EP0006781B1 - Means for introducing a dummy bar in a continuous casting installation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is an apparatus for removing a dummy bar from a casting line and reintroducing the dummy bar into the mold. The apparatus comprises a handling system for moving a basket from an end station where the dummy bar is separated from a continuous casting to a position above the mold of the casting installation. The system includes a lifting frame capable of holding the basket, a raising device having one end attached to the lifting frame for vertically raising the lifting frame, a travel frame supporting and end of a raising device opposite to the one end, the travel frame having vertical runways capable of receiving and guiding the raised lifting frame, and a horizontal pathway supporting the travel frame for movement to and from the position above the mold.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for placing a false ingot for the preparation of a new casting, in a continuous casting installation.

There is already known a device of this kind comprising a basket in which is housed the false ingot which is separated from the casting line, a handling system for bringing the basket into position above the ingot mold, and means for introducing the false ingot into said ingot mold.

Such a device is described in particular in French patent No. 2,073,236 of November 28, 1969.

According to this patent, at the end of a casting, after the mold has been cleaned and prepared for a new casting, the basket containing the false ingot is brought above the mold by means of a traveling crane , then it is placed vertically on the upper edge of the frame of the mold.

This arrangement has a number of drawbacks. No means of guiding the basket is provided during its transport by the traveling crane, which is particularly disadvantageous when the mass of the basket and the false ingot is large. Furthermore, the basket being brought into a vertical position above the ingot mold, the means for introducing the false ingot into the latter must be arranged at a significant height above the casting floor, which leads to considerable bulk. .

Another type of device is also described in French patent application No. 2,345,250.

Following this request, the false ingot separated from the casting queue is gripped by the hook of a lifting mechanism. This mechanism is integral with a wagon mounted movable on a translation carriage. The carriage and the wagon are stationary during the lifting operation of the false ingot. When the hook reaches the height of the wagon, it enters guides of said wagon. The false ingot is then vertically suspended from the hook. The movement of the wagon along the carriage, the latter remaining stationary, makes it possible to deposit the false ingot in the lying position on a slide or a conveyor arranged on the carriage. The latter is then moved in translation until its front end reaches the vertical of the mold, while the wagon returns to its starting position at the rear of the carriage. The introduction of the false ingot into the ingot mold takes place under the action of a driving member secured to the wagon when the latter again moves towards the front of the carriage.

This arrangement has a number of drawbacks. It should first be noted that no basket is provided. It therefore becomes necessary to carry out a transfer operation of the false ingot between the lifting means and the translation carriage. This leads to providing a wagon mounted movable on the translation carriage. The latter must be fitted with a slide or a conveyor having ends curved in an arc so as to be able to introduce the false ingot into the ingot mold under the action of a driving member secured to the wagon. The realization of such a device therefore becomes quite complicated and uneconomical.

The main object of the present invention is to avoid the drawbacks of known devices.

More specifically, it relates to a device for installing a false ingot for the preparation of a new casting in a continuous casting installation, comprising a handling system for bringing the false ingot, separated from the queue of casting, in position above the ingot mold, means being provided for controlling the introduction of the false ingot from above into the ingot mold, said handling system consisting of a lifting frame to which are attached lifting means and a translation chassis of which the lifting means are integral, said translation chassis comprising two vertical slides capable of receiving the lifting chassis, and means controlling the movement of the translation chassis along a horizontal track, characterized in that it comprises, in a manner known per se, a basket in which is housed the false ingot separated from the casting queue, in that the basket is mounted on the lifting frame with which it is brought into position above the mold by the translational frame, and in that the basket carries the means for controlling the introduction of the false ingot from above into the mold.

The lifting frame is mounted movable along a vertical path.

This path includes, on each side of the basket, an amount of the same section as the slides of the translation chassis, so that said slides can be brought into coincidence with said amounts.

