means of a soft-reduction area including a pair of movable rollers arranged in a plane perpendicular to the casting direction, a hydraulic cylinder for driving the rollers towards each other and an adjustable spindle for holding the rollers apart by a desired gap, the apparatus comprising:
- a strain gauge for measuring a value of a force applied to the spindle which keeps the rollers separated;
- a control apparatus, responsive to the measured force value, for controlling the hydraulic cylinder reduce the force value to a predetermined value, the predetermined value being substantially less than the measured force value;
- and
- an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the spindle when the force value has been reduced to the predetermined value, whereby the spindles are adjusted when a force thereon is substantially less than a normal load force applied during casting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.