Patent GB-1166282-A (GB)
Title: Method of and Apparatus for Continuously Casting Steel.
IPC: B22D11/045
Filed: 1966-10-07
Abstract: 1,166,282. Continuous casting; shearing; cutting by fusion. CALDERON WELLMAN Ltd. 7 Oct., 1966 [8 Oct., 1965], No. 44870/66. Headings B3F, B3V and B3W. Molten steel is fed into an upright, metalencased, refractory reservoir 40, Fig. 6, of a mould assembly 22, Fig. 1, which has one or two water-jacketed copper moulds 53 extending horizontally from apertures having the same cross-section as the moulds and which is reciprocated in the direction of the mould axis or axes with a maximum velocity greater than the speed at which the cast slab(s) is (are) withdrawn by rolls of an assembly 24. Electric heating coils 50, embedded in the refractory wall of the reservoir 40 stir the molten metal by induction and lubricant is fed in through porous gaskets 62 adjacent bolted flanges 46, 58 of the moulds 53 and sheet metal casing 43 of the reservoir. The mould assembly has wheels (76), Figs. 3, 4 (not shown), running in double-flanged rails (75) and is reciprocated by a crank (84) driven by a motor (85). The molten metal is fed to the mould assembly 22 from nozzles 38 of a funnel 37 which is charged by one or both of two ladles 30, mounted on self-propelled cars 32, to maintain continuous pouring. Each cast slab emerges from a mould 53 on to a table of supporting rolls 95 each driven by its own electric motor (98), Fig. 7 (not shown), supported above a tank 90 from which water is pumped up to spray nozzles 94 above and below the slab. The slab then passes to the withdrawal assembly 24, the upper roll (103) of which, Figs. 8, 9 (not shown), is urged down on to the slab (70) by fluid-pressure cylinders (111) bearing on pivoted arms (107) which are connected indirectly to the journals of the roll. The rolls (102, 103) are driven by an electric motor (115) through gears. Cutting the casting.-The withdrawal assembly 24 drives the slab to a slitter 25 for longitudinal division into bars which in turn pass to a flying- shear or -burner 26 for severance into lengths. To slit the hot slab (70) into bars 130, Fig. 12, an upper pair of interlinked shafts 120 of the slitter 25 are lowered by hydraulic cylinders 122 towards a similar lower pair of shafts 120 until the edges of rolls 123 on the upper shaft are aligned with the edges of offset rolls 123 on the lower shaft. The shafts 120 are not driven. A wheeled carriage 142, 143 of the cut-off assembly 26 bears a shear or burner and moves on rails 140 with the cast slab when the latter is gripped between support rolls 144 and vertically displaceable rolls 145 mounted similarly to the upper rolls (103) of the withdrawal assembly, Figs. 8, 9 (not shown). After severance of the lengths of slabs or bars, the carriage is returned to position adjacent the slitter 25. The severed lengths are supported on a table 155 of rollers against a stop 158 until removed by crane. A starter bar 29 is supported on a table 156 of rollers beneath the table 155, the two parallel tables being mounted on the same frame 150 which when raised, Fig. 14 (not shown), aligns the starter bar 29 with the casting path so that it can be passed back into the mould first by a traction assembly 157, then possibly by the carriage 142, 143 of the cut-off assembly 26 and finally by the withdrawal assembly 24. A dumb-bell pin (161), Fig. 4 (not shown), is inserted in a recess (160) in the end of the starter bar and the first metal solidifies around its exposed end until the cut-off assembly 26 severs the bar from the slab end.