CA1211918A - Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring

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Publication number
CA1211918A
CA1211918A CA000426318A CA426318A CA1211918A CA 1211918 A CA1211918 A CA 1211918A CA 000426318 A CA000426318 A CA 000426318A CA 426318 A CA426318 A CA 426318A CA 1211918 A CA1211918 A CA 1211918A
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
mold
melt
stream
stirring
magnetic field
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000426318A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Sten Kollberg
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ABB Norden Holding AB
Original Assignee
ASEA AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ASEA AB filed Critical ASEA AB
Priority to CA000426318A priority Critical patent/CA1211918A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1211918A publication Critical patent/CA1211918A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method and apparatuis for stirring the non-solidified regions of a cast strand, the strand being formed in a mold of a continuous casting machine, is disclosed.
Molten metal enters the mold in a tap stream or jet from a casting pipe or enters by direct injection into the mold. A
static magnetic field is generated across the mold and acts in the path of the tap stream in the melt in the mold. The magnetic field, due to the movement of the metal stream, retards the velocity of the tap stream in the melt and splits the tap stream, thus stirring the melt. The magnetic poles which generate the static magnetic field are positioned substantially adjacent the casting pipe or the mold so that certain portions of the melt will be located at the side of the casting stream and will not be directly influenced by the stream. These portions, upon retardation of the stream, will be stirred by the interaction of the magnetic field and the currents produced in these portions.

Description

9~

METHOD AND ~PPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS
CASTING MOLD STIP~RING
-BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to continuous casting processes and more particularly to electromagnetic stirring in such casting processes.
Molten metal, particularly steel, is continuously cast by being poured through the nozzle or either a ladle or an intervening tun dish into the top of an open topped continuous casting mold having cooled side walls and con-taining a body or previously poured molten metal, the metal descending through the mold while solidifying against the mold's side walls so as to form a solidified skin containing unsolidified metal in the center and producing a continuously descending cast strand, the mold having an open bottom through which the strand travels downwardly with its skin still containing some of the unsolidified metal until at some distance below the mold the strand completely solidifies throughout. Thereafter~ the strand is cut to lengths which are inspected for surface defects which must be removed by chipping, milling, etc., as required prior to reheating and rolling of the lengthsO
The skin solidifies initially in the upper portion of the mold and gradually increases in thickness with down-ward movement of the strand forming in the mold, thus forming the strand with an interior representing a sump containing molten metal until at the point where the strand completely solidifies throughout, this sump is terminated by a resulting solid front.
The metal poured from the nozzle of either the ladle or the intervening tun dish unavoidably contains particles of slag. If the top surface of the molten metal body within the mold is relatively static, it possibly cools 9~L~

