Metal working – Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for... – Binding or covering and cutting
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-06
2001-12-25
Hughes, S. Thomas (Department: 3726)
Metal working
Plural diverse manufacturing apparatus including means for...
Binding or covering and cutting
C029S527700, C072S202000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332255
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for producing a hot-rolled product by
continuously casting a strand,
separating a strand piece from the strand,
thermally influencing the strand piece by temperature equalization and/or strand piece heating, and
hot-rolling the strand piece, wherein
continuous casting takes place at two or several continuous casters and the strand pieces are rolled in a rolling mill associated with these continuous casters and to which the strand pieces are conducted by diverting the strand pieces into the line of the rolling mill from at least one of the continuous casters whose line does not register with the line of the rolling mill, as well as an arrangement for carrying out the process.
2. Prior Art
A process of this kind as well as an arrangement for carrying out the process are known from EP-B 0 492 226 and EP-B 0 593 002.
According to EP-B 0 492 226, the diversion of a strand piece from the line of one of the continuous casters into the line of the rolling mill is effected by means of two guide sections designed as swing furnaces, wherein one swing furnace is arranged in the line of the continuous caster and the second swing furnace is arranged in the line of the rolling mill and both of the swing furnaces in one pivoted position each are capable of being aligned so as to register with the line in which they are arranged and in a second pivoted position each are capable of being placed in a straight line connection with the free ends of the two swing furnaces joining each other.
It is thereby possible, after having introduced a strand piece into the swing furnace arranged in the line of the continuous caster, to pass over into the swing furnace provided in the line of the rolling mill by pivoting the swing furnaces into the connected position and to subsequently feed the thus diverted strand piece to the rolling mill by pivoting back the second swing furnace into the line of the rolling mill.
A very similar method and arrangement are known from EP-B 0 593 002, wherein also there two pivotable or laterally movable furnaces are provided, which serve to divert a strand part from a line of a continuous caster into the line of the rolling mill. Also there, the two movable furnaces join each other in an aligned manner, yet the conveying direction of the strand part is reversed two times, i.e., the strand piece when being conveyed from one line to the other moves in the opposite direction to the conveying direction of the continuous caster and the rolling mill.
Those known processes and plants involve the drawback of the imperative timed coupling of the two pivotable or movable furnaces, since they must be aligned to mutually register in order to divert a strand piece. Hence results the timed coupling of the lines of the continuous casters with the line of the rolling mill. During diversion it is, in fact, not feasible to continue to operate the line from which, or into which, the strand piece is to be conveyed, i.e., the interruption of operation is absolutely necessary until the strand piece to be diverted has moved totally out of one line and into that line into which it is to be brought, thus being conveyed further.
The invention aims at avoiding these drawbacks and difficulties and has as its object to provide a process of the initially defined kind and a plant for carrying out this process, which allow for the rolling of strand pieces from two or several casters by means of a single rolling mill, wherein, however, the casting and rolling operations may be organized in a largely flexible manner and, in particular, decoupling from a time-dependent diversion of a strand piece is to be ensured to the effect that not all of the lines involved in the diversion of a strand piece will be out of operation simultaneously for conveying further strand pieces; it rather is to be feasible, even after having started or terminated the diversion of a strand piece from one line into another line to keep the other line still going, nevertheless.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved in that a thermal influence of the strand pieces to be diverted is effected during the diversion of the strand pieces, i.e., after the extraction of the strand pieces from the line of the continuous caster and prior to their introduction into the line of the rolling mill while completely clearing the lines of the continuous casters and the line of the rolling mill.
Suitably, the diversion of the strand pieces is effected with a two-time inversion of the direction, wherein, after a first diversion of the direction, a storage furnace is passed in a direction opposite to the casting direction and rolling direction and, after this, a second inversion of the direction is effected.
A plant for carrying out the process, comprising two or several continuous casters and a rolling mill associated with the same, wherein a pivotable or laterally displaceable guide section for a strand piece separated from a strand is provided in each of the lines of the continuous casters and/or the rolling mill, is characterized in that a furnace receiving a strand piece is provided between the line of a continuous caster and the line of the rolling mill, to one end of which furnace a pivotable or laterally displaceable guide section of a line of a continuous caster and to the opposite end of which furnace a pivotable or laterally displaceable guide section provided in the line of the rolling mill are capable of being aligningly joined.
By arranging a furnace between the lines, an additional storage means is provided, into which a strand piece may be introduced while the line into which the strand piece is to be transferred afterwards is still continuously operating. With the operation of all lines being maintained, heat treatment of the strand piece may then be carried out in that furnace. This strand piece is transferred to the other line only after a free capacity has been logistically provided in this line. Thereby, the timing of the transfer is independent of a simultaneous interruption of the two lines involved.
Preferably, the furnace provided between the lines is stationarily arranged.
Suitably, the furnace is designed as a storage furnace.
A preferred embodiment is characterized in that at least one pivotable guide section comprising two or several guide parts, preferably mutually arranged in a V-shaped manner, for receiving strand pieces is provided, wherein, as a function of the pivoted position or displacement position of this guide section, once one of the guide parts and once another guide part is capable of being aligned with the line of a continuous caster and/or the line of the rolling mill. This offers an even higher plant availability, the more so as the material flow in the line of the rolling mill merely need be interrupted by an even shorter time interval when diverting a strand piece.
Preferably, the guide sections and optionally provided guide parts are designed as furnaces.
A space-saving embodiment is characterized in that the rolling mill with its line is arranged to register with the line of one of the continuous casters, with an arrangement of the rolling mill with its line between two neighboring lines of two continuous casters being feasible as well.
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patent:
Buchsbaum Bernhard
Gruber Karl Christian
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hughes S. Thomas
Omgba Essama
Voest-Alpine Industriean-lagenbau GmbH
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