Including Shape-perfecting Means Patents (Class 164/424)
  • Publication number: 20150144288
    Abstract: A continuously operating casting and rolling system with a strip tension control includes a casting unit having a melt-containing feed vessel with a horizontal casting channel and a discharge region in the form of a casting nozzle, and a primary cooling zone with two guide rolls and a circulating cooled casting strip and at least one downstream rolling unit having at least two drivable rollers. In order to minimize the tension on the cast strip, the casting unit and the subsequent rolling unit are mechanically decoupled, wherein for the decoupling at least one driver unit having at least two drivable rollers for driving the strip is arranged between the casting belt and the rolling unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Applicant: SMS SIEMAG AG
    Inventors: Hellfried Eichholz, Karl-Heinz Spitzer, Sven Klawiter, Rune Schmidt-Jürgensen
  • Publication number: 20140166231
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuous casting has a withdrawal/straightening unit with pairs of rolls. The spacing distance between two rolls of each pair decrease to create a deformation of a long metal product poured from a mold. A particular deformation is a reduction of the section in one direction, preferably a vertical direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Franco Milani
  • Publication number: 20130139992
    Abstract: A combined continuous casting and rolling system, a control device for such system, and a method for producing rolling stock, e.g., metal strip, using such system are disclosed. The combined continuous casting and rolling system may include a casting device for casting metal and a roll train having at least one roll stand for hot forming the rolling stock, wherein the system is operated such that the rolling stock extends continuously between the casting device and the roll train, wherein rolling stock is continually supplied to the roll train, and wherein a predetermined target thickness progression for the rolling stock is predetermined. Because the thickness progression has at least two different target thicknesses for different sections in the longitudinal direction of the rolling stock and the thickness progression is designed such that particular target thicknesses are set at least twice, longitudinally profiled rolling stock may be produced relatively inexpensively.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Inventor: Günther Winter
  • Publication number: 20130112365
    Abstract: An apparatus for producing elongated rolled products contains a steelmaking station for producing liquid metal having at a first production rate, a rolling mill having a second production rate, and a continuous casting station located between the steelmaking station and the rolling mill. The continuous casting station contains at least two casting lines, each line being operable to produce elongated intermediate products. A first casting line is directly aligned with the rolling mill to feed the rolling mill with casted products, and at least one second casting line not aligned with the rolling mill and not feeding the rolling mill. The apparatus further contains a varying device for varying simultaneously the production rate of the first casting line and the production rate of the at least one second casting line depending on a difference between the steelmaking station production rate and the rolling mill production rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: SIEMENS VAI METALS TECHNOLOGIES S.R.L.
    Inventors: Ezio Colombo, Ugo Zanelli
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20120175076
    Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for making a thin hot strip (1) by roll casting in a continuous process, comprising a casting machine (2) in which first a thin slab (3) is cast, at least one rolling train (4, 5) downstream of the casting machine (2) and in which the thin slab (3) is rolled using the primary heat of the casting process, and a plurality of finish-rolling stands (7) that, relative to a travel direction (F) of the strip (1), are arranged in a downstream region (6) and that can roll the strip (1) with work rolls (8) to a final thickness. To improve the manufacture of a thin hot strip in the continuous process, the invention provides that the work rolls (8) of the finish-rolling stands (7) have a low-wear roll surface. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method of making a thin hot strip (1) by roll casting in a continuous process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: SMS Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Juergen Seidel, Ernst Windhaus, Markus Reifferscheid, Juergen Mueller
  • Publication number: 20120018113
    Abstract: A continuous casting plant (1) includes at least one continuous casting line, optionally, at least one reducing unit, at least one separation device, and one or more devices for tempering the strip, and at least one auxiliary rolling line is arranged parallel to the continuous casting line with conveyors (10, 10?) for inwardly transferring different slab formats into the line of the continuous casting plant (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Inventors: Joachim Schwellenbach, Heribert Neifer, Dieter Rosenthal
  • Publication number: 20110308757
    Abstract: A method and plant for making long metal rolled products, in which a continuous casting is provided made by a single casting machine, defining a casting axis, to cast a product with a quadrangular or equivalent section, a reduction of the section in a rolling mill defining a rolling axis substantially coinciding with the casting axis, and a selective accumulation and maintenance at temperature of a plurality of segments of cast product sheared to size in a misaligned position with respect to the casting axis and/or the rolling axis, inside a maintenance box furnace, for a time correlated to a condition of temporary interruption of the reduction step, so as to allow continuity of the continuous casting step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: DANIELI & C. OFFICINE MECCANICHE SPA
