CONTINUOUS CASTING MACHINES

Abstract: A continuous casting machine comprises a plurality of mould blocks (8) connected to respective carriers (3,4) and forming two endless tracks which cooperate over a part of their length to define a mould cavity. At least one clamp (6) is pivotally connected to each carrier (3,4) on each side of the mould block (8) and a spring (11) acts on each clamp and normally urges it against the mould block and thus connects the mould block to the associated carrier. One or both endless tracks may include a mould block replacement station (20) which includes clamp releasing means (21,22) situated beside the track and arranged to act on the clamps (6) to move them out of engagement with the mould block (8) into a retracted position and pushing means (19) arranged to engage a mould block (8) whose clamps (6) have been released and to push it laterally out of the endless track.

Description: The present invention relates to continuous casting machines of moving mould block endless track type according to the preamble of claim 1 and is particularly concerned with replacing the mould blocks in such machines according to the preamble of claim 8. The invention is concerned with that type of continuous casting machine which comprises a plurality of mould blocks connected to respective carriers and forming two endless tracks which cooperate over part of their length to define a mould cavity, see JP-A-61-67544, upon which the preambles of claims 1 and 8 are based. A typical block type moving mould continuous casting machine is shown diagrammatically in side elevation in Figure 5. A plurality of mould blocks a are connected to form two rotatable endless tracks b. The two tracks b are disposed in vertically opposed relationship with respective runs of the two tracks extending parallel and defining a mould cavity c having opposite open ends. A nozzle d is inserted in one of the open ends to supply the cavity c with molten metal from a tundish e while the mould blocks a are moved progressively towards the other end of the cavity c. The molten metal progressively solidifies in the cavity or at least has a solid shell by the time it reaches the downstream end of the cavity and the molten metal is thus continuously cast. Such continuous casting machines are generally classified into horizontal moving mould continuous casting machines and inclined moving mould type continuous casting machines. Each of the mould blocks a is securely connected to a respective carrier with bolts. Although they are cooled, the mould blocks a may be deformed or distorted as a result of the temperature differential across them when they are contacted by molten metal, which is at a high temperature. The mould blocks are in fact only temporarily and slightly deformed and will recover to their original shape when their temperature falls again. However, repeated or large deformations due to such temperature differentials are not reversed even when the temperature of the mould block drops, which results in a permanent distortion. The surfaces of a permanently distorted mould block do not remain flat, so that the surface accuracy of the casting f is degraded. Furthermore, solidification of molten metal on the surfaces of the mould blocks will cause irregularities on the surfaces, so that the surface accuracy of the casting f is further degraded. A mould block with irregular surfaces due to thermal distortions and/or solidified metal is conventionally removed by undoing the bolts and then replaced by a replacement mould block which is securely connected to the carrier by the bolts. Such replacement of the mould block is very laborious and time consuming. It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a continuous casting machine of the type referred to above in which the mould blocks are secured in a simple yet reliable manner and, in particular, in which a mould block may be replaced both simply and rapidly. According to the present invention, a continuous casting machine of the type referred to above is characterised by at least one clamp pivotally connected to each carrier on each lateral side of the mould block and a respective spring acting on each clamp and urging it against the mould block and thus connecting the mould block to the associated carrier. Thus in the machine in accordance with the invention the mould blocks are connected to the carriers by spring-loaded pivotal clamps and these may be simply released by exerting a force on the clamps which overcomes the force of the biasing springs, whereafter the mould block may be removed and replaced by a new one and the clamps are then permitted to return to the position in which they engage the mould block to connect it to the carrier. The preferred embodiment includes a mould block replacement station in which a mould block may be replaced by mechanical means. This mould block replacement station may include clamp releasing means situated beside at least one of the endless tracks and arranged to act on the clamps and to move them out of engagement with the mould block into a retracted position and pushing means arranged to engage a mould block whose clamps have been released and to push it laterally out of the endless track. It will be appreciated that in practice each endless track is likely to have a mould replacement station and that this station will be associated with the run of each track which is remote from the run which partially defines the mould cavity. It is preferred that the mould block replacement station includes two supports on opposite sides of the endless track which afford surfaces substantially coplanar with the surface of a carrier adjacent the station. The supports may be used to receive a used mould block which is moved out of the endless track and to receive a new mould block before it is moved into the track. It is of course important that the clamps on that side of the support towards which the mould block is moved by the pushing means do not impede the movement of the mould block. Accordingly, the clamps and the clamp release means should be so arranged as to move the clamps wholly below the plane of the supporting surface of the carrier. In practice, this may be very difficult and thus in one