The lifting frame comprises two uprights connected at their top by a cross member, said uprights, the height of which is equal to that of the slides of the translation frame, being fitted with rollers rolling along the uprights forming a raceway.

The lifting frame comprises, on each of its sides, a shackle for hooking the lifting means integral with the translation frame.

The lifting means integral with the travel chassis consist of two winches arranged on each side of said chassis, said winches being driven by the same motor.

The means for controlling the movement of the translational chassis along its horizontal track, consist of rollers rolling on said track, two rollers located on each side of the track being drive rollers.

According to a first embodiment, the basket is pivotally mounted on the lifting frame, and the two vertical slides of the translation frame constitute a support allowing the basket to rotate.

The basket then advantageously comprises, at its outlet end of the false ingot, an oil cake whose teeth come into engagement with the links of the chain that the false ingot forms, the basket extending over a quarter of a circle around said oil cake.

The lifting frame then supports a motor capable of controlling the tilting of the basket at 180 °.

According to a second embodiment, the basket is constituted by a circular sheath surrounding a coaxial cake, the teeth of which come into engagement with the links of the chain that the false ingot forms through the interior wall of said sheath.

The sheath extends over a circular arc of 270 ° and has rectilinear end sections perpendicular to each other, one being horizontal, the other vertical.

Whatever the embodiment of the basket, two successive teeth of the teeth of the cake are separated by a large gap, the position of these teeth relative to the first tooth encountered by the false ingot when it is introduced into the basket, and the dimension of said interval, being calculated so that the head of the false ingot can come into engagement with the cake.

The rotational movement of the cake is controlled by a motor secured to the basket, by means of a clutch.

The basket is advantageously mounted on the lifting frame so that it can slide laterally.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings, relating to two particular embodiments given by way of nonlimiting examples.

Figure 1 is an overview of a continuous casting installation equipped with the device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a sectional elevation view along line B-B of Figure 3, of the basket containing the false ingot at the time of its separation from the casting line; Figure 3 is a sectional view along line A-A of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a front view of the entire device, the basket being shown in the inverted position, its lifting frame being housed in the vertical slides of its translation frame; Figure 5 is a top view of the device as shown in the previous figure; Figures 6, 7 and 8 are schematic views illustrating the main steps of handling the basket. Figures 9, 10 and 11 are views respectively similar to those of Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrating an alternative embodiment.

In Figure 1, there is shown schematically a continuous curved casting installation equipped with the device according to the invention. Reference 33 designates an ingot mold at the outlet of which poured product, for example a slab, is guided by a conventional roller guide corset comprising an upper part C and a lower part C '. The false ingot 1 provided for starting the casting, is here represented inside a basket 2 which rests on the roller table T of an ingot evacuation conveyor, placed at the outlet of the corset C- VS'. It is from this position that the false ingot 1 is separated, in a manner known per se, from the casting queue, and transported in its basket 2 as will be explained later. The position of the basket 2 has been shown in broken lines at the time of the introduction of the false ingot 1 into the ingot mold 33. The references 12, 19, 22 and 23 denote various elements of the basket 2 handling system which will be described with reference Figures 4 to 8 which show them in more detail.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, we see the false ingot 1 housed inside its basket 2 as shown in FIG. 1. This basket comprises, at its outlet end, a cake 3 whose teeth come into engagement with the links in the chain formed by the false ingot 1. The latter enters the basket 2 through the entry end of said basket opposite to that which is provided with the cake 3. When the tail 4 of the false ingot 1 comes into contact with a tooth of the cake 3, the latter is rotated by means of the motor 5 via the speed reducer 6. The rotation drive by the motor 5 is stopped as soon as the first link in the chain is engaged with the crab tooth 3 which follows the initially encountered tooth. The starting and stopping of the motor 5 is controlled automatically by an appropriate device. The progress of the false ingot 1 then continues by itself until the tail 4 arrives in the vertical position illustrated in FIG. 2. It will be noted that the toothing of the cake 3 has between two successive teeth a large interval 7 The position of these teeth relative to the first tooth encountered and the size of their interval are calculated so that the head 8 of the false ingot 1 can come into engagement with the cake 3 in a later stage of operation which will be discussed. more explicitly later. In the position shown in Figure 2, the head 8 which is separated from the casting line is located in the inlet end of the basket 2. It is from this position that the basket 2 will be lifted by lifting means which will be described later. In FIG. 3, the reference 9 designates a clutch mounted on the output shaft 10 of the reducer 6 and which transmits the rotational movement of the motor 5 to the cake 3 via a shaft 11, concentric with the shaft 10, and on which the cake 3 is mounted. An electrical contact system (not shown) controls the rotation of the cake 3, so that said cake may or may not be driven by the motor 5 on request.

