Km-kabelmetal Ag

Kabel-und Metallwerke Gutehoffnungshutte Aktiengesellschaft

Km Europa Metal Ag

Kabel-und Metallwerke Gutehoffnungshuette Ag

Km-kabelmeteal Aktiengesellschaft

Horst Gravemann

Andreas Krause

Dirk Rode

Thomas Helmenkamp

Eike Weisner

A method for manufacturing casting molds, in particular continuous casting molds which are used with an electromagnetic rabbling mechanism in the continuous casting of steel, is provided. The method comprises selecting a specified age-hardenable copper alloy to have a Ni content from 0.1 to 2.0% which allows the electrical conductivity of the copper alloy to be adjusted from 80 to 35 IACS. The method further comprises melting, casting, hot-rolling, solution heat treating and rapidly cooling the copper alloy, followed by age-hardening, wherein the mold has a tensile strength of at least 430 N/mm , is highly thermally conductive and exhibits low magnetic field damping. A method of using an age-hardenable copper alloy is also provided.

Age-hardenable copper alloy casting molds

A hardenable copper alloy, suitable as a material for manufacturing casting rolls and casting wheels that are subjected to changing temperature stresses, is disclosed. The hardenable copper alloy comprises 1.0 to 2.6% nickel, 0.1 to 0.45% beryllium, and the remainder of copper, inclusive of impurities resulting from manufacturing and the customary processing additives, and has a Brinell hardness of at least 200 and an electric conductivity of over 38 m/.OMEGA. mm.sup.2.

Casting rolls made of hardenable copper alloy

To continuously cast thin slabs or round ingots from copper alloys, which slabs or ingots have a thickness of 8 to 40 mm, the present method electromagnetically agitates the melt found inside the ingot mold. By properly dimensioning the agitator coil, the agitation power inside the melt is limited to within a range of about 0.5 to 100 W/cm3, while the pull-off rate of the casting strand is limited to within a range of 0.05 to 1.3 m/min. The copper alloys contain up to a maximum of 1% of one element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, manganese, zinc, zirconium, chromium, molybdenum and niobium.

Method for continuously casting copper alloys

A tubular blank made of an age-hardening copper alloy is annealed and quenched; whereupon a mandrel of the final shape and size of the interior cavity of the mold to be made is inserted; whereupon the blank is forced onto the mandrel primarily by drawing, but also rolling, forging, electrodynamically or hydrostatically shaping, or a combination thereof is considered.

Making a mold for continuous casting

To continuously cast thin slabs or round ingots from copper alloys, which slabs or ingots have a diameter of 8 to 40 mm, the present method electromagnetically agitates the melt found inside the ingot mold. By properly dimensioning the agitator coil, the agitation power inside the melt is limited to within a range of about 0.5 to 100 W/cm3, while the pull-off rate of the casting strand is limited to within a range of 0.05 to 1.3 m/min.

A round copper or copper-alloy tube is internally coated with a relatively thick nickel or nickel-alloy layer and formed into a tube of rectangular or square-shaped cross section; the tube or cut-off sections thereof will serve as molds for continuous casting.

Making molds with rectangular or square-shaped cross section

An age-hardening copper alloy is used, alloy components being zirconium, nickel, chromium, cobalt, phosphorus, and beryllium, to make a tubular blank and solution heat-treating same; after a cold-working step, the pre-sized blank is age-hardened at from 400.degree. C. to 600.degree. C. for at least 15 minutes and explosion-formed in order to obtain the desired size, shape, and dimensions.

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Osnabruck, Germany

Horst Gravemann