Casting And Working Patents (Class 29/33C)
  • Patent number: 6071362
    Abstract: A method and a plant for rolling hot-rolled wide strip from continuously cast thin slabs or slabs of medium thickness of about 40 to 100 mm, wherein the cast slab strand is divided into sections, is subjected to a temperature treatment in a continuous furnace, and is conveyed for rolling into a rolling train. The temperature treatment of a slab section on the continuous furnace is interrupted by a surface treatment and the surface treatment of the slab section is carried out in the production line between the casting plant and the rolling train. The plant for carrying out the method includes a continuous casting plant for thin slabs, a transverse cutting device, a continuous furnace and a rolling train, wherein the continuous furnace, for example, a roller-hearth furnace, is divided into two segments between which is arranged in an in-line position a surface treatment unit for treating deficient slab sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2000
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Werner Mertens
  • Patent number: 6038757
    Abstract: A method of operating a roll stand arrangement including one or more edging/roughing stands followed by a compact rolling group arranged transversely offset relative to the edging/roughing stands and connected to the edging/roughing stands through connecting roller conveyors and a transverse conveying unit. The compact rolling group is composed of first and second universal stands or two-high stands and an intermediate edging stand arranged between the first and second stands. In accordance with a predetermined cycle, preliminary sections arriving from a continuous casting plant are supplied directly without intermediate storage to the roll stand arrangement and are finish rolled successively in the compact rolling group into profiled rolled strands and are supplied, before or while the next following preliminary section enters the compact rolling group, to a cooling bed arranged laterally of the rolling line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hubert Muller, Ulrich Svejkovsky
  • Patent number: 6018855
    Abstract: Movable insulated conveyor for the continuous casting of slabs, billets, blooms or other products, which is installed in line with a continuous casting plant (13) comprising at least two casting lines (11a-11b), at least one shears (14) and a first stationary tunnel furnace (15) to accommodate and accelerate segments of slabs (31) being positioned between the continuous casting plant (13) and a rolling train (12), a movable tunnel furnace (16) possibly being included in succession to the stationary tunnel furnace (15), at least one of the movable insulated conveyors (19) being comprised in succession to the stationary tunnel furnace (15) and/or upstream of, and in direct cooperation with, the rolling train (12), the movable insulated conveyor (19) including a lower base (32) to support rollers (33) conveying the segments of slabs (31) and an upper insulated and heated hood (20), which at least in the working position is immovable laterally and lengthwise, the lower supporting base (32) being capable of being
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SPA
    Inventors: Fausto Drigani, Pietro Morasca
  • Patent number: 5992001
    Abstract: A continuously cast strand is cut into elongated billets having ends and the billets are run through a rolling stand. after cutting the strand into billets and before rolling the billets one of the billets is engaged in the rolling stand and a trailing end of the one billet and a leading end of another billet are enclosed in a mold with the ends longitudinally spaced. This space between the ends is filled with molten metal in contact with the ends of the billets and the molten metal is hardened to interconnect the billet ends. Then the mold is removed from around the billet ends. The molten metal is of substantially the same composition as the billets. Furthermore the one billet is advanced in a travel direction by means of the stand and the mold and the other billet are advanced synchronously with the one billet after enclosing the billet ends in the mold. The mold is removed from the billet ends before the hardened metal between the billet ends enters the rolling stand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Roloff, Hans-Georg Hartung, Friedrich Wilhelm Hollmann, Paul-Josef Mauk
  • Patent number: 5991991
    Abstract: A machine for producing hot-rolled steel strip from input stock of continuously cast strip in sequential work steps. The input stock is thereby in a continuous casting machine with a cast-rolling device at a casting speed of 4 to 8 m/min and a solidification thickness of 90 to 125 mm. An oscillating continuous casting mold is used, which has concavity between the casting level and the mold exit. A strand guide device has concavity and/or centering and guiding elements to guide and center the slab in the area of its narrow sides in the strand guide stand. A cooling and insulating line is located between the continuous casting machine and the equalizing furnace for the strip-type input stock. Furthermore, a cross-transfer furnace 45 m in length and approximately 5 to 20 m wide is arranged after the continuous casting machine and in front of the roughing train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg
  • Patent number: 5992502
    Abstract: For producing metallic bar stock there is first of all fabricated a primary product of substantially regularly round or angular cross-section, and this primary product is then deformed in cross-section to the final dimension corresponding to the bar stock by means of shaping. To provide for an efficient production of high-quality bar stock also in a minor quantity, the completely solidified primary product is subjected to a forging operation for a structural improvement before shaping it to the final dimension, during which forging off in one processing plane a spreading-restricted reduction of the cross-section in the range from (1.5 to 5):1 is effected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: GFM Holding AG
    Inventors: Gottfried Blaimschein, Otto Hein, Rupert Wieser
  • Patent number: 5964275
    Abstract: There is disclosed an arrangement and for alternatively producing a hot-rolled strip, a hot-formed pre-strip or an unformed slab, of steel by the continuous casting method. In order to obtain a high product quality for strips as thin as possible and to ensure a high operational flexibility, the following characteristic features are realized individually or in combination:casting of a strand at slab thickness in an open-ended mold having a continuously constant cross section,a first forming step including forming of the strand having a liquid core to reduce its thickness,a second forming step including forming of the already completely solidified strand to further reduce its thickness to pre-strip format, anda third forming step including forming of strand pieces separated from the strand by hot-rolling the strand pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Flick, Gerlinde Djumlija
  • Patent number: 5946783
    Abstract: A high-capacity wire rolling mill including a wire train and/or rod steel train for concrete reinforcing steel and simple carbon steels, further including a continuous casting plant or a continuous casting wheel for high production, a direct interconnection of the continuous casting plant or casting wheel to the rolling mill, a buffer furnace between the continuous casting plant or the casting wheel and the rolling mill for compensating production differences and smaller rolling mill interruptions, a compact roughing train and intermediate train I, a unit calibration for the train sections, looping by 180.degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Uwe Plociennik, Alfred Muller
  • Patent number: 5943753
    Abstract: There is disclosed a plant for producing a hot-rolled product from a cast strand comprising two or several continuous casters and a rolling mill associated therewith and respective guide sections for transporting a strand piece separated from the cast strand. A pivotable or laterally displaceable guide section is each provided in at least one line of the rolling mill and in a line not registering with the former, of the continuous caster. The guide sections are capable of being aligned in a mutually registering position. In order to reach a high plant availability, at least one pivotable and/or laterally displaceable guide section is provided with two or several guide parts each serving to receive strand pieces and capable of being alternately aligned to register with the line of the rolling mill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 31, 1999
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrienanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Bernhard Buchsbaum, Karl Christian Gruber
  • Patent number: 5924184
    Abstract: Method and relative line for the continuous rolling of plate and/or strip, starting from at least two lines for the continuous casting of thin slabs (11) of between 60 and 120 mm thick, the pre-slabs being continuously cast within a limited range of thicknesses of between 70 and 140 mm and at a speed of up to 6+7 meters per minute, the pre-slabs then being transformed into slabs by a process of soft-reduction (112) which reduces the thickness of the individual pre-slab by 5 to 40 mm so as to obtain a range of slabs with a defined thickness using the the same crystallizer, and the rolled product (111) now in a strip leaving the roughing train (17) being sent to the finishing train (20), the leading end of the strip as it arrives being connected to the trailing end of the strip being rolled so as to form a substantially continuous product fed to the finishing train (20), the connection being made by a welding machine (24) positioned upstream of the finishing train (20), the end-of-rolling temperature being betw
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 20, 1999
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Estore Donini, Fausto Drigani
  • Patent number: 5881441
