Patents by Inventor Gerald Eckerstorfer

Gerald Eckerstorfer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9694403
    Abstract: A method for reducing the strip tension of a rolling stock, may include: transporting the rolling stock using a roller table between two successive rolling units, wherein a rolling stock loop is formed in a depression in a section of the roller table between the two rolling units, the rolling stock loop being supported by the roller table at least in one off-center portion of the section, wherein the supporting line of the roller table in this portion corresponds to the catenary curve of the free span; measuring a loop depth of the rolling stock loop; calculating a desired value of the loop depth that corresponds substantially to the free span, e.g., depending on the material, thickness and temperature of the rolling stock; controlling the main drives and/or the gap adjustment of the rolling units based on the desired value and the measured loop depth, such that the loop depth substantially corresponds to the desired value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: PRIMETALS TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRIA GMBH
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Ansgar Grüss, Otto Schmid
  • Patent number: 9296027
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for continuously or semi-continuously producing hot steel strip which, starting from a slab guided through a slab-guiding device, is rolled in a roughing train having at least four-stands, the method comprising: casting a slab in a die, the slab being reduced to a thickness of between 60 and 95 mm in a liquid core reduction process by the adjoining slab-guiding device, a slab support length measured between the meniscus, i.e., the bath level, of the die and an end of the slab-guiding device facing the roughing train being between 12 m and 15.5 m, and a casting speed ranging from 3.8 to 7 m/min. The disclosed combination of casting parameters may ensure that the crater tip of the slab extends to the vicinity of the end of the slab-guiding device independently of the respective maximum casting speeds which are dependent on the particular grade of material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS VAI METALS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Watzinger
  • Patent number: 9289807
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for continuously or semi-continuously producing hot steel strip which, starting from a slab guided through a slab-guiding device, is rolled in, for example, an at least four-stand roughing train to form an intermediate strip and, in a further sequence in a finish rolling train, into a final strip. The thickness of a slab cast in a die is reduced in the liquid core reduction process by means of the adjoining slab-guiding device to between 85 and 120 mm, a slab support length measured between the meniscus, i.e., the bath level, of the die and an end of the slab-guiding device facing the roughing train being at least 18.5 m, a casting speed ranging from 3.8 to 7 m/min, and slabs of different thicknesses being cast as a function of given casting speeds. Using the disclosed casting parameters, high-quality finishing may be provided with high production capacities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: SIEMENS VAI METALS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Watzinger
  • Publication number: 20150314350
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus for preparing steel stock before hot rolling. The steps of preheating the stock (5, 16, 22) in a first induction furnace (6) so that the preheated stock enters a subsequent descaling apparatus (7) with a surface temperature of T1?1000° C.; descaling the preheated stock by a plurality of water jets in a descaling apparatus (7); direct subsequent heating of the descaled stock in a second induction furnace (8), where the descaled stock enters the second induction furnace (8) at a temperature T2 which is ?Tcurie of the stock and heating in the second induction furnace 8 is either in a largely inert or largely reducing protective gas atmosphere; passing the heated stock in a rolling mill (9), where the heated stock enters the rolling mill (9) at a temperature 1220° C.?T3 1050° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2015
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Inventors: Gerald ECKERSTORFER, Gerald HOHENBICHLER, Bernd LINZER
  • Patent number: 9108234
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus for preparing steel stock before hot rolling. The steps of preheating the stock (5, 16, 22) in a first induction furnace (6) so that the preheated stock enters a subsequent descaling apparatus (7) with a surface temperature of T1?1000° C.; descaling the preheated stock by a plurality of water jets in a descaling apparatus (7); direct subsequent heating of the descaled stock in a second induction furnace (8), where the descaled stock enters the second induction furnace (8) at a temperature T2 which is ?Tcurie of the stock and heating in the second induction furnace 8 is either in a largely inert or largely reducing protective gas atmosphere; passing the heated stock in a rolling mill (9), where the heated stock enters the rolling mill (9) at a temperature 1220° C.?T3 1050° C.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: SIEMENS VAI METALS TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Bernd Linzer
