US 5,414,923 A · Method and apparatus for intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line

Abstract

A method and apparatus of making coiled plate, sheet in coiled form or discrete plate. The apparatus is an intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line. The apparatus includes a continuous strip caster forming a strand of between about 3.5 and 5.5 inches thick; a shear for cutting the strand into a slab of desired length; a slab table including a slab takeoff operable transverse of the conveyor table; a slab collection and storage area adjacent to the slab conveyor table adapted to receive slab from the slab takeoff; a reheat furnace having an entry inline with both the slab conveyor table and the slab collection and storage area for receiving slabs from either; a feed and run back table at the exit of the reheat furnace; a hot reversing mill for reducing the slab to a thickness sufficient for coiling in a minimum number of flat passes; a pair of coiler furnaces located on opposite sides of the hot reversing mill; and a finishing line downstream of the pair of coiler furnaces.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of making coiled plate, sheet in coil form or discrete plate comprising the steps of:

a) continuously casting a strand having a thickness between about 3.5 inches to about 5.5 inches;
b) shearing said strand into a slab of predetermined length;
c) feeding the slab into an inline heating furnace;
d) extracting said slab onto a continuous processing line including a hot reversing mill having a coiler furnace on each of an upstream side and downstream side thereof;
e) flat passing said slab back and forth through said mill to form an intermediate product of a thickness sufficient for coiling after a minimum number of said flat passes through the mill;
f) coiling said intermediate product in one of said upstream or downstream coiler furnaces;
g) passing said coiled intermediate product back and forth through said mill to reduce said coiled intermediate product to an end product of desired thickness, said intermediate product being collected in and fed out of each of said coiler furnaces on each pass through the mill;
and
h) finishing said end product into one of coiled plate, discrete plate or sheet in coil form.

6 more elements

An intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line comprising:

a) a continuous strip caster means for forming a strand of about 3.5 inches to about 5.5 inches thick;
b) an inline shear downstream of said caster means for cutting said strand to a slab of a desired length;
c) a slab conveyor table inline with said shear and including a slab takeoff operable transverse of said conveyor table;
d) a slab collection and storage area adjacent the slab conveyor table adapted to receive slabs from said slab takeoff;
e) a reheat furnace having an entry end inline with said slab conveyor table and said slab collection and storage area for receiving slabs from either;
f) a feed and run back table positioned at an exit end of said reheat furnace;
g) a hot reversing mill means inline with said feed and run back table for reducing said slab exiting the reheat furnace to an intermediate thickness product of a thickness sufficient for coiling in a minimum number of flat passes;
h) a pair of coiler furnaces, one located upstream of said hot reversing mill means and the other located downstream, said coiler furnaces capable of receiving and paying out said intermediate thickness product as it is passed between the coiler furnaces and through said hot reversing mill means so as to be reduced to an end product thickness;
and
i) a finishing line downstream of and inline with said pair of coiler furnaces and said hot reversing mill means.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15