Patent GB-1222988-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for continuous casting
IPC: B22D11/041
Filed: 1968-05-22
Abstract: 1,222,988. Continuous casting. INTERLAKE STEEL CORP. 22 May, 1968 [5 June, 1967], No. 24497/68. Heading B3F. The cavity of a continuous casting mould is formed by the inner surfaces of a number of separate, e.g. four, longitudinal mould-sections 14, Figs. 2-6, suspended from their upper ends and mounted in relatively inflexible frame members 15, the mould-sections being capable of flexing if stressed transversely as beams. Each metal mould-section 14 has a short and bored block 53, Fig. 5, located along its upper end by a separate key 57, or by a key (84) on a modified block (85), Fig. 5a (not shown), so that it can be suspended (for free longitudinal expansion) from the top of an elongated frame-member 15 of a support 13, Fig. 3, by lowering the block into a slotted extension 15b of the member 15 for securement by screws 60 (89) and an end cap 61 (88). Rear flanges 24, Fig. 2, on each mould section 14 slide into a groove 21 in a support frame-member 15 wherein they are urged against flanges 22 by an inflatable tube 26, (74) or by a number of springs or pneumatic pistons, Figs. 5c, 5d, 5e (not shown). Mould-sections (72, 160) may have transverse grooves (92) at the back to increase flexibility and for the same reason backing plates 29 for graphite corner lengths 27 have transverse slots (93) and possibly slots (112) at the front. Each mould-section support 13 embraces and is supported by a flat linkage box 11, Fig. 1, secured between upper and lower plates 2, 3 by screws 12 and long keys 7. Openings 18, 19 in the support 13, Fig. 3, receive shafts 122, 135, Fig. 6, extending from the linkage box 11 through its sides 11a without contacting the box. To vibrate the mould-sections 14 in small orbital paths so that, in effect, they reciprocate longitudinally and radially inwardly and outwardly, (50,000 cycles/minute is quoted) each support 13 is orbited by the shafts 122, 135 which are orbited by links 113 and 125, 129 and 133, Fig. 6, driven from an eccentric portion 115 of a shaft 116 rotated by a motor 140, Fig. 1. One pair of opposed mould-sections 14 moves inwardly towards the casting 20, Fig. 2, as the other pair moves outwardly and the casting is passed through the mould by the movement. The graphite corner lengths 27 are not orbited. Each end of each mould-section 14 is also adjustable towards or from the casting, to ensure contact therewith, possibly eliminating the need for cooling outside the mould, by adjustment of the position of the shafts 122, 135 by adjusting eccentric bearing-supports of link shafts 121, 130 or adjusting the lengths of links 119, 125, 133. The bottom end of a mould-section 14 is adjusted towards the casting (which has shrunk away from it) until the presence of the metal against the section is indicated by a detector 46b, Fig. 5, mounted at the bottom of the framemember 15 behind the section 14. Coolant for the mould passes from a manifold 37 (71) up through a duct 36 (75) in the framemember 15 (73) (to which the manifold is secured) and a duct 54 in the retainer block 53 (85), to pass down through passages 14c in the mould-section and out through a sleeve 64 (78) urged against the mould-section 14 by air pressure or a spring (82).