    Abstract: An apparatus and a process for making semi-finished products in the form of ti metal bars having a width-gauge ratio of over 60 and a maximum sheet metal gauge tolerance of 2%. A metal profile is fed continuously and upwardly through a pool of melt material having the same composition as the metal profile so as to form a coated metal profile. The metal profile is fed at a rate which would result in a coated metal profile having a thickness of at least three times that of the uncoated metal profile. The coated metal profile is subjected to a smoothing pass between a pair of smoothing rolls when the mean temperature in the crystallized layer of the coated metal profile meets a given condition. The smoothing rolls are adjustably disposed inside a housing at a distance of 0.5 to 5 m from the melt pool surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Fritz P. Pleschiutschnigg, Lothar Parschat, Dieter Stalleicken, Tarek El Gammal, Michael Vonderbank, Peter Lorenz Hamacher, Ingo von Hagen, Ulrich Menne, Uwe Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5862582
    Abstract: A method for making hollow workpieces such as beverage containers with a circular die in which an aluminum alloy is strip cast whereby the alloy is solidified rapidly without substantial precipitation. Thereafter, the aluminum alloy is formed into a cup which is drawn and passed through one or more dies to iron the walls of the cup and thereby lengthen the side walls thereof using at least one circular die having a die angle of less than about 6.degree.. It has been found that the use of such small die angles prevents or minimizes galling and tearoffs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation
    Inventor: Tyzh-Chiang Sun
  • Patent number: 5829117
    Abstract: A hot saw cutting type continuous rolling method comprises casting two strand billets continuously; cutting the billets to predetermined length by hot saws; directly feeding billet portions obtained by cutting onto a rolling line via a line connecting device; continuously welding and joining the billets portions by a flash butt welder to form a continuous billet; grinding and removing burrs at the welded portion of the continuous billet by a grinding machine; and continuously rolling the billet by a rolling mill group, after heating the continuous billet to a higher temperature by an induction heater. A hot saw cutting type continuous rolling apparatus is provided for performing the above-described method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: NKK Corporation
    Inventors: Susumu Okawa, Giichi Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5771560
    Abstract: Method and continuous casting line for the continuous casting advantageously, but not only, of long products such as billets or blooms, whereby the solidification of the cast product (16) is completed at a position downstream of the outlet of the mould (13) and whereby the cast product (16) leaving a continuous casting machine (11) curving at a speed of at least 4 mts/min.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 30, 1998
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Umberto Meroni, Domenico Wogler Ruzza, Gianni Gensini, Dario Lestani
  • Patent number: 5769149
    Abstract: A plant for producing hot-rolled steel strip in a production line includes a continuous slab casting plant, transverse cutting shears, a continuous furnace and a hot-rolling train. The continuous furnace includes a first stationary section and a second section formed with two moveable furnaces, wherein the moveable furnaces can be moved transversely between the production line and a lateral holding position. The length of the first furnace section corresponds to at least the length of the distance which is travelled at casting speed by the newly formed front end of the cast slab by transverse cutting from the transverse cutting unit to a point in front of that moveable furnace which is located in the production line after the exchange of moveable furnaces has been carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1998
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Werner Mertens
  • Patent number: 5666707
    Abstract: A railroad rail produced by rolling a substantially round bloom, together with a process and system for manufacturing the same. The round bloom may be produced by continuous casting methods. The bloom is initially rolled into a substantially rectangular shape and then into a rail. The rolling process may be continuous and in-line to allow for the production of very long seamless rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: CF&I Steel, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cryderman, John C. Winkley
  • Patent number: 5634510
    Abstract: The integrated manufacturing system is formed by the combination of a continuous casting apparatus and hot rolling mills. The continuous casting apparatus is formed by confronting wide side mold walls and confronting narrow side mold walls. The narrow side mold walls are composed of an electrically conductive refractory material and are directly heated. Each of the narrow side mold walls include an upper squeezed portion and a lower parallel portion. The upper squeezed portion has a surface in contact with the molten metal which converges in width along a casting direction. The lower parallel portion has a surface in contact with the molten metal which is substantially uniform in width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Yutaka Fukui, Hideyo Kodama, Toshiyuki Kajiwara, Yasutsugu Yoshimura, Tomoaki Kimura, Kenji Horii, Tadashi Nishino
  • Patent number: 5606787
    Abstract: A continuous process line for converting hot rolled stainless steel strip to final gauge product is provided. The stainless steel strip has a scale formed on the surface thereof. The steel strip is introduced to a rolling mill to reduce the thickness of the hot rolled stainless steel to a final gauge thickness and tolerance. The rolling mill also cracks the scale on the surface of the final gauge thickness strip. An annealing section anneals the final gauge thickness strip received from the rolling mill. A pickling section pickles the annealed strip from the annealing section and removes the scale from the surface. Preferably, a molten salt bath section provided between the annealing section and the pickling section conditions the scale cracked in the cold rolling section and passes the conditioned stainless steel to the pickling section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: J & L Specialty Steel, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael F. McGuire
  • Patent number: 5601137
    Abstract: The invention provides a continuous steel plate manufacturing facility including continuous casting equipment (12) having a plurality of strands, a plurality of rows of slab conveyers (14) disposed downstream of each of the strands, and a single slab transporting apparatus (16) disposed downstream of the slab conveyers for horizontally transporting slabs from the rows of slab conveyers to a single rolling line disposed downstream of the rows of slab conveyers. A continuous slab casting line defined by the strand and the slab conveyers diagonally intersects, at an intersection point, on the slab transporting apparatus with a slab feeding line (18) which is in communication with the rolling line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Abe, Shigeki Narishima, Kinichi Higuchi
  • Patent number: 5578177
    Abstract: Methods of manufacturing fully annealed metal anodes are disclosed. The methods contemplate supplying metal and heating the metal until it has obtained a molten state. The molten metal is permitted to flow into a die and transported therethrough where it is cooled until it solidifies. The flow rate of the metal through the die and the extent of cooling are selected such that a fully annealed metal anode is obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: RFE Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary A. Wolf
  • Patent number: 5564178
    Abstract: A hot coil with high quality and low cost is produced by rolling a billet continuously prepared with a 70 to 120 mm middle thickness continuous casting mechanism, a billet conveying table, a heating mechanism, a high draft rough rolling mill, a finishing rolling mill, and a down coiler, which components are all disposed closely together along a straight line. The center surface temperature of the billet and a peripheral velocity of the roll of the high draft rough rolling mill are controlled within a predetermined range to provide for continuous rolling through the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Kyoei Steel Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichi Takashima, Yoshimichi Okita
  • Patent number: 5560095
    Abstract: A method of producing hot-rolled strips and hot-rolled profiles from a continuous, continuously casted primary material, in which single slabs are transported from the buffer zone into a ferry which transports them by being transversely displaced from the casting line into the pitch line extending parallel to and spaced form the casting line, where it is stored in an accumulator furnace located parallel to an equalizing furnace and which is offset relative thereto, with the single slabs, upon request, being transported by a ferry from the accumulator furnace into the finishing train for finish-rolling the end product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1996
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Bernd Kruger
  • Patent number: 5557490
    Abstract: The present invention is an apparatus and method for an improved actuator arm assembly in a disc drive. The improvement arises by casting a steel sleeve into the actuator arm to define a pivot bore. A steel bearing and shaft assembly cooperates with the pivot bore to enable the actuator arm to rotate about the shaft. This all steel arrangement minimizes the bearing preload necessary to create a stable actuator arm assembly having a minimum amount of friction in the bearing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 17, 1996
    Assignee: Seagate Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Iraj Jabbari
  • Patent number: 5544408
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of making coiled plate, sheet in coiled form or discrete plate is shown. The apparatus is an intermediate thickness slab caster and inline hot strip and plate line. The apparatus includes a continuous strip caster forming an intermediate thickness strand; a torch or shear cutoff for cutting the strand into a slab of desired length; a feed and run back table including a slab takeoff operable transverse of the table; a slab collection and storage area adapted to receive slabs from the slab takeoff; a reheat furnace receiving slabs from both the slab takeoff and the slab collection and storage area, with the exit of the reheat furnace at the feed and run back table; a single or twin stand hot reversing mill for reducing the slab to a thickness of 1 inch or less in no more than three flat passes; a pair of coiler furnaces located on opposite sides of the hot reversing mill; and a final processing line downstream of the pair of coiler furnaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: George W. Tippins, John E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5542165
    Abstract: Line to produce strip and/or sheet or a combined line for strip/sheet, starting from at least one plant for the continuous casting of thin or medium slabs, the continuous casting plant comprising in sequence a continuous casting machine (12), at least one assembly (13) for shearing to size, a temperature restoration system, a rolling train (17-117) and a possible assembly (19) for the cooling of strip/sheet. A device to accelerate the speed of feed of the slabs is included downstream of the assembly (13) for shearing to size. The temperature-restoration system includes an induction furnace (14) with at least one working frequency to heat the surface and edges of the slabs, the induction furnace (14) being followed by a low-speed descaler (115) and by a tunnel furnace (16). An emergency shears (24) and high-speed descaler (15) is included between the tunnel furnace (16) and the rolling train (17-117).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 6, 1996
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Giovanni Coassin, Bruno Di Giusto, Fausto Drigani, Pietro Morasca
  • Patent number: 5533248
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of making coiled plate, sheet in coiled form or discrete plate. The apparatus is a slab caster and inline surface conditioner, hot strip and plate line. The apparatus includes a continuous strip caster forming a strand; a cutoff for cutting the strand into a slab of desired length; a slab conveyor table; a slab conditioning device inline with the slab conveyor table adapted to selectively receive slabs therefrom; a reheat furnace having an entry inline with the slab conveyor table; a feed and run back table at the exit of the reheat furnace; a single or twin stand hot reversing mill for reducing the slab to a coiling thickness; and a pair of coiler furnaces located on opposite sides of the hot reversing mill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: George W. Tippins, John E. Thomas, William H. Tippins, Ronald D. Gretz
  • Patent number: 5511303
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of making coiled plate, sheet in coiled form or discrete plate. The apparatus includes a continuous strip caster forming a strand of intermediate thickness; 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 slabs from the slab takeoff; one or two reheat furnaces 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 one reheat furnace; a single or twin stand hot reversing mill for reducing the slab to a coiling thickness in a number of flat passes; and a pair of coiler furnaces located on opposite sides of the hot reversing mill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: George W. Tippins, John E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5507081
    Abstract: A railroad rail produced by rolling a substantially round bloom, together with a process and system for manufacturing the same. The round bloom may be produced by continuous casting methods. The bloom is initially rolled into a substantially rectangular shape and then into a rail. The rolling process may be continuous and in-line to allow for the production of very long seamless rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 16, 1996
    Assignee: CF&I Steel, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cryderman, John C. Winkley
  • Patent number: 5490315
    Abstract: In the continuous manufacture of hot strip material, slabs are produced by a pair of continuous casters and heated to a rolling temperature in a bi-level roller hearth furnace. Hot slabs are discharged from the bi-level furnace alternately from its upper and lower roller hearths. The slabs are then scarfed to clean oxide scale from both sides and to heat the slabs to a temperature of about 2300.degree. F. The scarfed ends of adjacent slabs are overlapped and passed through a two high slab mill welder wherein the overlapped ends are joined together. The joined slabs are thereafter finish rolled to strip gauge in a continuous multi-stand hot strip mill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: Italimpianti of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Kostopolos, Giuseppe Facco
  • Patent number: 5467518
