Continuous Casting Patents (Class 164/154.7)
  • Patent number: 10449603
    Abstract: A twin roll casting system where the casting rolls have a nip between the casting rolls, each roller having a circumference and a rotational period. The casting roll controller adjusts the nip between the casting rolls in response to control signals. The sensor measures at least one parameter of the cast strip. The ILC controller receives strip measurement signals from the sensor and provides control signals to the casting roll controller. The ILC controller includes an ILC control algorithm to generate the control signals based on the strip measurement signals and a time delay estimate based on circumference, rotational period, and a length of cast strip between the nip and the sensor to compensate for an elapsed time from the cast strip exiting the nip to being measured by the cast strip sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: NUCOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Florian Maurice Browne, III, George T. C. Chiu, Neera Jain Sundaram, Harold Bradley Rees
  • Patent number: 10232419
    Abstract: A motor speed control device for a rolling mill, which includes a rolling roll that rolls a metal material, a roll rotation shaft directly connected to the rolling roll, a motor rotation shaft that transmits power to the roll rotation shaft, and a motor that drives the motor rotation shaft, includes: a non-contact type speed sensor arranged at a position close to the rolling roll with spacing to a circumferential surface of the roll rotation shaft to detect a roll rotation shaft angular speed of the roll rotation shaft; and a speed controller that controls a speed of the motor based on a comparison value between an actual value and a target angular speed of the rolling roll so that the actual value coincides with the target angular speed. The actual value is the roll rotation shaft angular speed to be fed back to the speed controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: TOSHIBA MITSUBISHI-ELECTRIC INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Imanari, Mitsuhiko Sano
  • Patent number: 8788084
    Abstract: The inflow of liquid metal into a continuous casting mold is set by a closure device. A measured actual meniscus value is fed to a controller determining a closure device target position on the basis of the actual and a corresponding target value. The measured actual value is fed to a disturbance variable compensator. The target position/corrected target position or a corresponding actual value are further fed to the disturbance variable compensator which determines the disturbance variable compensation value. The disturbance variable compensator has a model of the continuous casting mold for determining an expected value. A number of oscillating compensators determine a frequency disturbance proportion. The sum of the frequency disturbance proportions corresponds to the disturbance variable compensation value. The disturbance variable compensator has a jump determiner, by which it determines the jump compensation value by integrating the difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Martin Niemann, Bernhard Weisshaar
  • Publication number: 20130213599
    Abstract: A device and method are disclosed for positioning at least one of two casting rolls in a continuous casting process for producing a metal strip. The device and the method allow adjusting or modifying the casting gap between the casting rolls during the ongoing operation, thereby having an influence on the strip thickness and the strip profile of the produced metal strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventor: Ansgar Grüss
  • Patent number: 8322402
    Abstract: During continuously casting metal strip, delivering molten metal supported on the casting surfaces of the casting rolls, and counter rotating the casting rolls to form metal shells on the casting surfaces brought together at the nip to deliver cast strip downwardly with a controlled amount of mushy material between the metal shells, determining at a reference location downstream from the nip a target temperature for the cast strip corresponding to a desired amount of mushy material between the metal shells of the cast strip, sensing the temperature of the cast strip cast downstream from the nip at the reference location and producing a sensor signal corresponding to the sensed temperature, and causing an actuator to vary the gap at the nip between the casting rolls in response to the sensor signal received from the sensor and processed to determine the temperature difference between the sensed temperature and the target temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Walter N. Blejde, Rama Ballav Mahapatra, Mark Schlichting
  • Patent number: 8322399
    Abstract: Continuous casting machine for forming a lead alloy strip of large thickness; which comprises a cooled rotating drum (4) having an annular seat (8) formed on the periphery thereof and a vat (10) for containing a molten lead bath, which is sealingly engaged on the peripheral surface (7) of the rotating drum (4). The machine (1) also comprises a fixed shoe (11) extending, from the vat (10), along an arc (25) around the rotating drum (4) and having an arc shape suitable for sealing engagement, in a sliding relationship, on the shoulders (90) of the annular seat (8). Heating means (26) are provided, these consisting of a plurality of torches acting on the shoe (11) along at least an initial section thereof (25) which extends from the vat (10), for heating to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the lead alloy the free surface of the lead inside the annular seat (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Sovema S.p.A.
