Abstract: A casting wheel carries a rotating inner-radius mold wall along its rim and features a non-rotating mold segment incorporating the outer-radius mold wall, circumferentially oscillated about an external stationary support. The casting wheel includes circumferential guide tracks around the wheel periphery, along which cam guide rollers carrying the non-rotating segment act to maintain a closely controlled interface clearance between the inner and outer-radius mold wall edges throughout the rotation. The non-rotating mold segment may be constructed as a single box or multiple box segments hinged together for oscillation by a single oscillator, each segment incorporating its own guide roller system. Each box inside wall doubles as the mold envelope outside wall, against which water sprays may be directed from nozzles within the box enclosure, which is drained by gravity from an outlet proximate the lower end.

Abstract: The process of the invention comprises gaseous reduction of iron oxides in solid state combined with concurrent melting of the hot reduced iron within a closed system without cooling down the charge or exposing it to the outside atmosphere. It incorporates the continuous recycling of a major portion of the off-gases from reduction, and fully utilizes the chemical heat contained in the fuel and reductant by substantially complete oxidation to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O in the system gaseous reaction products and recovery of their sensible heat, prior to final exhaustion as waste gases. Features include dewatering of the off-gas from reduction, enriching with hydrocarbon and recycling a major portion, and separately combusting a minor portion for transfer of the sensible heat to the enriched major portion, and also usually the combustion of a second minor portion with oxygen as fuel for melting, with the sensible heat of these combustion products also utilized for heating the enriched and recycled portion.

Abstract: The invention focuses on improvements to cantilevered roughing, intermediate and finishing rolling mill stands, primarily for long products. A basic improvement to 2-high and cluster mill stands includes mounting of the rolling bearings upon a stationary cantilevered arbor directly under the roll ring, eliminating heavily-loaded main reaction bearings within the stand housing in limited radial space. Individual drive motor assemblies for each shaft, rigidly coupled and directly supported by the drive shafts, are also advocated, in preference to floor-mounted drives via pinion stands to spindles and couplings. This eliminates drive reaction forces acting against the stand assembly, allowing direct measurement and control of interstand tension/compression, for which appropriate hardware is outlined. A cluster mill assembly features work roll cartridge assemblies adapted for off-line set-up and ultra-fast roll and guide changes, which is particularly adapted to intermediate and finishing pass applications.

Abstract: A process and apparatus carries out the direct removal of slag floating on the molten metal within a metallurgical furnace via vacuum suction-tube which is inserted from above through a furnace discharge opening. The tube discharge is connected into an evacuated external slag-cooling chamber, within which the slag stream exiting the suction-tube is granulated by impinging water jets. The water and entrained slag granules descend by gravity through a communicating water-column vacuum-leg, terminating in an atmosphere-exposed pool, within which the granules are collected on a conveyor which dewaters the granules while carrying the slag out of the pool to an external pile or bin. The invention is capable of realizing slow slag discharge at controlled rates over long time periods, as well as in conjunction with the simultaneous and continuous metal withdrawal by a somewhat analagous metal siphon tube into an evacuated metal withdrawal chamber for casting.

Abstract: The invention is a process for steelmaking in a rotary furnace from a solid metallic charge adapted to realize greatly increased heat transfer and melting rates and thereby greater steel production. A hot liquid metal bath is maintained over the length of an oxy-fuel fired rotary furnace. Solid metallic scrap is continually introduced by way of a charge end opening into a melting zone, wherein the bath melting point temperature is depressed on the order of 300 degrees celsius at the furnace charge end, by means of coincident additions of supplementary carbon into the melt. The effect is a multifold increase in temperature differential between the flame temperature and the temperatures of the furnace walls and charge, with a proportionate increase in the quantity of heat transferred.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method and apparatus for horizontal continuous casting of thin steel slabs by floating liquid steel on the surface of a pool of molten lead and allowing the steel to solidify by cooling to form a continuous flat ribbon. The virtually complete immiscibility between iron and lead is the key to the invention and also the fact that iron floats on lead, both are good heat conductors and molten lead is non-wetting towards solid iron and a good lubricant for it. The method is conducted in an elongated tray containing a molten lead pool and incorporating lateral edge dams defining the cast slab width. Liquid steel from a prior process is continually introduced from a tundish or ladle and distributed uniformly across the entry end while avoiding turbulence and mechanical mixing between lead and steel. Heat is extracted by external cooling as the steel progresses along the tray, causing it to freeze and form an outer shell solidification front extending transversely between the edge dams.

