Steel Casting Engineering, Ltd.

Other

Boehler Aktiengesellschaft

Voest-alpine Aktiengesellschaft

Max Ahrens

Manfred Haissig

Hermann Schubert

Rodger W Spriggs

George Pepelanov

An aftercooler for horizontal continuous casting includes a plurality of aftercooler segments each of which includes a plurality of radially acting aftercooler sections. The radially acting sections each define inner surfaces which combine with the remaining radially acting aftercooler sections to form an aftercooler passage. The radially acting sections within each aftercooler segment are banded together by a plurality of resilient encircling bands. The bands draw the radially acting aftercooler sections together to constrain a casting within the casting passage. The plurality of aftercooler segments are provided with a surrounding coolant carrying jacket. A plurality of gas distribution passages are formed in the radially acting aftercooler sections which are provided with a flow of inert gas. The inert gas distributes itself between the surfaces of the casting and the surfaces of the aftercooler passage to prevent oxide formation and to ease the travel of the casting through the aftercooler.

Radially acting aftercooler for horizontal continuous casting

A horizontal continuous caster includes a tundish supporting a quantity of molten metal together with a cooled mold and conventional casting movement apparatus. The interface between the cooled mold and the tundish is provided by an improved tundish nozzle having a fabrication which locates the contact area between the nozzle and the cooled mold surfaces to the nozzle periphery thereby locating heat transfer between the mold and the molten metal within the tundish nozzle at the outer portion of the nozzle. The nozzle structure creates peripheral contact area and insulative air spaces between the nozzle and mold surfaces. The improved insulative properties of the nozzle construction in turn facilitates the use of higher strength, longer wear materials for the tundish nozzle.

Nozzle for horizontal continuous caster

A horizontal continuous casting system includes a tundish having a refractory lining and supporting a quantity of molten metal therein. The tundish supports a slide gate shut-off device. A rotating drum supports a plurality of interchangeable casting molds and is operatively coupled to a hydraulic motor through a linear bearing support. The motor is operative to rotate the drum and interchange the casting molds during brief casting interruptions facilitated by the slide gate shut-off. Each interchangeable mold in the plurality of casting mold includes an indexing flange defining a plurality of index recesses. A clamp stand is positioned downstream of the rotating drum and casting molds and supports a plurality of expandable hydraulic cylinders having extending index pins which cooperate with the index recesses and mold flange to secure a casting flange in place during the casting operation. The casting molds may be interchanged by retracting the extending pins using the hydraulic cylinders and rotating the rotatable drum to move an exhausted or defective mold out of the casting system and replace it with a new or refurbished casting mold.

Multiple mold with change-over feature for horizontal continuous casting

An improved, more economical mold for use in continuously casting metals or alloys comprises a mold tube and a pair of flanges, one flange peripherally disposed of and in abutting, liquid sealing relation with each end of the tube. Such sealing relation is preferably provided by a continuous knife-edged protrusion formed in and disposed peripherally of each flange and adapted to sealingly cooperate with a continuous shallow groove formed in and disposed peripherally of each end of the tube. Cooling means including a jacket and a baffle surround the tube between the flanges, and the baffle further defines a channel immediately circumjacent a substantial portion of the outer surface of the tube for directing a flow of cooling liquid about the tube in direct contact with such surface. Removable assembly means releasably interconnect the two flanges and the baffle disposed therebetween in such a way as to clamp each of the flanges to its respective end of the mold tube, thus effecting both liquid-tight seals as well as creating a unitary assembly. Accordingly, an efficient method for repairing the mold via quick dissassembly, tube replacement and quick reassembly is also provided.

Horizontal continuous casting mold

A short mold for use in a continuous casting system includes a short taperless casting die coupled to a plurality of cooling plates having means for circulation of coolant therethrough arranged in a serially overlapping configuration in which the plates are individually moveable to accommodate variations of the casting. Hydraulic means are operative upon the cooling plates to assert a contact force and hold the cooling plates in contact with the surfaces of the casting. The individual plate motions provide for accommodation of the taper of the cooling casting.

Short mold for continuous casting

A moving plate aftercooler for use in a continous casting system includes a plurality of cooling plates having means for circulation of coolant therethrough arranged in a serially overlapping configuration in which the plates are individually moveable to accomodate variations of the casting. Hydraulic means are operative upon the cooling plates to assert a contact force and hold the cooling plates in contact with the surfaces of the casting. The individual plate motions provide for accomodation of the taper of the cooling casting. A serial arrangement of three aftercoolers which cooperate to provide a continuous partially flexible cooling passage is also shown.

Moving plate continuous casting aftercooler

An apparatus for continuous horizontal casting with a stationary mold and the casting method accomplished with such apparatus contemplates employing at least one gripper roll pair which directly engages a casting which is then withdrawn in steps or incrementally from the mold. At least one roll of each roll pair is driven by a stepping DC-motor to which it is directly coupled. Each casting withdrawal step can be divided into substeps which are controllable to produce a uniform preset speed pattern during each step.

Method and apparatus for horizontal continuous casting

An improved take-off device for a horizontal continuous-casting installation is provided. The arrangement comprises a frame and a mounting seated on rollers in the frame. The mounting is rotatable relative to the frame and supports the drive roll and its drive shaft, and a counter-pressure roll, which rolls preferably have counter-profiles corresponding to the cross section of the casting. The mounting comprises two concentrically arranged tubes which are sealed at their ends, thereby defining a cooling area therein. The adverse effects of gravity on casting quality may be mitigated by rotating the mounting relative to the frame, and locking it as a desired relative position, depending upon the cross-sectional configuration of the casting.

Continuous casting installation

A process for controllng the withdrawal of a casting from a cooled, horizontal, continuous casting mold involves withdrawing the casting from the mold in a series of steps, between which steps the casting is pushed back by a partial step to insure the welding together of casting sections. A melt breakthrough of the casting skin is prevented by measuring the expansion or contraction of a wall of the mold in contact with the casting and controlling the withdrawal of the casting in response thereto.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Max Ahrens