    Inventor: Pietro Farina
  • Publication number: 20100307711
    Abstract: A method of controlling composition of a molten copper or a molten copper alloy during continuous cast, comprising the steps of determining continuously specific resistance of the molten copper or the molten copper alloy; calculating the composition of the molten copper or the molten copper alloy based on relationships between specific resistance of the molten copper or the molten copper alloy and each constituent which are preliminarily comprehended; and controlling the composition of the molten copper or the molten copper alloy based on the calculated composition. It is possible to consider temperature or content of dissolved oxygen to calculate the composition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2008
    Publication date: December 9, 2010
    Inventors: Hirokazu Yoshida, Tsukasa Takazawa, Shuji Tomimatsu
  • Patent number: 7617863
    Abstract: A continuous casting furnace includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of a metal casting as it exits a continuous casting mold in order to provide improved characteristics of the metal casting. The temperature control mechanism includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the metal casting, and a heat source and cooling device for respectively heating and cooling the metal casting in light of the temperature of the metal casting. A control unit determines if the temperature of the metal casting is within a predetermined range and controls the heat source and cooling device accordingly. The heat source may double as a cooling device or the cooling device may be separate from the heat source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: RTI International Metals, Inc.
    Inventors: Kuang-O Yu, Frank P. Spadafora, Michael P. Jacques
  • Patent number: 7591917
    Abstract: Steel strips and methods for producing strip are provided. The method for producing steel strips comprises continuously casting low carbon, silicon/manganese killed or aluminum killed molten steel into a strip, the molten steel comprising a concentration of residuals of 2.0 equal to or less than about 2.0 wt % is selected with regard to the microstructure of the finished strip to provide a desired yield strength, where the residuals are selected in desired amounts from the group consisting of copper, nickel, chromium, molybdenum and tin, and cooling the strip to transform the strip from austenite to ferrite in a desired temperature range. Cast steel with improved yield strength properties is produced by such method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Lazar Strezov, Kannappar Mukunthan, Walter N. Blejde, Rama Ballav Mahapatra
  • Publication number: 20080035298
    Abstract: A continuous casting furnace includes a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of a metal cast as it exits a continuous casting mold in order to provide improved characteristics of the metal cast. The temperature control mechanism includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the metal cast, and a heat source and cooling device for respectively heating and cooling the metal cast in light of the temperature of the metal cast. A control unit determines if the temperature of the metal cast is within a predetermined range and controls the heat source and cooling device accordingly. The heat source may double as a cooling device or the cooling device may be separate from the heat source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2006
    Publication date: February 14, 2008
    Applicant: RMI Titanium Company
    Inventors: Kuang-O Yu, Frank P. Spadafora, Michael P. Jacques
  • Patent number: 6896034
    Abstract: A method of controlling a continuous steel strip casting process based on customer-specified requirements includes a general purpose computer in which product specifications of steel product ordered by a customer is entered. The computer is configured to automatically map the product specifications to process parameters/set points for controlling the continuous steel strip casting process in a manner to produce the customer ordered product, and in one embodiment produces a process change report detailing such process parameters/set points for operator use in physically implementing such process parameters/set points in the strip casting process. Alternatively, the computer may provide the process parameters/set points directly to the strip casting process for automatic control thereof in producing the customer ordered steel product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Lazar Strezov, Kannapar Mukunthan, Walter Bleide, Rama Mahapatra
  • Patent number: 6854507
    Abstract: A system provided in a high-speed continuous casting plant for casting a metallic strand for automatically operating the high-speed continuous casting plant. In the system, the stopping or slide movement, the modification of the steel level, the heat currents through the mold walls, the temperature of the liquid metal and the drawing-off speed are measured over the casting time, supplied to a computer and compared with predetermined limit values for an automatic operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg, Stephan Feldhaus, Lothar Parschat, Michael Vonderbank, Thomas Ulke, Robert Victor Kowalewski, Rolf-Peter Heidemann