embodiment of the invention each mould block has a groove formed in its undersurface extending transverse to the normal direction of movement of the mould block and associated with each clamp on that side of the mould block towards which the mould block is moved by the pushing means, whereby the end of the clamp on the said side of the mould block passes through the associated groove when the mould block is moved by the pushing means. If sufficient angular movement of the clamps is possible, the grooves need only be relatively shallow and the clamping means can be aligned with the associated grooves at all times and simply engage the portion of the mould block above the grooves when they are in the engaged position. However, even this may present difficulties in practice and it may therefore be desirable to ensure that some movement of the end of each clamp on the said side of the mould block occurs in the direction in which the mould block is normally moved when the clamps are moved between the engaged position and the retracted position. This may be achieved either by providing that the pivotal shafts of each clamp on the said side of the mould block is inclined to the supporting surface of the carrier or by providing cooperating screw threads on each pivotal shaft and the associated clamp. The invention also embraces a method of replacing a mould block of a continuous casting machine of the type referred to above which includes bringing the clamps of the mould block into alignment with the clamp releasing means, actuating the clamp releasing means to move the clamps into a retracted position, actuating the pushing means to move the mould block laterally out of its endless track, retracting the pushing means, placing a new mould block adjacent the pushing means, actuating the pushing means to move the new mould block onto the associated support and retracting the clamp releasing means to permit the clamps to engage the new mould block and thus connect it to the carrier. Further features, details and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments which is given with reference to Figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic partial transverse sectional view of a first embodiment of a continuous casting machine and a mould block replacing apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line II-II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a scrap side elevation of a single mould block and another embodiment of clamping device in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 of a further embodiment of clamping device in accordance with the present invention. Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, each endless track of the continuous casting installation comprises two endless chains 2 connected to which is a plurality of carriers 3, 4 connected together in an endless track. Situated within the track adjacent the carriers 3, 4 is a guide 1 mounted on an endless track stand (not shown). Each carrier 3, 4 is provided with one or more opposed pairs of rollers 5 which are rotatably received in longitudinal grooves or recesses in opposite side surfaces of the guide 1. Each carrier 3, 4 comprises a flat plate 4 extending from the inner surface of which are two spaced flanges which extend on either side of the guide 1. The support shafts for the rollers 5 extend through the flanges and through further elongate plates 3. Connected to the outer surface of the plate 4 is a mould block 8 which has a flange along the bottom of each side edge which defines a step 12. The connection is by way of two clamps 6 on each side of the carrier, which engage the associated step on the mould block and press the latter against the carrier plate 4. Each clamp 6 is pivotally mounted on a respective shaft 7 which is inclined to the direction of movement of the associated endless track by a predetermined small angle. The inner surface of that end of each clamp 6 which is opposite to the end which engages the mould block is engaged by a push rod which is acted on by a respective bias spring 11 which in turn acts on a respective bracket 10 on the undersurface of the carrier plate 4 adjacent to the outside sides thereof so that each clamp 6 is urged in the direction in which each clamp 6 is forcibly pressed against the associated step 12 on the mould block 8. Two passages or grooves 13 are formed on the undersurface of the mould block 8 which extend in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the mould block 8. The grooves 13 are adapted to be aligned with the upper end of the clamps 6 when they are in the retracted position which they adopt when the clamping force is released. Each endless track includes a mould block replacement station 20. This station includes clamp release cylinders 14 and 15 mounted on respective support frames 16 and 17 on opposite sides of the carriers 3 and 4 and positioned to engage the lower end of each clamp 6 and to exert a force on it against the force of the bias spring 11. A mould block pushing cylinder 18 is mounted on the frame 16 so that the mould block 8 may be displaced laterally by a piston rod 19 extended from the pushing cylinder 18 in the transverse direction onto the other frame 17. In the continuous casting machine described above, each mould block 8 is securely clamped in position in its respective endless track by a plurality, in this case four, clamps 6 under the resilient force of the springs 11 and is moved around its endless track. When an old mould block 8 is to be replaced with a new one, the circulating movement of the mould block 8 is firstly interrupted. At the mould block replacement station 20, the piston rods 21 and 22 of the clamp release cylinders 14 and 15 are brought into alignment with the clamps 6 and then the piston rods 21 and 22 are extended. As a result, each clamp 6 is forced to pivot about its shaft 7 and the lower end of the clamp 6 is pushed toward the bracket 10 against the force of the bias spring 11, whereby the clamp 6 is released from the clamping force. The upper ends of the released clamps 6 move out of registry with their clamped position in the direction of movement of the endless track because their shafts 7 are inclined as described above, and move