In Figures 4 to 8, there is shown a lifting frame 12 of the basket 2 on which said basket is pivotally mounted around a horizontal shaft 13 resting on bearings 14 integral with the lifting frame 12. The latter is essentially formed by two vertical uprights 15 of U-section, disposed on each side of the basket 2 and connected, at their upper part, by a cross member 16. Each upright 15 of the lifting frame 12 is provided with rollers 17 and 18 allowing it to roll along a vertical raceway formed by an upright 19 with a U-section. The two uprights 19, arranged on each side of the chassis 12, are fixed to the ground at their base. Furthermore, each upright 15 is provided with a shackle 20 to which a lifting cable 21 is hooked under the action of which the chassis 12 is raised, the rollers 17 and 18 of its uprights 15 then rolling as previously indicated.

The reference 22 generally designates a translation chassis capable of rolling along a horizontal track 23 to which said chassis is suspended. The chassis 22 has, on each of its sides, a vertical slide 24 having strictly the same conformation as the corresponding upright 19 and which is initially coincident with said upright, as is particularly visible in FIG. 6. The chassis 22 comprises in addition lifting means constituted by two winches, such as 25, arranged on each side of said chassis and both driven by the same motor 26, by means of a speed reducer 27. Each cable 21 is wound up around a winch 25, so that the lifting of the chassis 12 is ensured. When said chassis continues its upward travel, its uprights 15 engage in the slides 24. When the chassis 12 reaches the end of its travel, the uprights 15 have left the raceway formed by the uprights 19 and they are entirely housed in the slides 24, the length of which corresponds exactly to that of the uprights 15. The reference 28 designates the separation interval, of short length, provided between the uprights 19 and the slides 24.

When the chassis 12 occupies the position that has just been described, the chassis 22, or more precisely its slides 24, constitute for it a support authorizing the overturning of the basket 2 which has remained maintained in a horizontal position. as shown in FIG. 2, throughout its rise with the chassis 12. The 180 ° inversion movement of the basket 2 takes place around the shaft 13, and it is controlled by a motor 29 integral with the chassis 12 The overturned basket 2 occupies the position illustrated in FIG. 4, the tail 4 of the false ingot 1 being directed downwards. It is then possible to move the chassis 22 along its horizontal path 23 materialized by parallel beams along which roll rollers such as 30 and 31, provided on each side of the chassis 22. The rollers 30 are rollers of drive controlled by motors, such as 32. The translational movement of the chassis 22 driving with it the chassis 12, is stopped as soon as the basket 2 arrives above the ingot mold 33, the tail 4 of the false ingot 1 then being in position of installation in said ingot mold, as illustrated by FIG. 8. At this moment the motor 5 controls the rotation of the cake 3 so that the false ingot 1 descends inside the ingot mold 33 up to that its tail 4 engages with motor rollers of the corset C ― C 'which drive the false ingot 1 until its head 8 comes to obstruct the base of the ingot mold 33. The passage of the head 8 around the cake 3 is ensured thanks to the interval 7 provided e between two teeth of cake 3, as indicated above. The reference 34 designates the pouring floor above which the horizontal track 23 of the chassis 22 is arranged. It will be noted that the difference in height between the casting floor 34 and the track 23 is relatively small. This results from the fact that, unlike the arrangement described in French Patent No. 2,073,236, the basket 2 occupies a horizontal position, not a vertical one, above the ingot mold 33.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, to which reference has already been made in the foregoing, illustrate the three main stages in the handling of the basket 2. In the case of FIG. 6, the basket 2 is in the starting position, at the time of the separation of the false ingot 1 from the casting line. It is important that the uprights 19 are placed strictly in coincidence with the slides 24. This is obtained by immobilizing the chassis 22 in a suitable position along its track 23. Stops, not shown, could advantageously limit the stroke of the chassis 22 towards the right, beyond said position. In FIG. 7, the basket 2 is shown during overturning around the shaft 13 in the direction indicated by the arrow. The slides 24 and the uprights 19 are still in coincidence. Unlike this arrangement, it would be possible to overturn the basket 2 after the frame 22 has been moved in translation to the left, for example halfway between the position illustrated in FIG. 7 and that illustrated in FIG. 8. The overturning of the basket 2 could then take place above a storage area accessible to an operator responsible for clearing the head 8 from a section of cast ingot attached to said head, or else replacing the false ingot by another false ingot taken in store. In Figure 8 the basket 2 is shown in the arrival position above the mold 33. Stops, not shown, could also be provided to prevent the chassis 22 from going beyond this position by continuing its race to the left, along of track 23.