so it solidifies enough to form particles of solidified metal. The molten metal, which may be poured from a height above the mold's top, is in the form of a stream having at the mold's top portion a velocity typically in the order of from 1 to 1.5m/sec. The result is that the stream has enough momentum to penetrate the body of molten metal in the mold for substantial distances before losing velocity to a degree where the stream blends into the body of molten metal.
If the molten metal enters the body of unsolidified metal in the mold centrally in the form of a vertical stream, it can possibly penetrate as an internal stream not only the unsolidified metal body in the mold itself bu also the un-solidi~ied metal in the sump below the mold where the skin 7 S
walls are converging towards each other. The molten metal may also be poured from a tun dish via a pipe having a lower end submerged in the body of unsolidified metal in the mold and having an open bottom so that the metal is in effect in-jected as a vertical downward stream, particularly when the mold is contoured to cast a strand of billet or bloom cross section fo generally square shape. In the case of a mold having a slab cross section with a width very substantially greater than the thicknessl this casting pipe may have a closed bottom and oppositely positioned outlets pointing towards the narrow side walls of the mold, in which case the stream is split into two separate streams traveling towards those narrow walls internally within the body of unsolidified metal in the mold.
It follows that the particles of slag can be via the stream carried to the skin forming within the mold, or possibly adjacently below the mold, so that the particles are entrapped by the solidifying skin-forming metal where the particles remain after the strand completely solidifies so as to form the solid front. Particularly when the two streams are formed by the casting pipe having the opposite side openings, the particles can be driven more or less directly towards and into the solidifying skin inside of the mold.
Characteristically the bottom of the casting pipe is positioned not very far below the level of the body of molten metal in the mold so the particles are carried by the streams into the portion of the skin where it is just beginning to form by solidification and is therefore relatively thin, thus causing the particles to be contained by the finally solidified strand on or near its surfaces. Particles of metal inadvertently solidified at the surface of the molten body in the mold may be drawn downwardly into the forming skin in the mold.
Semi-finished products cut from a solidified strand having-~-a surface containing such particles as surface defects requires processing by undesirably extensive chipping, milling, etc., to remove the defects prior to reheating and rolling. This adds to the cost of making the final product.
Below the mold and above the solid front of the strand, it si possible to stir the unsolidified metal in the strand by using a multi-phase AC magnetic stirrer positioned outside of the strand so as to induce a traveling multi-phase field in the unsolidified metal which stirs the metal and distributes slag and possibly other particles uniformly so they do not concentrate at any location. It is also possible to use such a stirrer on the outside of the mold itself to in //
/
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this way stir the molten metal inside of the mold so as to prevent the particles from becoming entrapped by the solidify-ing skin in the mold. However, a continuous casting mold must have thick water-cooled walls made of heavy copper plates so as to remove the heat from the molten metal and solidify a skin of adequate thickness before the ~orming strand leaves the mold. The mold walls may characteristically have a thick-ness of up to 80 mm, and although not solid, these walls make it very difficult for a multi-phase ~C traveling field to penetrate them so as to be effective inside of the mold.
For example, the effective penetrating field from a typical multi-phase AC stirrer operating even at the low Ereguency of 1.5 Hz is only from 50-60 mm through solid copper.
In the Canadian patent 1,178,779 issued on December 4, 1984, and owned by the assignee of the present application, a static magnetic field is directed across the mold. The magnetic field acts in the path of the stream of molten metal entering the melt in the mold and serves to retard the velocity of the entering stream in the melt and split the stream into a number of mainly upwardly directed streams by utilizing the velocity of the metal in the stream. The static magnetic field has a great depth of penetration into the melt in the mold, despite the copper mold walls. The speed o~ penetration of the entering stream of steel into the melt, which is typically on the order of 1 - 1.5 m/sec., is used so that the stream is, at the same time, both braked and split up~ A so-called eddy current brake is created.
The depth of penetration of the entering stream into the steel is also reduced, and most of the slag can be separated as it flows towards the upper surface o~ the mold without adhering to the inner solidifying sides of the strand skin.
According to the present invention, it has been realized that the eddy current brake functions not only to slow down the entering stream of metal, but also causes a special stirring action of the melt in the moldO The present invention aims to make use of this effect and is directed toward improving the method and apparatus disclosed in the above mentioned Canadian patent.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to proide a novel melt stirring means for use in continuous casting processes.
SUMMARY OF ~HE INVENTION
.
According to the present invention there is provided a method for stirring the non-solidified regions of a cast strand produced in the mold of a continuous casting machine, molten metal entering the previously poured melt in said rnold in a melt stream from a casting pipe or by direct injection into said mold, wherein a static magnetic field B is generated by a static magnetic generating means across the path of said stream so as to retard the velocity of said stream in the melt and split said stream into a number of separate streams to cause stirring of said melt, wherein the improve-ment comprises the steps of leaving portions of the melt non-penetrated by said static field on the side o~ the retarded portions, stirring said non-penetrated portions of said melt in said mold adjacent the sides o~ said mold, where said stream does not substantially penetrate, by arranging said static magnetic field generating means substantially adjacent ~5 the sides of said mold so that stirring forces are generated in said non-penetrated portions by the interaction between the magnetic field B from the generating means and electrical currents i induced in said melt, thus obtaining stirring forces F = B x i in said portions of the melt.
According to the present invention there is also provided an apparatus for stirring the non-solidified regions of a cast strand produced in the mold of a continuous casting machine, including means for injecting molten metal in a melt stream into the previously poured melt in said mold and f ~ ' 31 Z~9~L~