into registry with the grooves 13 in the undersurface of the mould block 8. Then the piston rod 19 of the mould block pushing cylinder 18 is extended so that the mould block 8, which is released from the clamping force and therefore is free to move, is displaced transversely onto the frame 17 whilst the clamps 6 pass through the grooves 13 in the mould block 8. The piston rod 19 of the pushing cylinder 18 is then withdrawn, a new or repaired mould block 8″ is placed on the empty frame 16 and is moved onto the carrier 4 by the pushing cylinder 18. The piston rods 21 and 22 of the clamp release cylinders 14 and 15 are now withdrawn and each clamp 6 is pressed against the associated step 12 on the mould block 8″ under the resilient return force of the associated bias spring 11. The new mould block 8″ is thus securely mounted on the carrier 4. The old mould block 8′ on the frame 17 is transported by a crane or the like to a repair station. Another embodiment of the clamping device is illustrated in Figure 3. The pivotal supporting shaft of each clamp 6 extends parallel to the carrier 4, i.e. parallel to the direction of movement of the mould blocks, so that the clamps 6 are pivoted in a vertical plane. A relatively greater angle of pivotal movement of the clamps 6 cause them to be able to pass through the grooves 13 when the mould block is shifted laterally without any difficulty. A further embodiment of the clamping device is illustrated in Figure 4. The supporting shafts of the clamps 6 are threaded so that when the clamps are rotated and the clamping force is released, the clamps 6 move axially with respect to the supporting shafts and thus become aligned with the grooves 13. It will be understood that various modifications may be effected to the specific embodiments described above. For instance, instead of the hydraulic cylinders, threaded rods or geared drives may be used as the clamp releasing means and mould block pushing means. In the continuous casting machine in accordance with the present invention the mould blocks are simply and securely mounted on the carriers by means of clamps and the method of replacing an old mould block with a new repaired block is very simple and rapid by comparison with a machine in which the mould blocks are secured to the carriers by means of bolts. The operational efficiency is thus increased. Furthermore, when the clamps are moved into their respective retracted positions, the mould block can be easily moved laterally without interfering with the clamps.

Claims: 1. A continuous casting machine comprising a plurality of mould blocks (8) connected to respective carriers (3, 4) and forming two endless tracks, the two tracks cooperating over a part of their length to define a mould cavity, characterised by at least one clamp (6) pivotally connected to each carrier (3, 4) on each lateral side of the mould block (8) and a respective spring (11) acting on each clamp and urging it against the mould block (8) and thus connecting the mould block (8) to the associated carrier (3, 4). 2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 characterised by a mould block replacement station (20) including clamp releasing means (21, 22) situated beside at least one of the tracks and arranged to act on the clamps (6) to move them out of engagement with the mould block (8) into a retracted position and pushing means (19) arranged to engage a mould block (8) whose clamps (6) have been released and to push it laterally out of the endless track. 3. A machine as claimed in claim 2 characterised in that the mould block replacement station (20) includes two supports (16, 17) on opposite sides of the endless track which afford surfaces substantially coplanar with a surface of a carrier (3, 4) adjacent the station (20). 4. A machine as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 characterised in that each mould block (8) has a groove (13) formed in its undersurface extending transverse to the normal direction of movement of the mould block and associated with each clamp (6) on that side of the mould block towards which the mould block is moved by the pushing means, whereby the end of the clamp (6) on the said side of the mould block (8) passes through the associated groove (13) when the mould block is moved by the pushing means (19). 5. A machine as claimed in claim 4 characterised in that the pivotal shaft (7) of each clamp (6) on the said side of the mould block (8) is inclined to the supporting surface of the carrier (3, 4), whereby the end of each said clamp (6) is aligned with the associated groove (13) when it is in the retracted position but not when it is in engagement with the mould block (8). 6. A machine as claimed in claim 4 characterised in that the pivotal shaft (7) of each clamp (6) on the said side of the mould block (8) is screw threaded, whereby the end of each said clamp (6) is aligned with the associated groove (13) when it is in the retracted position but not when it is in engagement with the mould block (8). 7. A machine as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 characterised in that the clamp releasing means (21, 22) comprise hydraulic piston/cylinder units, threaded rods or geared drives. 8. A method of replacing a mould block (8) of a continuous casting machine as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 7 characterised by bringing the clamps (6) of the mould block (8) into alignment with the clamp releasing means (21, 22), actuating the clamp releasing means to move the clamps (6) into a retracted position, actuating the pushing means (19) to move the mould block (8) laterally out of its endless track, retracting the pushing means (19), placing a new mould block (8″) adjacent the pushing means (19), actuating the pushing means to move the new mould block (8″) onto the associated carrier (3, 4) and retracting the clamp releasing means (21, 22) to permit the clamps (6) to engage the new mould block (8″) and thus connect it to the carrier (3, 4).

Inventors: HASEBE, NOBUHISA, OSADA, SHIRO, TAKAHASHI, SHUZO, TSUCHIDA, YUTAKA
Applicants: ISHIKAWAJIMA-HARIMA  JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NIPPON KOKAN KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B22D11
IPC codes: B22D11