  • Publication number: 20140096578
    Abstract: A process and an apparatus for preparing steel stock before hot rolling. The steps of preheating the stock (5, 16, 22) in a first induction furnace (6) so that the preheated stock enters a subsequent descaling apparatus (7) with a surface temperature of T1?1000° C.; descaling the preheated stock by a plurality of water jets in a descaling apparatus (7); direct subsequent heating of the descaled stock in a second induction furnace (8), where the descaled stock enters the second induction furnace (8) at a temperature T2 which is ?Tcurie of the stock and heating in the second induction furnace 8 is either in a largely inert or largely reducing protective gas atmosphere; passing the heated stock in a rolling mill (9), where the heated stock enters the rolling mill (9) at a temperature 1220° C.?T3 1050° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: April 10, 2014
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Bernd Linzer
  • Publication number: 20130192790
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for continuously or semi-continuously producing hot steel strip which, starting from a slab guided through a slab-guiding device, is rolled in a roughing train having at least four-stands, the method comprising: casting a slab in a die, the slab being reduced to a thickness of between 60 and 95 mm in a liquid core reduction process by the adjoining slab-guiding device, a slab support length measured between the meniscus, i.e., the bath level, of the die and an end of the slab-guiding device facing the roughing train being between 12 m and 15.5 m, and a casting speed ranging from 3.8 to 7 m/min. The disclosed combination of casting parameters may ensure that the crater tip of the slab extends to the vicinity of the end of the slab-guiding device independently of the respective maximum casting speeds which are dependent on the particular grade of material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2011
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Watzinger
  • Publication number: 20130186588
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for continuously or semi-continuously producing hot steel strip which, starting from a slab guided through a slab-guiding device, is rolled in, for example, an at least four-stand roughing train to form an intermediate strip and, in a further sequence in a finish rolling train, into a final strip. The thickness of a slab cast in a die is reduced in the liquid core reduction process by means of the adjoining slab-guiding device to between 85 and 120 mm, a slab support length measured between the meniscus, i.e., the bath level, of the die and an end of the slab-guiding device facing the roughing train being at least 18.5 m, a casting speed ranging from 3.8 to 7 m/min, and slabs of different thicknesses being cast as a function of given casting speeds. Using the disclosed casting parameters, high-quality finishing may be provided with high production capacities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2011
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Watzinger
  • Patent number: 8479550
    Abstract: A method for the production of a hot-rolled steel strip from a steel melt in a continuous manufacturing process: continuously casting a steel strand in a continuous casting mold of a continuous casting plant, roll-forming the case steel strand in a first group of roll stands into a pre-rolled hot strip, roll-forming the pre-rolled hot strip in a second group of roll stands into a hot-rolled steel strip, setting the hot strip to a rolling temperature between the first and second groups, and winding or dividing the hot-rolled steel strip; further: descaling the hot strip before temperature setting, holding the hot strip in a protective gas atmosphere during temperature setting. A combined casting and rolling plant for the method is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens Vai Metals Technologies GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Maierl
  • Publication number: 20130074557
    Abstract: A method for reducing the strip tension of a rolling stock, may include: transporting the rolling stock using a roller table between two successive rolling units, wherein a rolling stock loop is formed in a depression in a section of the roller table between the two rolling units, the rolling stock loop being supported by the roller table at least in one off-center portion of the section, wherein the supporting line of the roller table in this portion corresponds to the catenary curve of the free span; measuring a loop depth of the rolling stock loop; calculating a desired value of the loop depth that corresponds substantially to the free span, e.g., depending on the material, thickness and temperature of the rolling stock; controlling the main drives and/or the gap adjustment of the rolling units based on the desired value and the measured loop depth, such that the loop depth substantially corresponds to the desired value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Ansgar Grüss, Otto Schmid