  • Patent number: 6818073
    Abstract: Steel strips and methods for producing steel strips are provided. In an illustrated embodiment, a method includes continuously casting molten low carbon steel into a strip of no more than 5 mm thickness having austenite grains that are coarse grains of 100-300 micron width; and providing desired yield strength in the cast strip by cooling the strip to transform the austenite grains to ferrite in a temperature range between 850° C. and 400° C. at a selected cooling rate of at least 0.01° C./sec to produce a microstructure that provides a strip having a yield strength of at least 200 MPa. The low carbon steel produced desired microstructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Lazar Strezov, Kannappar Mukunthan, Walter Blejde, Rama Mahapatra
  • Patent number: 6755234
    Abstract: A model-based strategy is provided for determining casting roll operating temperature in a continuous thin strip casting process. A first temperature sensor produces a first temperature signal indicative of the temperature of cooling liquid supplied to the casting rolls and a second temperature sensor produces a second temperature signal indicative of the temperature of cooling liquid temperature exiting the casting rolls. A computer determines a heat flux value as a function of the first and second temperature signals, and computes the operating temperature of the casting rolls as a function of the heat flux value, the second temperature signal and a number of constants defined by fixed-valued operating parameters of the continuous thin strip casting process. A control strategy is also provided to modify one or more operating parameters of the continuous thin strip casting process as a function of the casting roll temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2004
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Walter Blejde, Rama Mahapatra
  • Publication number: 20040031583
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, which is used in the area of secondary metallurgy (4) in its entirety with a final temperature-determining process step (4.1) such as a ladle furnace, for controlling the temperature of steel from the surface of the bath of a continuous casting ingot mold (1) up to the furnace tap (5) of a steel producing process. According to the invention, the temperature of the steel in the surface of the bath is controlled based on the equation TML=TLI+X° C. (X=5-15° C. and while respecting the same such that a jump in temperature (9) between the surface of the bath in the ingot mold (1) and a distributor (3) is detected according to the pouring rate (6) for a predetermined billet size.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Publication date: February 19, 2004
    Inventors: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg, Lothar Parschat, Eckart Schwencke, Erwin Wosch, Bernt Rollinger, Stephan Feldhaus
  • Patent number: 6679626
    Abstract: A method for determining the thermal material properties of metal shaped parts from a model is disclosed, which describes the thermal material properties of the metal shaped part. At least one thermodynamic parameter (p) is formed as a linear combination consisting of at least one base function (hi) and of at least one weighting factor (gi), whereby the base function (hi) describes the thermal material properties, and the weighting factor (gi) takes the influence of the alloying elements on at least one thermodynamic parameter (p) into account. The method makes it possible to conduct a sufficiently precise determination of the thermal material properties with a smaller time requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Otto Gramckow, Michael Jansen, Martin Post, Klaus Weinzierl
  • Patent number: 6588493
    Abstract: A model-based strategy is provided for determining casting roll operating temperature in a continuous thin strip casting process. A first temperature sensor produces a first temperature signal indicative of the temperature of cooling liquid supplied to the casting rolls and a second temperature sensor produces a second temperature signal indicative of the temperature of cooling liquid temperature exiting the casting rolls. A computer determines a heat flux value as a function of the first and second temperature signals, and computes the operating temperature of the casting rolls as a function of the heat flux value, the second temperature signal and a number of constants defined by fixed-valued operating parameters of the continuous thin strip casting process. A control strategy is also provided to modify one or more operating parameters of the continuous thin strip casting process as a function of the casting roll temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Walter Bleide, Rama Mahapatra
  • Patent number: 6585030
