Patent ID: 7938167

Claim:
Method for operating a two-roll casting machine for casting molten metal into cast strip, which the machine has two casting rolls which are each rotatively driven in opposite directions about an axis of rotation and between them delimit a casting gap on its longitudinal sides, with side plates that can be placed on the casting rolls, which the side plates seal the casting gap on its narrow sides in the casting operation since they bear against the front sides of the casting rolls, bridging the casting gap with a refractory material, wherein the side plates are moved during the casting operation in a vertical direction which is aligned parallel to the direction of conveying in which the cast strip leaves the casting gap, and wherein gap-like grooves are formed in the refractory material of the side plates as the operating time increases, wherein a lowering rate v s at which the side plates are lowered in the vertical direction, as a function of the cast length of the cast strip, is set according to the following equation: v S = ( a G - a V ) · Δ ⁢ ⁢ h s k G where v s : is the lowering rate in mm per km of cast strip, a G : is the rate at which the gap-like grooves are formed in the axial direction, in mm per km of cast strip, a v : is the feed rate of an optionally performed movement of the side plates in the axial direction in mm per km of cast strip, k G : is the critical depth of the gap-like groove in mm, Δh s : is the minimum amount by which the side plates are adjusted during the casting operation to avoid the consequences of the formation of a gap-like groove per running kilometer of cast strip in the vertical direction, calculated according to the following formula relation (in mm): Δ ⁢ ⁢ h s = h G - ( ( s G + r GW 2 - h L 2 ) 2 - r GW 2 ) * - 1 s G ⁢ : ⁢ ⁢ s G = ( h 1 - h G ) n · s h 1 n · 2 h l : height of the bath level; h G : height difference of the individually observed gap-like groove to a point of the casting gap at which the solidified strip shells meet on n: 0.5-0.65; r GW : circumferential radius of the casting rolls; s: thickness of the cast strip.