  • Publication number: 20120305212
    Abstract: A method and a combined casting/rolling installation for production/processing of high-quality hot-rolled strip into grain-oriented electrical steel strip at low cost, provides for: a) melting a steel having a chemical composition in wt % of Si 2 to 7%, C 0.01 to 0.1%, Mn<0.3%, Cu 0.1 to 0.7%, Sn<0.2%, S<0.05%, Al<0.09%, Cr<0.3%, N<0.02%, P<0.1%, remainder Fe and impurities; b) casting a strand having a thickness of 25 to 150 mm on a continuous casting installation; c) rolling into a strip in up to 4 rolling passes directly after casting the strand, wherein at least in one rolling pass a true strain is >30% or the total true strain of all passes is >50%; d) heating the strip to a final temperature of 1050 to 1250° C., preferably 1100 to 1180° C.; e) finish rolling the strip in a second rolling train, then f) cooling and winding the strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2009
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Bernd Linzer
  • Patent number: 8127826
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a cast steel strip of preferably hot crack-sensitive or hot-brittle steel quality by means of a strip casting plant and to a strip casting plant for carrying out this method. In this case, steel melt is conducted into a melt space formed by two casting rolls and two sideplates, slab shells are formed in the melt space on cooled surface areas of the casting rolls and are brought together in the strip forming cross section between the casting rolls to form an at least partly solidified steel strip, the cast steel strip is then guided along the surface area of one of the two casting rolls from a vertical casting direction into an essentially horizontal transport direction, and the cast steel strip is supplied essentially horizontally on a transport device to a strip winding device and is wound there into a coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Vai Metals Technologies GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer, Michael Zahedi
  • Patent number: 7963136
    Abstract: Processes for continuous production of a thin metal strip, in particular a steel hot strip, directly from a metal melt and with a strip cast thickness of <10 mm by the roll-casting process. The cast metal strip is fed for in-line thickness reduction, and then to a storage device. To achieve a high-quality, hot-rolled metal strip with flatness tolerances comparable to those which can currently be achieved in the production of hot-rolled metal strip from continuous-cast thin slabs or slabs, at cast thicknesses of between 40 and 300 mm, in a continuous production process starting directly from metal melt. With the low strip cast thickness, a flatness measurement is performed on the moving metal strip, and the measurement results of this flatness measurement are used to influence the flatness of the metal strip in a targeted way.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Siemens Vai Metals Technologies GmbH & Co
    Inventors: Andreas Flick, Andreas Schweighofer, Markus Brummayer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer
  • Patent number: 7789123
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sequence casting process for producing a high-purity cast metal strand from a metal melt, the metal melt being fed in controlled fashion from a metal vessel to a tundish and being discharged in controlled fashion from this tundish into a continuous-casting mold, and the supply of the metal melt into the continuous-casting mold being continued without interruption. To allow a high-quality metal strand to be cast even during the change of melt vessel in this process, with the restart phase being kept as short as possible, it is proposed that during a period of time from the resumption of the supply of metal melt into the tundish until the point at which a quasi-steady operating bath level in the tundish is reached, the inflow rate into the tundish is greater than the outflow rate out of the tundish, and for 70% to 100% of this period the inflow rate into the tundish is less than or equal to double the outflow rate out of the tundish.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer, Markus Brummayer
  • Publication number: 20100078146
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a cast steel strip of preferably hot crack-sensitive or hot-brittle steel quality by means of a strip casting plant and to a strip casting plant for carrying out this method. In this case, steel melt is conducted into a melt space formed by two casting rolls and two sideplates, slab shells are formed in the melt space on cooled surface areas of the casting rolls and are brought together in the strip forming cross section between the casting rolls to form an at least partly solidified steel strip, the cast steel strip is then guided along the surface area of one of the two casting rolls from a vertical casting direction into an essentially horizontal transport direction, and the cast steel strip is supplied essentially horizontally on a transport device to a strip winding device and is wound there into a coil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2009