    Inventor: Gianpietro Benedetti
  • Publication number: 20110272116
    Abstract: A rolling method in a rolling line, to obtain strip with a thickness varying from 0.7 mm to 20 mm, for steel which can be cast in the form of thin slabs with a thickness from 30 mm to 140 mm, the line includes a continuous casting device; a tunnel furnace for maintenance/equalization and possible heating; a rolling train having a roughing train and a finishing train; a rapid heating unit, with elements able to be selectively activated, interposed between the roughing train and the finishing train. For each lay-out of the rolling line, the position of the rapid heating unit which defines the number of stands which form the roughing train, disposed upstream of the unit, and the number of stands which form the finishing train, disposed downstream of the unit, is calculated as a function of the product of the thickness and speed of the thin slab.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Publication date: November 10, 2011
    Applicant: DANIELI & C. OFFICINE MECCANICHE SPA
    Inventors: Gianpietro Benedetti, Paolo Bobig
  • Publication number: 20100132911
    Abstract: In the casting close-to-the final dimension of rectangular strands made of metal and the subsequent further processing thereof into metal strips according to the DSC method (direct strip casting) in a horizontal continuous casting installation the cast product (4) is deformed during the solidification thereof into the preliminary strip (5) due to uneven heat dissipation because the top of the strip is cooled only by convection of ambient air and by heat radiation, while the bottom of said strip is in direct contact with a cooled metal conveyor belt (7). In this manner, the initially complete contact between the cast product (4) and the metal conveyor belt (7) is lost and the strip edges of the cast product arch upwards.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2008
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventors: Joerg Bausch, Hans Juergen Hecken
  • Publication number: 20090178777
    Abstract: A casting machine for producing cast strands (2) in shape of billets or ingots includes a continuous casting mold (1) for forming a cast strand (2) that is deflected by a cast radius (R) from a vertical casting direction in horizontal casting direction (13), a straightening region (A) having straightening profiled roller pairs (4, 5, 6) with positive diametrical regions (h, b) or negative diametrical regions (?h, ?b) for forming the cast strand with one or several projections (h, b) or recesses (?h, ?b); and with at least one pair of straightening profiled rollers (4 to 6) provided on both sides of a tangent point (3) of the cast radius (R) and a soft-reduction region (B) adjoining the straightening region and having at least one roller pair (7, 8, 9) with thickness-reducing smooth rollers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Inventor: Hans Streubel
  • Publication number: 20090159234
    Abstract: Process and related plant for manufacturing steel plates with thickness <100 mm and width of up to 4000 mm from a continuous casting step for slabs, comprising a liquid core reduction step, without interruptions until completion of a finishing rolling step with high reduction ratios in at least one stand. The average temperature when entering the rolling step is ?1200° C., but can be reduced for unalloyed or low alloyed steel greatest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2005
    Publication date: June 25, 2009
    Inventor: Giovanni Arvedi
  • Publication number: 20090095438
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the continuous casting of slab, thin slab, bloom, preliminary section, round section, tubular section or billet strands (1) and the like from liquid metal in a continuous casting plant (2) in which metal discharges perpendicularly downwards from a mould (3), wherein the metal strip (1) is then guided vertically downwards along a perpendicular strand guide (4) and is cooled in the process, wherein the metal strip (1) is then deflected from the vertical direction (V) into the horizontal direction (H) and wherein mechanical forming (5) of the metal strip (1) is effected in the final region of the deflection into the horizontal direction (H) or after the deflection into the horizontal direction (H).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2006
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Inventors: Uwe Plociennik, Jens Kempken, Peter Jonen, Ingo Schuster, Tilmann Bocher
  • Patent number: 6810942
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for the continuous casting of metals, especially steel, for use in a solidified-bending method. Said device comprises, downstream of the continuous casting mold, a straight strand guide (1) and a bending device (3) that releases the cast strand path (2a) so that the cold strand (5) can be introduced. The object of the invention is to utilize the height of the device that has so far not been used for supporting the strand or to reduce the height of the entire installation. To this end, the bending device (3) comprises a folding segment (9) that is pivoted on the fixed side (1a) and that is provided with a row of rollers (10) that limit the bending path (3c) in the operational position. The bending device further comprises on the loose side (1b) a loose element (11) that can be swiveled into the operational position (3b) or that can be swiveled out from this position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: SMS Demag AG
    Inventors: Karl Rittner, Günter Kneppe, Jürgen Müller
  • Patent number: 6588491
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the direct production, from molten metal, of scale-free thin metal strip. Hot thin metal strip exiting a continuous caster system is directed to a reducing chamber wherein a reducing gas reduces strip surface oxides while the cast metal strip is at an elevated temperature from retained heat from the molten metal. A cooling unit following the reducing chamber is used to cool the strip to a temperature below about 150° C. prior to exposing the strip to an oxidizing atmosphere. In various embodiments of the invention, strip thickness is reduced with use of hot and cold rolling mills and the scale-free surface of the strip is coated with protective coatings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Danieli Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Stephen L. Feldbauer
  • Patent number: 6536505
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for producing slabs in a continuous casting plant preferably equipped with a vertical mold, preferably for thin slab plants for casting preferably steel having, for example, a solidification thickness of 60 mm-120 mm, for example, 80 mm, and casting speeds of up to 10 m/min. and a maximum casting output of about 3 million tons per year. In a first vertically extending first segment 0 of a strand guide, exclusive strand reduction, also called casting and rolling, is carried out. The segment 1 arranged immediately underneath the first segment 0 carries out bending of the strand through several bending points into the inner circular arc. Prior to final solidification, the strand is bent back through several return bending points into the horizontal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2003
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg
  • Patent number: 5853043
    Abstract: A thin slab that is free of internal cracks is formed by reducing a continuously cast strand having a liquid core. The placement of the reduction rolls is controlled to effect a suitable amount of reduction. The methods effectively reduce bulging strain, as well as strain associated with reduction of the strand. As a result, total accumulated strain is reduced and a thin slab free of internal cracks can be manufactured at high speeds. The apparatus includes reduction blocks which are capable of shifting the rotation angle of an upper roller segment frame. Misalignment strain is reduced and the thickness of the strand can be changed without stopping the manufacturing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1998
    Assignee: Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Isamu Takeuchi, Akihiro Yamanaka, Kazuo Okamura, Hiroyasu Simizu, Takasi Kanazawa, Seiji Kumakura, Masakazu Koide, Toshihiko Murakami, Tadao Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5832984
    Abstract: Molten steel is poured into a water cooled continuous casting mold in which the steel solidifies partially with the formation of a strand having a length and a peripheral shell. The strand has a cross-sectional surface area with one of a round shape, an oval shape and a polygonal shape having more than four sides. Additionally, the strand has a minimum circumference of 200 mm. The cross-sectional surface area of the strand leaving the mold is then reduced using rolls before the strand fully solidifies. The reducing includes deforming the strand into a polygonal shape having at least four corners while maintaining the circumference as well as the length of the strand at the peripheral shell constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Mannesmann Aktiegesellschaft
    Inventors: Fritz-Peter Pleschiutschnigg, Lothar Parschat, Dieter Stalleicken, Winfried Binder, Klaus Bruckner, Ingo von Hagen, Werner Rahmfeld
  • Patent number: 5803155
    Abstract: The casting line for slabs comprises at least a mould (11), an assembly of foot rolls (12) located at the outlet of the mould (11), a plurality of containing and guide assemblies (13) associated with the vertical segment of the line, a possible extraction assembly cooperating downstream with the last containing and guide assembly (13) and a drawing assembly (16) associated with the horizontal segment of the line, the containing and guide assemblies (13) covering at least the whole vertical segment of the casting line, at least part of the rolls (14) of the containing and guide assemblies (13) cooperating with an actuator (19) governed by a data processing unit (20) to obtain a controlled soft-reduction pre-rolling at least in the second part of the vertical segment of the casting line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Alfredo Lavazza, Andrea Carboni, Giovanni Coassin
  • Patent number: 5601138
    Abstract: Method for the controlled pre-rolling of thin slabs (20) leaving a continuous casting plant, whereby the pre-rolling is carried out with a plurality of pairs of rolls (14-16), a first pre-rolling assembly (10) being positioned immediately downstream of foot rolls (12) of a mold (11), at least one displaceable roll (16) being included in the pairs of rolls (14-16), the pairs of rolls (14-16) being associated with pressure transducer (18) and hydraulic capsule (17), position transducer (24) being included. The pressure transducer (18) and position transducer (24) can be associated with a data processing unit (21), at least the first of the pairs of rolls (14-16) processing a slab (20) which has just emerged from the mold (11) with a thin solidified skin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1997
    Assignee: Danieli & C. Officine Meccaniche SpA
    Inventors: Bruno Di Giusto, Fulvio Fasano, Wogler Ruzza, Mirco Striuli, Alfredo Lavazza, Andrea Carboni, Giovanni Coassin
  • Patent number: 5577548
    Abstract: In continuous casting in a continuous casting plant, a strand (2) after emergence from the mold (1) is reduced in thickness by a wedge-shaped roller gap. In order to assure upon the casting to obtain the shortest possible wedge-shaped solidified head piece (25) or in the event of an interruption in casting or a decrease in the operating casting speed a short completely solidified strand intermediate piece of a thickness (28) differing from the desired final thickness (26) of the strand, the strand (2) is reduced in thickness exclusively in a region in which it has a liquid center (20), support segments (4, 5) being so directed at all times that the liquid tip (19) of the liquid center (20) always lies in a region of the strand guide in which the roller gap developed by the rollers (8) is the narrowest parallel gap--with respect to the following strand guide and disregarding a roller adjustment which follows the shrinkage of the completely solidified strand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau GmbH
    Inventors: Gerald Hohenbichler, Kurt Engel, Andreas Kropf
  • Patent number: 5497821
    Abstract: Steel is continuously cast by employing a mold and a casting track. The casting track has a metallurgical length wherein the steel is substantially liquidus at one end of the length and substantially solidified at the other end of the length. At a distance along the length, the area of the cross-section of the solidifying liquid steel is reduced while maintaining the length of the perimeter of the reduced cross-section. The distance is between about 10% and about 80% of the length from the one end to the other end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 12, 1996
    Assignee: Giovanni Arvedi
    Inventors: Giovanni Arvedi, Giovanni Gosio
  • Patent number: 5400850
    Abstract: The apparatus includes a set of no more than three pairs of deformation rollers for deforming the continuous cast strip. A drive device positioned downstream of the deformation rollers drives the cast strip. Guide rollers are positioned downstream of the deformation rollers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1995
    Assignee: SMS Schloemann-Siemag Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gunter Flemming, Hans Streubel, Wolfgang Rohde
  • Patent number: 5146781
    Abstract: A method of treating hot metal slabs (6) aims to reduce the width of the slab (6) produced by a continuous casting process to avoid the need for the prolific number of moulds otherwise required to produce slabs of various widths. In order to achieve this the hot metal slab (6) is presented, with its width dimension vertically oriented, to a pressing machine (24) having a vertically movable top platen (26) and a fixed bottom platen (28). The slab (6) is incrementally displaced, longitudinally, through the pressing machine and pressing forces are applied to its opposing edges by the platens, to reduce its width. Subsequently, the slab (6) is turned so that its width dimension is oriented horizontally and rolled between the horizontal rolls of a rolling mill (22). An apparatus for performing the method is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 15, 1992
    Assignee: Davy McKee (Sheffield) Limited
    Inventors: Geoffrey Wilson, Timothy J. Bradshaw
  • Patent number: 4955428
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuous casting of slabs having a considerably larger width than thickness, particularly of steel slabs with a thickness below 80 mm, includes feeding the molten material to a mold from a casting vessel, the mold having a cross-section at its charge and power inside, deviating in the middle portion from the desired casting format by a large cross-section but matches the desired format near the edges. In order to obtain an objective for providing equipment for making steel slabs with thickness below 80 mm, without defects and with a high surface quality, its is suggested that, while maintaining the cross-sectional contour of the charge and pour-in end of the mold, over the entire mold length, the skin of the emerging casting in its middle portion is deformed by directly downstream arranged guide and support structure such that after passage through the deforming path the surfaces of the entire slab coincide with the initial edge zone surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: September 11, 1990
    Assignee: Mannesmann AG
    Inventor: Hans Schrewe
  • Patent number: 4815520
    Abstract: Continuous casting of metal is optimumly practiced by pouring a casting configured with a trapezoidal cross-section, which issues from the bottom of a mold curvilinearly directed to horizontal extension where it is passed between vertically aligned squeeze rolls which compressively deform and narrow the cross-sectional configuration from trapezoidal to rectilinear and thereby straighten and true the casting for being pinched-off and sectioned to length while the core of the casting is molten. The inventive method and means avoids tensilely stressing the casting, lessening the risk that the skin of the casting will rupture from being stretched and that molten metal from the core of the casting will spill endangering personnel and equipment and ruining the casting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 28, 1989
    Inventor: Fred H. Wuetig
  • Patent number: 4703791
    Abstract: An apparatus for continuously producing a thin metallic strip comprises a mold 3 adapted to receive molten metal and having an outlet opening 1a through which the molten metal under solidification is drawn out as a casting 10 for guided withdrawal movement along a predetermined path, and surface smoothing devices 5 for generally continuously impacting both opposite surfaces of the casting 10 adjacent the outlet opening of the mold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1986
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1987
    Assignee: Hitachi Zosen Corporation
    Inventors: Haruo Sakaguchi, Teruyoshi Suehiro, Kohsuke Terada, Minoru Ueda, Kunio Nagai, Toshie Hashimoto, Hisaki Nishiyama, Masakazu Mohri