    Abstract: Hot rolled wide strips from a continuously cast strand are rolled down in a pitch line, which includes a rolling train. A separate thin slab is cut off from the cast strand in one of two casting lines arranged on the opposite sides of the pitch line, and is homogenized and brought to a predetermined temperature in an equalizing furnace arranged coaxially with a respective casting line. The thin slab is then transported from the equalizing furnace into a movable furnace part formed as an equalizer, a buffer, or a regenerative furnace part and arrange coaxially with the equalizing furnace. The thin slab is then transported from the respective casting line to the pitch line in a direction opposite to the casting direction by pivoting or sidewise displacing the movable furnace part, after a first reverse of the direction of movement of the separate thin slab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Werner Mertens
  • Patent number: 5467519
    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 selectively forming a single or a pair of parallel strands of between 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) and 5.5 inches (14 cm) thick, preferably 5 inches (12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: George W. Tippins, John E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5437089
    Abstract: A method for continuous production of hot-rolled strips is used at metal works and involves continuously casting a thin slab which is stored and rolled into a strip in the form of individual portions in several runs with return into the storage zone and with subsequent cooling, cutting, and coiling. The slab and the returned portion are stored simultaneously by combined coiling into an intermediate coil which is moved along the storage zone during coiling and during uncoiling of the portion of the slab and strip being rolled.An apparatus for carrying out the method has roller-hearth furnace, a storage in the form of a carriage provided outside the roller-hearth furnace for movement therealong, and a means for forming an intermediate coil from the slab and from the returned portion of the strip. The means for forming is installed on the carriage in the furnace so that the intermediate coil can move over rollers of the furnace during coiling and uncoiling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignee: Magnitogorsky Metallurgichesky Kombinat Imeni V.I. Lenina
    Inventors: Viktor M. Salganik, Aanatoly I. Starkov, Igor G. Gun, Alexandr V. Povarich, Leonid B. Idelchik
  • Patent number: 5433264
    Abstract: Assembly to wind-unwind thin slabs which cooperates with a continuous casting plant (11) producing thin slabs (12) and is positioned on the same axis as that plant (11), a heating and temperature-equalization furnace (17) being included upstream of the winding-unwinding assembly (10), at least one pair of drawing rolls (23) cooperating with the winding-unwinding assembly (10), which comprises two coiling-uncoiling units (20a-20b) positioned circumferentially equidistant from, and on, a base plate (21) able to rotate about a substantially central vertical axis, one of the units (20a-20b) taking over alternately the position and function of the other unit (20a-20b) and viceversa, each coiling-uncoiling unit (20a-20b) being equipped with its own lead-in guide (26) and powered rolls (28), the powered rolls (28) being coplanar and positioned below the thin slab (12) and cooperating with a curvature-imparting roll (29), which can be moved from a position of cooperation with, and between the powered rolls (28) to an
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 18, 1995
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA.
    Inventors: Alessandro Dorigo, Bruno Di Giusto
  • Patent number: 5430930
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for manufacturing hot strip steel includes a continuous slab caster adapted to cast a strand of 4 inches or more in thickness. The strand is cut to slab length and heated in a roller hearth furnace or a walking beam furnace prior to entry into a multi-stand tandem reversing mill. The slab is rolled in a downstream direction through the mill in a first reducing pass. The mill is reversed and the elongated slab is rolled in an upstream direction through the mill in a second reducing pass. The intermediate bar exits the upstream end of the mill and is coiled in a coil box positioned intermediate the furnace and the reversing mill. The bar is then unwound from the coil box for rolling in the downstream direction through the mill in a third and finish pass. The finish gauge strip moves down a run out table downstream from the mill for coiling in a down coiler apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 11, 1995
    Assignee: Italimpianti of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Roberto Passoni, Giuseppe Facco
  • Patent number: 5419387
    Abstract: A superior unitary one quarter mile long railroad rail and system and method for manufacturing the same. The method of manufacture is characterized by the use of a continuous rolling process and the in-line controlled cooling of the rail. The system produces very long rails without any weld seams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 30, 1995
    Assignee: CF&I Steel, L.P.
