Method to transform a rolling plant

Details Method to transform a rolling plant Method to transform a rolling plant

1998-06-02

2001-03-13

Pyon, Harold (Department: 1722)

Metal founding

Process

Shaping liquid metal against a forming surface

C164S418000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06199620

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF APPLICATION
This invention concerns a method to transform a rolling plant.
The invention is applied to revamp rolling lines employed in plants of the old type, principally operating semi-continuously, where slabs pre-sheared to size are fed from store areas in hot or cold loading, with lines adopting more modern technologies which produce thin slabs from a continuous casting machine located directly in line with the rolling train.
STATE OF THE ART
In recent years the technologies used in continuous casting and rolling have been the subject of intense and exhaustive studies and experimentation in order to find ever more advanced technological solutions which can combine great productivity, cost-effectiveness and a high inner and surface quality of the product.
These studies and experiments have brought about particular technological developments, specifically in the field of medium and thin slabs continuously cast from an ingot mold, so that it has become possible to hypothesise and achieve a continuous casting line where the rolling train is directly connected to the ingot mold.
This transformation of the plants has been motivated by the need to improve the quality of the product, to reduce production costs, to increase production, and to extend the range of products, particularly with regard to thinner thickness.
This solution has however entailed the problem that a great number of old plants, which employ rolling lines arranged to roll slabs starting from a thickness of around 160-350 mm and fed from store areas, need to be transformed into more advanced plants which adopt the new technologies.
The necessary transformation, which involves or will involve within a short time substantially a large majority of the old-type rolling plants, necessarily causes a long downtime in the plant, of about 5-6 months, in order to carry out the necessary work, including foundation work, to replace and install the new assemblies; in actual fact, this causes a considerable economic loss for the steel works which can only be recouped when the new plant has been active for a long period.
The present Applicant has designed and tested this invention to solve this serious operating problem with a solution which is relatively simple and such as will make it substantially painless to revamp an old plant so as to install more advanced technology, and also to obtain further advantages as will be shown hereinafter.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The purpose of the invention is to adopt a procedure which can be adopted in the transformation of an old-type semi-continuous plant, where rolling is carried out starting from slabs of 160-350 mm thick arriving from a store area, into a plant with a continuous casting machine for thin slabs arranged directly in line with the rolling train which will minimise the economic impact caused by the transformation.
According to the invention, the new segment of line, comprising the continuous casting machine for thin slabs and the operating assemblies placed downstream thereof, for example the heating and temperature equalisation furnace, is achieved in a position adjacent to (or at least near, depending on the configuration of the plant) the already existing line which continues to work.
The operating assemblies associated with the continuous casting machine may comprise an extraction assembly, a straightening assembly, a shearing assembly, possibly heating assemblies, possibly descaling assemblies, and possibly other assemblies functional to the working and processing of thin slabs.
The new segment of line according to the invention comprises at the end at least a movable connection element suitable to connect the new segment of line with the terminal end of the pre-existing line, which remains unchanged; the terminal segment comprises a possible descaling assembly, the finishing train, the cooling area, the assemblies to coil and discharge the product, conditioning, measuring, shearing and emergency assemblies, etc.
According to a variant, the terminal segment comprises one or more roughing stands at the leading end.
According to a further variant, the terminal segment comprises a reversible-type roughing stand, possibly associated with a coil box, at the leading end.
According to one embodiment, the connection element can be translated in a direction parallel to itself.
According to a variant, the connection element is movable in a pivoting manner.
According to another variant, the connection element is moved on rails.
According to yet another variant, the connection element is moved on a trolley or slider or translatable platform.
When the new segment of line has been prepared, the conversion of the plant is carried out by connecting the new segment to the terminal segment which remains unchanged; according to the preferential embodiment, this occurs when the plant is given a periodical and pre-determined maintenance operation.
During this pre-determined downtime, all the necessary connections can be made: the hydraulic and electrical connections, and all the other equipping and installation operations necessary to reconfigure the line.
In this way, the downtimes when the plant is totally stopped are substantially eliminated and the economic impact caused by the transformation of the plant is minimised.
According to another evolution of the invention, once the new line has been installed and has started working, the old line arranged on an axis with the rolling train is completely dismantled and replaced by a new line with a continuous casting machine.
This operation can be carried out without interfering in any way with the already completed first line, which can operate under normal working conditions, and therefore without compromising the productivity of the newly transformed plant in any way.


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Baier J. C. et al, Modernization of Bethlehem's Sparrows Point 68-in. Hot Strip Mill Iron and Steel Engineer, vol. 70, No. 3, Mar. 1, 1993, pp. 25-31.
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