    Publication date: April 1, 2010
    Inventors: Gerald HOHENBICHLER, Gerald ECKERSTORFER, Michael ZAHEDI
  • Publication number: 20100018665
    Abstract: A process for producing a strip-cast, low-carbon, partly Mn/Si killed steel strip which is largely free of cracks and surface defects from a steel melt having a sulfur content of between 20 and 300 ppm and an Mn/Si ratio ?3.5, using a roll separating force of between 2 and 50 kN/m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2007
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: Christian Bernhard, Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Bernd Linzer
  • Patent number: 7591300
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing a cast metal strip using a twin roll casting installation comprising two casting rolls and two lateral plates that together define a molten metal chamber and a casting gap. Molten metal is introduced in to the molten metal chamber and forms the molten metal chamber a molten metal bath with a bath surface that is open to the top. A cast metal strip is conveyed from the molten metal chamber and through the casting gap. A delimiting surface area for collecting particles that are foreign to the molten metal is produced on the surface of the bath under the effect of at least one gas jet. The aim of the invention is to substantially avoid the introduction of particles that are foreign to the molten metal into the surface or into the near-surface zone of the cast strip. For this purpose, the at least one gas jet is directed together with the casting roll onto the bath surface at a distance of the gas jet axis to the contact line of the bath surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer, Markus Brummayer
  • Publication number: 20090049882
    Abstract: Processes for continuous production of a thin metal strip, in particular a steel hot strip, directly from a metal melt and with a strip cast thickness of <10 mm by the roll-casting process. The cast metal strip is fed for in-line thickness reduction, and then to a storage device. To achieve a high-quality, hot-rolled metal strip with flatness tolerances comparable to those which can currently be achieved in the production of hot-rolled metal strip from continuous-cast thin slabs or slabs, at cast thicknesses of between 40 and 300 mm, in a continuous production process starting directly from metal melt. With the low strip cast thickness, a flatness measurement is performed on the moving metal strip, and the measurement results of this flatness measurement are used to influence the flatness of the metal strip in a targeted way.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 20, 2005
    Publication date: February 26, 2009
    Inventors: Andreas Flick, Andreas Schweighofer, Markus Brummayer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer
  • Publication number: 20080276679
    Abstract: A method for the production of a hot-rolled steel strip from a steel melt in a continuous manufacturing process, with an uninterrupted strip runthrough, comprising continuously casting a steel strand in a continuous casting mold of a continuous casting plant, roll-forming the cast steel strand in a first group of roll stands into a pre-rolled hot strip, further roll-forming the pre-rolled hot strip in a second group of roll stands into a hot-rolled steel strip, setting the pre-rolled hot strip to a rolling temperature between the first group of roll stands and the second group of roll stands in a temperature setting device, and winding of the hot-rolled steel strip into bundles or the division of the hot-rolled steel strip into sheets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2006
    Publication date: November 13, 2008
    Inventors: Gerald Eckerstorfer, Gerald Hohenbichler, Josef Maierl
  • Publication number: 20080173423
    Abstract: The invention relates to a sequence casting process for producing a high-purity cast metal strand from a metal melt, the metal melt being fed in controlled fashion from a metal vessel to a tundish and being discharged in controlled fashion from this tundish into a continuous-casting mold, and the supply of the metal melt into the continuous-casting mold being continued without interruption. To allow a high-quality metal strand to be cast even during the change of melt vessel in this process, with the restart phase being kept as short as possible, it is proposed that during a period of time from the resumption of the supply of metal melt into the tundish until the point at which a quasi-steady operating bath level in the tundish is reached, the inflow rate into the tundish is greater than the outflow rate out of the tundish, and for 70% to 100% of this period the inflow rate into the tundish is less than or equal to double the outflow rate out of the tundish.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2004
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Gerald Eckerstorfer, Markus Brummayer