Method and apparatus for continuous casting and hot-rolling

Apparatus for continuous casting and hot-rolling of metal to produce metal strip, comprising, in a continuous production line:

• (i) a continuous caster for continuously casting said metal to produce cast slab,
• (ii) cutting means for cutting said cast slab into slab lengths,
• (iii) a hot-rolling mill train for rolling said slab lengths into said metal strip, and
• (iv) at least one thermally insulated zone through which said slab lengths travel in said continuous production line between said cutting means and said hot-rolling mill train,
• (v) a thermally insulated storage chamber, adapted for storing at least one of said slab lengths, and arranged off-line with respect to said continuous production line and located alongside said thermally insulated zone, and
• (vi) slab transfer means for transferring said slab lengths to and fro between said thermally insulated zone and said thermally insulated storage chamber,
• wherein said storage chamber includes an opening covered by a selectively closable door and extending parallel to a travel direction of a slab length in the thermally insulated zone with an opening length corresponding to said slab length for accommodating lateral transfer of a slab length by said slab transfer means between the insulated zone and the insulated storage chamber.

A method of continuous casting and hot-rolling of metal to produce metal strip, wherein the following steps are carried out in sequence in a continuous production line:

• (i) continuously casting said metal to produce cast slab,
• (ii) cutting said cast slab into slab lengths,
• (iii) passing said slab lengths through a thermally insulated zone in which temperature homogenization takes place in said slab lengths, and
• (iv) hot-rolling said slab lengths in a hot rolling mill train to produce said metal strip,
• said method being characterized by, in the event of a stoppage in the operation of said hot-rolling mill train, transferring at least one said slab length laterally from said thermally insulated zone into a thermally insulated storage zone alongside said thermally insulated zone, and by transferring said at least one slab length back from said storage zone to said thermally insulated zone when it is required for hot-rolling,
• wherein said transferring said at least one slab length between the thermally insulated zone and the thermally insulated storage zone is carried out by transferring said at least one slab length through an opening of the thermally insulated zone which is covered by a selectively closable door and extends parallel to a travel direction of the slab length in the thermally insulated zone with an opening length corresponding to said slab length.

A continuous production line for continuous casting and hot rolling of metal to produce metal strip, comprising;

• a continuous caster for producing cast slab,
• a cutter for cutting the cast slab into slab lengths,
• a hot-rolling mill train for rolling said cast slab lengths into metal strip,
• a temperature maintaining furnace disposed between the cutter and the hot-rolling mill train,
• a thermally insulated storage chamber for temporarily storing said cast slab lengths during interruption of operation of the hot-rolling train to thereby accommodate continuous operation of the continuous caster,
• the furnace and the storage chamber having respective facing lateral openings extending parallel to a travel direction of slab lengths through the furnace, said openings having a length sufficient to accommodate lateral transfer of slab lengths between the furnace and storage chamber,
• and a slab length transfer conveyor for transferring the slab lengths laterally through said openings from the furnace to the storage chamber during interruption of operation of the hot rolling train and from the storage chamber back to the furnace after recommencement of operation of the hot rolling train and after completion of emptying of the caster, whereby interruption in operation of the hot rolling train is accommodated without interrupting completion of emptying of the caster and without requiring any additional length to the production line to accommodate temporary slab lengths storage in the storage chamber.

A method for continuous casting and hot rolling of metal to produce metal strip, comprising:

• producing cast slab in a continuous caster,
• cutting the cast slab into slab lengths at a cutter,
• hot rolling said cast slab lengths to metal strip in a hot rolling mill train,
• maintaining the temperature of said cast slab lengths in a temperature maintaining furnace disposed between the cutter and the hot-rolling mill train,
• temporarily storing the cast slab lengths in a thermally insulated storage chamber for temporarily storing said cast slab lengths during interruption of operation of the hot-rolling train to thereby accommodate continuous operation of the continuous caster,
• the furnace and the storage chamber having respective facing lateral openings extending parallel to a travel direction of the slab lengths through the furnace, said openings having a length sufficient to accommodate lateral transfer of the slab lengths between the furnace and storage chamber,
• and selectively transferring the slab lengths laterally through said openings from the furnace to the storage chamber during interruption of operation of the hot rolling train and from the storage chamber back to the furnace after recommencement of operation of the hot rolling train and after completion of emptying of the caster, whereby interruption in operation of the hot rolling train is accommodated without interrupting completion of emptying of the caster and without requiring any additional length to the production line to accommodate temporary slab storage in the storage chamber.