Abstract: In a continuous steelmaking method, a molten metal bath is maintained within a rotary furnace heated by oxy-fuel burners at the charge and discharge ends. Metallic iron charge material such as iron and steel scrap or sponge iron is preheated primarily by heat transferred from the furnace exhaust gases, on an enclosed recuperative conveyor before being introduced through the charge end opening. Molten metal is withdrawn through a siphon tube submerged in the bath through the furnace discharge end opening into a vacuum chamber which is part of an integral vacuum chamber-tundish combination incorporating a molten metal column under vacuum in one leg and a molten steel tundish casting pool under atmospheric pressure as the other leg, connected via a submerged channel.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved system for continuous processing of molten steel and other metals comprising continuous withdrawal, vacuum treatment and casting, employing a specialized post-treatment vessel stationed adjacent to a continually maintained supply of metal in a furnace bath. The post-treatment vessel incorporates a vacuum degassing column chamber section which is fed with metal through a withdrawal tube with the inlet inserted into the furnace bath and the outlet into the degassing column, the lower portion of which extends laterally into a tundish pouring section from which metal is poured through a nozzle directly into a continuous caster. Sealing of the continuous casting tundish cover, which is incorporated into the post-treatment vessel assembly, is a key element of the invention.

Abstract: In a continuous steelmaking process, a molten metal bath is maintained within a rotary furnace heated by oxy-fuel burners at the charge and discharge ends. Metallic iron charge material such as iron and steel scrap or sponge iron is preheated primarily by heat transferred from the furnace exhaust gases, on an enclosed recuperative conveyor before being introduced through the charge end opening. Molten metal is withdrawn through a siphon tube submerged in the bath through the furnace discharge end opening into a vacuum chamber which is part of an integral vacuum chamber-tundish combination incorporating a molten metal column under vacuum in one leg and a molten steel tundish casting pool under atmospheric pressure as the other leg, connected via a submerged channel.

Abstract: A clamshell-type rolling mill stand is provided with separate top and bottom housing boxes each carrying a cantilevered work roll. The rolls are in the form of roll rings mounted on the front extension of a main shaft carried in a main load bearing in the front wall and a reaction load bearing in the back wall of the housing box. Each housing box contains a drive gear integral with the main shaft which is driven by a plurality of planetary pinions. Each pinion shaft projects through the box back wall where it is coupled to a drive motor, usually hydraulic, fixed to a bracket also mounted on the box to move with it. A fixed pass line is maintained by means of a symmetrical adjustment of the top and bottom housing boxes on either side of the pass line.

Abstract: A refractory siphon tube is inserted through the axial discharge opening of a rotary melting furnace and down through the slag into the metal within the furnace. Molten metal is withdrawn continuously by suction through the tube into an enclosed chamber maintained under a controlled negative suction pressure through a suction manifold connecting with a receiver, vacuum pump and pressure controller. The enclosed chamber discharges by gravity through a bottom opening, either emptying into a launder with an overflow weir, or discharging directly out through a bottom nozzle equipped with a slide-gate shut-off. The metal is discharged continuously at a controlled rate irrespective of any variations in the feed rate and metal depth in the furnace. The metal depth can be varied by periodically varying the suction pressure and thus can provide for intermittent slag discharge by overflowing the annular discharge opening.