    Abstract: Steel strips and methods for producing steel strips are provided. In an illustrated embodiment, a method includes continuously casting molten low carbon steel into a strip of no more than 5 mm thickness having austenite grains that are coarse grains of 100-300 micron width; and providing desired yield strength in the cast strip by cooling the strip to transform the austenite grains to ferrite in a temperature range between 850° C. and 400° C. at a selected cooling rate of at least 0.01° C./sec to produce a microstructure that provides a strip having a yield strength of at least 200 MPa. The low carbon steel produced desired microstructure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Lazar Strezov, Kannappar Mukunthan, Walter Blejde, Rama Mahapatra
  • Patent number: 6581672
    Abstract: A method of controlling a continuous steel strip casting process based on customer-specified requirements includes a general purpose computer in which product specifications of steel product ordered by a customer is entered. The computer is configured to automatically map the product specifications to process parameters/set points for controlling the continuous steel strip casting process in a manner to produce the customer ordered product, and in one embodiment produces a process change report detailing such process parameters/set points for operator use in physically implementing such process parameters/set points in the strip casting process. Alternatively, the computer may provide the process parameters/set points directly to the strip casting process for automatic control thereof in producing the customer ordered steel product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Nucor Corporation
    Inventors: Lazar Strezov, Kannappar Mukunthan, Walter Blejde, Rama Mahapatra
  • Patent number: 6557622
    Abstract: Surface defects in rolled steel are remedied by quenching a surface layer of the steel product downstream of the caster and upstream of the reheat furnace by transversely differentiated quenching to match the transverse temperature profile of the steel product. The flow rate of the quench spray is differentially adjustable across the width and optionally the length of the steel product. An array of spray nozzles controlled in transversely or longitudinally arranged groups provides the quench spray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: IPSCO Enterprises Inc.
    Inventors: William R. Frank, Jonathan Dorricott, Laurie E. Collins, Joseph D. Russo, Robert J. Boecker, Brian H. Wales
  • Patent number: 6543519
    Abstract: A method of controlling a hot face temperature of a copper plate of a mold for continuous casting of steel with variable casting rates and including: providing a bypass line for connecting a mold water outlet with a mold water inlet for obtaining, at the mold water inlet a mixture of heated mold water and cooled mold water, which mixture is fed into the mold as a cooling water having a chageable temperature depending on casting conditions; providing, at the mold water outlet, a two-way valve connectable with the bypass line and a heat exchanger for cooling the heated mold water for distributing the heated mold water between the bypass line and the heat exchanger with; and control of the operation of the two-way valve in accordance with the exit water temperature to maintain a constant predetermined water temperature at the mold water outlet, whereby a constant hot face temperature is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: SMS Demag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg, Stephan Feldhaus, Jürgen Friedrich, Uwe Kopfstedt, Lothar Parschat, Werner Rahmfeld, Dieter Stalleicken, Axel Weyer, Erwin Wosch, Michael Vonderbank
  • Patent number: 6450239
    Abstract: In the operation of a horizontal strip casting facility, each lengthwise segment of a metal strip is continuously scanned in a fan shape across the entire width of the metal strip, immediately after emerging from a mold associated with a furnace. An infrared scanner is used to perform the scan, and passes temperature values, taking into consideration the emissivity values corresponding to the material being cast, to a computer. In the computer, on the basis of those temperature values, a color-graded graphic diagram and/or a temperature profile diagram depicting the temperature over the width of the metal strip are created and displayed on at least one monitor. The speed of the metal strip, the volumes of cooling water for the mold, the withdrawal parameters, and the melt temperature in the furnace are controlled as a function of the temperature profile that is ascertained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: KM Europa Metal AG
    Inventors: Anwar von Sroka, Hartmut Oelmann
  • Patent number: 6176295
    Abstract: The plate mold has water-cooled narrow side walls that can be clamped between broad side walls. The broad side walls have at least three adjacent and mutually independent cooling segments. The cooling segments are divided symmetrically relative to the central axis of the mold and have, in the region of the mold mouth, separate connections for the independent supply of a liquid coolant. The apparatus includes temperature sensors, an oscillation device, an actuator for adjusting the space between the narrow and broad side walls and a control device connected to the temperature sensors to control the oscillation device and the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg