Sms Concast, Inc.

Gunter Fleming

Horst Grothe

Hans-Peter Kaiser

Rolf Haselhuhn

A vertical continuous casting mold has a pair of wide walls, and a pair of narrow walls which are received between the wide walls. The narrow walls are translatable back-and-forth, and also pivotable, in order to change the width of a strand cast in the mold. Each of the narrow walls is driven by an arrangement which permits the respective narrow wall to be remotely adjusted during casting. The arrangement for each narrow wall includes a pair of internally threaded sleeves which are respectively articulated to an upper and a lower portion of the corresponding wall. A rotatable spindle is threaded into each sleeve. The spindles are operative to cause axial displacement of the associated sleeves in response to rotation of the spindles. The two spindles for each narrow wall are rotated by a common motor. A first transmission transmits motion from the motor to one of the spindles, and a second transmission transmits motion from the motor to the other spindle. The two transmissions are coupled to one another by a coupling device which also connects the transmissions with the motor. The design is such that, in spite of the mechanical connection between the transmissions, one of the spindles is adjustable independently of the other spindle. The mechanical connection between the two transmissions associated with a narrow wall reduces the likelihood of uncontrolled rotation of one spindle by itself. The independent adjustability of one of the spindles for each narrow wall makes it possible to achieve all motions of the respective wall which are necessary to change the width of a strand.

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Erkrath, Germany

Gunter Fleming