Metal founding – Process – Shaping liquid metal against a forming surface
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-21
2001-10-02
Dunn, Tom (Department: 1722)
Metal founding
Process
Shaping liquid metal against a forming surface
C164S477000, C164S417000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06296047
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to an integrated plant for the production of elongated metal products, such as bars and rods, and the like. More particularly, the invention involves an integrated plant in which an elongated metal product is produced in a continuous caster and is thereafter directly operated on in a rolling mill apparatus disposed in-line with the caster in a substantially continuous sequence.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It has commonly been the practice to separate the caster and the rolling mill in order to enable product, which has been prepared by a variety of preliminary processing procedures, to be preliminarily processed and thereafter introduced to the rolling line. More recently, since the development of “hot charging” processes, it is known to provide transport means and storage devices for handling cut to length billets or blooms and to introduce them while hot to a heating furnace. While this practice saves and reduces the need for billet storage, it suffers the drawbacks of reduced material output due to the need for cropping the cast product into short lengths, the presence of short bars in the bed, and the generation of scale in the furnace.
Although several of these defects have been overcome by the method for the continuous casting of long products as described in European Patent Application No. EP 0 761 327 to Meroni, et al. and assigned to the assignee hereof, the disclosed method suffers from its own drawbacks that an induction furnace is used before the rolling process to increase the billet surface temperature and then enable its equalization in an air section. This concept is no longer applied in the present invention, according to which the furnace is used to guarantee the stay time after the equalization. Furthermore, in the present invention there is the possibility of having a longer heating time and thus a softer heating curve. This reduces the thermal stress on the material and improves both its quality and the temperature homogeneity through the bloom cross section.
It is to the amelioration of these drawbacks that the present invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention there is provided apparatus for the production of elongated rolled product comprising a continuous casting equipment, a rolling mill positioned downstream of the continuous casting equipment in alignment with the casting line, and a tunnel furnace disposed intermediate the continuous casting equipment and the rolling mill along the line of product. The tunnel furnace has a length of approximately 100 m and it is designed to achieve a soft heating profile for the bar.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a production line which is adapted for the production of elongated product, particularly, in the form of bars in which the yield of the plant is optimized.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a line for the production of elongated bar product in which the size of the plant is minimized, thus to provide production efficiencies.
It is another object of the invention to provide a casting and rolling system in which the following improvements should be achieved:
a. immediate charging into the furnace right after the continuous caster;
b. gradual equalization of the billet temperature;
c. stay time sufficient to guarantee the metallurgical improvement of the product, but not too long to avoid an excessive decarburization.
For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objectives obtained by its use, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and description which relate to a preferred embodiment thereof.
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Verderevskii V. A. et al. “Casting-Rolling Unit For Producing Wire Rod”,Steel in Translation, GB, The Institute Of Materials, London, vol. 25, No. 12, pp. 37-41, 1995, XP 000630468.
M. Lestani “New Concepts in the Production of Speciality Steels in Bars and Coils”,La Revue de Metallurgie—CIT, Oct. 1, 1997, pp. 1225-1236, XP-000734342.
European Search Report dated Dec. 20, 1999 and Annex.
U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 09/315,843 filed May 21, 1999.
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Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Danieli Technology Inc.
Dunn Tom
Johnson Jonathan
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