means for generating a static magnetic field B across the path of said stream so as to retard the velocity of said stream in the melt and split said stream into a number of separate streams to cause stirring of sai~ melt, wherein the improvement comprise:
- said means for generating a static magnetic field being arranged substantially adjacent the sides of said mold so that stirring forces are generated in portions of said melt adjacent the sides of said mold where said static field does not substantially penetrate the retarted portions by the interaction between the magnetic field B from said generating means and electrical courrents i induced in said melt,thus obtaining stirring forces F = B x i in said portions of the melt.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~INGS
The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Figure 1 is an explanatory sketch of the invention;
and Figure 2 shows the forces created by the method of the invention.
DETAILED ~ESCRIPTION
With reference now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a casting pipe, from which a casting stream or jet
2 of molten metal penetrates into the melt in a casting mold
3 for continuous casting. A static magnetic field B
generated by poles ~ of an electromagnet or by a permanent magnet is applied across the mold 3 or the casting pipe 1, and an e.m.f~ E is obtained in the melt portion acted on by the stream due to the velocity of the melt. (In the movable melt a voltage E = ~ is induced,where ~ is the flux and d~
is the derivative of the field value.) The static magnetic field can be created by a ~C electromagnetic stirrer or by a permanent magnet. Circulating electric currents i are ~, obtained in the melt, a~d force Fl, as shown in Figure 2, is generated in accordance with Fl = i x B, where B is the magnetic flux. The force Fl is directed opposite the direction of flow 5 of the metal, thus causing braking of the penetrating ~tream, in addition to a splitting up of the stream. If the magnetic field B changes direction, the circulating currents i also change direction and Fl will have the same direction as i.
At the side portions 6 of the stream 2, the current i will cause forces F2 (= i x B) with a direction opposite that of Fl and which act as stirring forces. Thus, a braking action (Fl) is obtained in the inner melt portions in the path of the casting stream, and stirring forces (F2) are obtained in the outer melt portions adjacent the casting stream due to the induced currents.
It has been found that it is necessary to position the magnetic poles substantially adjacent the mold in order to obtain this duel effect.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense.

Claims (3)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A method for stirring the non-solidified regions of a cast strand produced in the mold of a continuous casting machine, molten metal entering the previously poured melt in said mold in a melt stream from a casting pipe or by direct injection into said mold, wherein a static magnetic field B is generated by static magnetic generating means across the path of said stream so as to retard the velocity of said stream in the melt and split said stream into a number of separate streams to cause stirring of said melt, wherein the improvement comprises the steps of - leaving portions of the melt non-penetrated by said static field on the side of the retarded portions, - stirring said non-penetrated portions of said melt in said mold adjacent the sides of said mold, where said stream does not substantially penetrate, by arranging said static magnetic field generating means substantially adjacent the sides of said mold so that stirring forces are generated in said non-penetrated portions by the interaction between the magnetic field B from the generating means and electrical currents i induced in said melt, thus obtaining stirring forces F = B x i in said portions of the melt.
2. An apparatus for stirring the non-solidified regions of a cast strand produced in the mold of a continuous casting machine, including means for injecting molten metal in a melt stream into the previously poured melt in said mold and means for generating a static magnetic field B across the path of said stream so as to retard the velocity of said stream in the melt and split said stream into a number of separate streams to cause stirring of said melt, wherein the improvement comprises:

- said means for generating a static magnetic field being arranged substantially adjacent the sides of said mold so that stirring forces are generated in portions of said melt adjacent the sides of said mold where said static field does not substantially penetrate the retarted portions by the interaction between the magnetic field B from said gener-ating means and electrical currents i induced in said melt, thus obtaining stirring forces F = B x i in said portions of the melt.
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said static magnetic field is generated by pĂ´les of an electro-magnet or a permanent magnet which are placed substantially adjacent the mold.
CA000426318A 1983-04-20 1983-04-20 Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring Expired CA1211918A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000426318A CA1211918A (en) 1983-04-20 1983-04-20 Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000426318A CA1211918A (en) 1983-04-20 1983-04-20 Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1211918A true CA1211918A (en) 1986-09-30

Family

ID=4125058

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000426318A Expired CA1211918A (en) 1983-04-20 1983-04-20 Method and apparatus for continuous casting mold stirring

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1211918A (en)

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