Patent GB-1379034-A (GB)
Title: Preventing damage to the guide apron during continuous casting
IPC: B22D11/14
Filed: 1971-12-17
Abstract: 1379034 Continuous casting SCHLOEMANN AG 17 Dec 1971 [19 Dec 1970] 58874/71 Heading B3F A casting-guide apron below a continuous casting mould comprises at least one segment for supporting a casting and which has opposed parts including guide members, such as plates or rollers 6, 15, the distance between the parts being determined by stops (such as stepped rings 30, Fig. 1, or 30<SP>1</SP>, Fig. 5, rotatable for spacing adjustment and which co-act with members such as projections 35 from collars 34, or spacing pins 50), one of the opposed parts being urged against the stops by way of other members including an overload relief element (a slidable wedge 26) by force, e.g. applied by expansion, Fig. 1, or contraction, Fig. 5, of piston-and-cylinder units 17, 18, so that in the event of the casting becoming stationary, the force can be relaxed and force exerted by the casting upon the parts, e.g. due to bulging, displaces the relief element and increases the distance between them. The mountings of the opposed parts include sleeves 7 and 11 at each end, each sleeve 11 being slidable on a column 9 (secured by a pin. 10 in a fixed sleeve 7) to permit the movement for spacing adjustment. The piston rod 17 of the unit 18 is attached by a bracket 16 to the sleeve 7 in Fig. 1, and a wedge 19 is attached to the other end of the unit and is movable between brackets 23 and 24 on the sleeve 11. A pin 20 through the wedge 19 carries, at its ends, slide blocks (22) which can be urged against the brackets 23 by expansion of the unit 18 with a force which is transmitted axially to the column 9 by the overload relief wedge 26, a co-acting wedge 27, a ring 28, the ring 30 with steps 40, and a collar 34 fixed on the upper end of the column 9 to urge the rollers away from each other as far as allowed by the stepped ring 30. The wedges 26 and 27 are U-shaped and embrace the column 9. The ring 28 bears a screw 29 for moving the wedge 27 for more precise spacing of the rollers 6 and 15. The inclined face of the wedge 19 coacts with an inclined face of the wedge 26 to urge the latter towards the column 9, but when the force of the unit 18 is relaxed, the force of the casting pressure on the rollers causes the wedge 26 to slide outwardly and allow the rollers to move apart. An arm 31 for rotating the stepped ring 30 to adjust the spacing is movable to a number of positions, corresponding to standard cross sections of castings, where it can be locked by a device 32. The arms 31 of several segments may be interconnected for simultaneous adjustment. In Fig. 5, the piston-and-cylinder unit 18 is secured between the movable sleeve 11 and a mounting 51 held on the column 9 against a shoulder 62 by a collar 56 and bearing the screw 29 for moving the adjusting wedge 27. The unit 18 is connected by way of a pivot pin 44 and a cranked lever 43 to the mounting 51 and the overload relief wedge 26 is connected to the lever 43 by pivoted links 47. The sleeve 11 is drawn towards the mounting 51 by the unit 18 and the spacing is determined by the spacing pins 51 co-acting with the stepped ring 30<SP>1</SP> below the wedge 26. If pouring should cease, the pressure in unit 18 is relaxed to allow the casting forces to move the wedge 26 from the position in which it determines the casting crosssection. For a more positive action, by expansion of the unit 18, the pin 44 is raised and the links 47 pull the wedge 26 out of position. In the event of metal break-out, the collar 34, Fig. 1, or rings 56, Fig. 5, may be removed to enable the upper rolls to be lifted off so that the solidified casting can be removed.