    Inventors: Robert L. Cryderman, John C. Winkley
  • Patent number: 5414923
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: May 16, 1995
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: John E. Thomas, George W. Tippins
  • Patent number: 5408745
    Abstract: In a method of producing crankshafts in a mass-production line, after a crankshaft casting is ground to its specified geometry, it is measured to detect a dynamic imbalance. Then, at least one radial balancing bore is drilled in a specified counterweight to a depth according to a resultant imbalance so as to balance the crankshaft if the crankshaft is judged, based on the resultant imbalance, to fall within a region in which a dynamic imbalance is eliminated by drilling bores. Otherwise, the crank shaft is removed out of the mass-production line if it is judged to be out of the region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 25, 1995
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Hiromu Tomiyama, Yuzo Uotani
  • Patent number: 5396695
    Abstract: A time period between slabs entering a rolling stand which are produced by a continuous caster is controlled to enable a plant to be built with a considerable reduction of the overall size as compared to known plants of the same type. The plant optimally controls the speed of a continuous caster used with the rolling plant in conjunction with the speed of the workpiece along the passline through the rolling stands. This minimizes the length of the plant and provides both the minimum time for the slab to reach the rolling stands from the furnaces, as well as provides for the necessary time to change the rolls of the roll stand when required, while allowing continuous operation of the caster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Vladimir B. Ginzburg, Fausto Drigani
  • Patent number: 5333366
    Abstract: An installation for the manufacture of hot rolled steel strips is disclosed which reduces the constructions costs, energy expenditure and space consumed. The installation comprises at least two thin slab casters, arrangements for preheating and/or keeping the thin slabs at a particular temperature and a hot finishing rolling train. Two thin slab casters 1 and 2 are disposed to face each other and have opposite billet output conveyance, with a cut-to-length line 20, 21, a two-high furnace 22, 23 with superimposed roller tables 27, 28 and a transfer furnace 24, 25 with a roller table 34. The height of the roller table is adjustable to match the superimposed roller tables 27, 28 of the two-high furnace 22, 23 and is located downstream of each thin slab caster 1, 2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 2, 1994
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Rudolf Guse
  • Patent number: 5305515
    Abstract: A method and an arrangement for rolling hot wide strips from continuously cast thin slabs in successive steps of operation of a rolling line which includes a continuous finishing train. One or more casting lines and individual thin slabs are severed from the cast strand. The thin slabs are homogenized and adjusted to rolling temperature in an equalizing furnace and the thin slabs are transferred from the equalizing furnace to the rolling line. Roller-type turning furnaces provided in each of the casting lines and in the rolling line are use by turning the roller-type turning furnaces toward each other into positions which are inclined relative to the casting and rolling lines in the manner of switches for alternatingly conveying thin slabs from one of the casting lines through the roller-type turning furnaces into the rolling line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 26, 1994
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Herbert Fastert, Wolfgang Rohde, Dieter Nobis, Hans Malinowski
  • Patent number: 5303766
    Abstract: In the manufacture of hot-rolled steel strip, a continuous casting machine casts a slab and a roll stand for reducing the thickness of the slab to make strip is incorporated in line with the continuous casting machine. Advantages of simplicity and rolling quality are obtained when the roll stand is a two-high roll stand having a single pair of rolls. Where there is a reheater for reheating the strip after its rolling in the two-high roll-stand, the two-high roll stand is the sole apparatus for reducing the thickness of the slab after full solidification of the slab and prior to entry of the strip into the reheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 1992
    Date of Patent: April 19, 1994
    Assignee: Hoogovens Groep B.V.
