US 5,626,183 AGranted

System for a crown control roll casting machine

AssigneeFata Hunter, Inc.

InventorsChristopher A. Romanowski, Bruno Amateis

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Abstract

The local thickness across the width of a cast sheet is regulated by controlling the crown of the work rolls in a twin roll continuous casting machine producing the sheet. The work roll crowns are controlled by providing differential cooling in a plurality of cooling subsystems along the length of the rolls. The work rolls contain inlet and outlet water plenums which are connected to peripheral cooling channels between a core and an outer shell of each roll. Water flow to the cooling subsystems is controlled by a movable sleeve within the outlet plenum. In a first position of the sleeve, water is permitted to flow through all areas of the work rolls providing an even heat removal. In a second position, a greater portion of water flows through cooling subsystems in the center portion of the work rolls resulting in increased removal of heat from the center area of the core, reducing the temperature in this area, and thus reducing the crown of the work roll. The sleeve in each roll may be moved incrementally between the first and second positions to provide incremental control over the size of the work roll crowns and the resulting crown of the sheet produced by the rolls. A water manager diverts inlet water to the off-center inlet plenums in the core while removing discharge water from the central outlet plenum. The water manager provides a fluid-tight bearing for a linear actuator acting on the sleeve.

Claims57

Dependent claims

A roll casting machine including a pair of work rolls mounted in a frame for rotation about a centerline of said rolls, each roll including a shell mounted on a central core and a nozzle for introducing molten metal between said rolls, at least one of said rolls including a cooling system for controlling the shape of said roll, comprising:

at least two axially aligned inlet plenums located parallel to said centerline within said core for allowing cooling water to enter said roll;
a single outlet plenum located concentrically along the centerline of the core of said roll for allowing water to exit said roll;
a number of circumferential cooling channels formed between said shell and said core;
a number of substantially radial inlet passages connecting each inlet plenum to said channels on said core;
a number of radial outlet passages connecting said channels to said outlet plenum;
a sleeve located in said outlet plenum and connected to said roll for rotation therewith, said sleeve having a number of openings therein;
a water manager having a rotating portion attached to said roll and a fixed portion attached to the frame, said water manager including a thrust bearing journalled to an end of said sleeve, wherein said sleeve rotates with said roll and extends out one end of the roll;
a linear actuator attached to said fixed portion of said water manager, the linear actuator providing linear displacement to said sleeve through said thrust bearing for moving said sleeve between a first position where said openings in said sleeve are aligned with said radial outlet passages along the length of said roll, and a second position where said openings are aligned with said outlet passages only in particular areas along the length of said roll, whereby the shape of said roll is controlled by the variation in temperature along said roll caused by differentially metering the cooling water flow rate through various ones of said outlet passages with respect to other outlet passages along the roll, more cooling water flowing through a particular outlet passage resulting in more cooling and a smaller roll diameter at that axial location from thermal contraction of the core, and less cooling water resulting in less cooling and a larger roll diameter from thermal expansion of the core.

5 more elements

An apparatus for roll casting molten metal comprising:

a frame;
first and second work rolls rotatably mounted parallel and adjacent to each other in said frame, each roll including a shell mounted on a central core, said core being of solid construction over a majority of the cross-sectional area defined by the interior of said shell in order to withstand large compressive forces exerted on the exterior of the roll;
a fluid cooling system within at least one of raid rolls defined by at least two cooling subsystems spaced apart along the axial length of said roll, said subsystems comprising:
a cooling channel circumferentially disposed about said core;
three fluid inlet passages each in fluid communication with said channel, said fluid inlet passages terminating in apertures at the exterior of said core spaced 120.degree. circumferentially from each other;
and
three fluid outlet passages each in fluid communication with said channel, said fluid outlet passages terminating in mouths at the exterior of the core spaced 120.degree. circumferentially from each other end spaced from said inlet passage apertures by 60.degree.;
three inlet plenums located in said core each of which is in fluid communication a different inlet passage;
an outlet plenum in said core located along a centerline of said roll in fluid communication with all three outlet passages;
and
a metering member positioned within said outlet plenum and adapted to vary the flow of cooling fluid through said outlet passages and control the flow rate of cooling fluid through said cooling subsystem.

8 more elements

An apparatus for controlling the flow rate of fluid through a rotating work roll of a roll caster, the work roll mounted to rotate on a rigid support and including at least one inlet cooling fluid plenum and an outlet cooling fluid plenum heated along a centerline of the roll, the roll having passages formed therein spaced along its axial length for circulating cooling fluid to a peripheral region, each passage terminating at a radially inner opening at the intersection with the outlet cooling plenum, comprising:

a fixed outer jacket mounted on a frame at one end of the roll, the frame being in a fixed relationship with respect to the roll support;
a fluid inlet pipe attached to the jacket;
a fluid outlet pipe attached to the jacket;
a rotatable partition concentrically located within the jacket and connected to the roll so as to rotate therewith along the roll axis;
and
a sleeve located partially within the outlet plenum of the roll and located partially within the rotatable partition, the sleeve having apertures in registry with the openings and being adapted to control the flow of cooling fluid to separate regions along the length of the roll upon displacement in a first movement direction with respect to the partition.

3 more elements

A method of circulating cooling fluid to and from peripheral cooling channels of a roll of a roll caster, the roll having passages formed therein spaced along its axial length for circulating cooling fluid to said peripheral channels, each passage terminating at a radially inner opening at the intersection with a central fluid outlet cooling plenum formed in the roll, the roll further including at least one axially extending fluid inlet cooling plenum offset from the roll axis, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying inlet cooling fluid to a first port of a fixed jacket mounted on a frame at one end of the roll, the frame being in a fixed relationship with respect to a rigid roll support;
extracting outlet cooling fluid from a second port of the jacket;
rotating a partition with the roll and along the roll axis, the partition being concentrically located within the jacket;
and
displacing a sleeve in a first movement direction with respect to the partition, the sleeve located partially within the outlet plenum of the roll and partially within the rotatable partition, the sleeve having apertures and being adapted to control the flow of cooling fluid from the cooling passage openings along the length of the roll upon said displacement.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/095,761Filed 20 Jul 1993 · continuation in part
Priority: 14 Jul 1989
Granted: 6 May 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

B22D 11/0682
For cooling the cast product during its passage through the mould surfaces: by cooling the casting wheel
B22D 11/0622
Into moulds with travelling walls, e.g. with rolls, plates, belts, caterpillars: formed by two casting wheels
B22D
Casting of metals