    Inventors: Pieter J. Kreijger, Rein L. Huisman, Robert F. Gadellaa, Frans Hollander, Leo A. Kuhry
  • Patent number: 5276952
    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 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 of 1 inch or less in no more than three 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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: Tippins Incorporated
    Inventors: John E. Thomas, George W. Tippins
  • Patent number: 5212856
    Abstract: Each continuous casting line is associated with a first insulated tunnel (18) followed by a second temperature-equalization furnace tunnel (19) positioned in sequence between a continuous casting plant (11) and a rolling mill (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1993
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Bruno Di Giusto, Alessandro Dorigo
  • Patent number: 5197179
    Abstract: A continuous process line and a method for conversion of hot rolled stainless steel strip to a condition suitable for cold rolling. The process line comprises a conventional hot band annealing and pickling line having annealing and pickling sections, to which a rolling mill is added ahead of the annealing section. The process comprises the steps of cold rolling, annealing and pickling to minimize gauge and hardness variations along the length of the strip and to reduce the thickness of the strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1993
    Assignee: T. Sendzimir, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael G. Sendzimir, John W. Turley
  • Patent number: 5182847
    Abstract: Hot-rolled strips or sections from continuously cast primary material are manufactured in successive work steps in a closed process and arrangement chain. The endless continuously cast primary material is divided after solidification into individual slab pieces of predetermined length. The slab pieces are heated in an equalizing furnace to rolling temperature and are then rolled into the predetermined final dimensions. For bridging a comparatively short interruption, for example, a ten-minute interruption of the rolling process, a slab piece obtained from the uninterrupted casting process is moved into a buffer zone of the equalizing furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 2, 1993
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rudolf Guse, Dieter Nobis, Hans Malinowski
  • Patent number: 5115547
    Abstract: The arrangement includes three casting lines arranged in front of a finishing train. The casting line in the middle is in alignment with the finishing train. The thin slabs severed from the cast strands are conveyed to the finishing train with two ferries and which are combined longitudinal/transverse/longitudinal conveying systems. The thin slabs are conveyed by placing the two ferries alternatingly in alignment with two adjacent casting lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Wolfgang Rohde
  • Patent number: 5101547
    Abstract: A superalloy disk to be utilized for a rotating body of an aircraft or turbine engine is manufactured by a casting mold provided with a cavity having an inner shape for forming a disk. A molten bath of superalloy melted under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere is poured into the casting mold under a vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere and the casting mold with the molten bath is stirred so as to prepare a rough casting of fine crystal grains by applying an external force such as an eccentric centrifugal force. The thus produced disk material may be heated thereafter. The rough casting is formed of crystal grains less than 100 .mu.m in diameter, and a rate of strain during the rotational forging is less than 10.sup.0 /sec. amd more than 10.sup.-2 /sec.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignees: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shoji Tanaka, Yukio Nishiyama, Yasutaka Toya, Masaru Nishiguchi
  • Patent number: 5075953
    Abstract: A metallurgical product storage device located downstream from two parallel continuous casting lines and upstream from a rolling line includes: a heated storage chamber having a length at least equal to the length of the products to be stored and having opposite inlets and outlets for the products originating from the continuous casting lines and delivered to the rolling line, these products being displaced in the chamber on tables with rollers disposed, respectively, along the axes of the continuous casting lines; and a storage zone in the chamber located between the two tables with rollers and including movable support beams for supporting the products, capable of being displaced vertically between several levels, and movable transport beams, separated from the support beams and capable of being displaced vertically and horizontally for advancing the products step-by-step according to a series of successive rectangular movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1991
    Assignee: Stein-Heurtey
    Inventor: Yves Braud
  • Patent number: 5035036
    Abstract: The arrangement includes one or more steel strip casting plants which are followed by a temperature equalizing furnace, a transverse conveying unit for steel strip sections and a finishing mill. The finishing mill is arranged laterally offset and in the opposite direction of the discharge direction of the steel strip casting plant. Another temperature equalizing furnace is arranged which conveys in the opposite direction of the first temperature equalizing furnace and toward the finishing mill. The temperature equalizing furnaces arranged next to each other are connected to each other by a transverse conveying unit arranged at the front end of the temperature equalizing furnaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1991
    Assignee: Sms Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Heinrich Bohnenkamp
  • Patent number: 4998338
    Abstract: A method and an arrangement for manufacturing hot-rolled steel strip from continuously cast initial materials in continuously successive work steps, wherein the continuously cast initial material is cut after solidifying to a certain length, is heated in a soaking furnace to rolling temperature and is introduced into a finishing rolling mill train for rolling out. The continuously cast initial material is introduced after being heated to a multiple-stand, reversible finishing rolling mill train and a coilbox connected downstream to the finishing rolling mill train.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1991
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jurgen Seidel, Wolfgang Rohde