When the false ingot 1 is in the starting position, its head 8 obstructing the base of the ingot mold 33, it is possible to carry out a new casting. The basket 2 must first be returned to its starting position. The handling of the basket 2 emptied of the false ingot 1 is carried out by proceeding in the opposite direction to the operations which have just been described. For this purpose, the chassis 22 is moved until its slides 24 come into coincidence with the uprights 19, the basket 2 is then tilted so as to return it to its position for receiving the false ingot, and we lowers the chassis 12, the uprights 15 of which come out of the slides 24 to engage the uprights 19 of their raceway. The return operation is finished when the chassis 12 returns to its position illustrated in FIG. 6. A new casting can then begin.

Figures 9 to 11 illustrate an alternative embodiment according to which the basket is designed so that it can be mounted on the lifting frame, any tilting of said basket being avoided.

In these figures, the same references have been kept as in the previous figures to designate identical elements and we will only describe below the specific elements of this variant and those whose arrangement is clearly modified.

The reference 100 generally designates a basket delimited by two vertical side walls, respectively 101 and 103, and by an intermediate envelope wall 104. The outline of the latter has the shape of an arc of circle extending over 270 °, each end of said circular arc being extended by a straight line.

The basket 100 comprises a sheath 102 arranged along the contour of the wall 104. The outer wall of the sheath 102 is constituted by the wall 104. The inner wall of the sheath 102 is formed by two elements of the walls 105 and 106, respectively integral walls 101 and 103. These two wall elements, arranged facing one another, are arranged parallel to the wall 104 over the entire extent of its contour. The sheath 102 is laterally limited by the walls 101 and 103, more precisely by the parts of these walls included between the wall elements 105 and 106 and the wall 104.

The sheath 102 thus defined extends over a circular arc of 270 ° and has rectilinear end sections 107 and 108 perpendicular to each other. Section 107, arranged horizontally, constitutes the entry section of the false ingot 1, while section 108, arranged vertically, constitutes the exit section of said false ingot.

The sheath 102 surrounds a cake 3 coaxial with said sheath. The teeth of this cake come into engagement with the links of the chain formed by the false ingot 1 housed in the sheath 102, through the interior wall of said sheath, more precisely through the passage provided between the two wall elements 105 and 106.

The basket 100 is mounted on the lifting frame 12 so that it cannot pivot. However, it can be mounted so that it can slide laterally in order to correctly position the inlet section 107 relative to the false ingot 1. This latter arrangement is also valid for mounting on the lifting frame 12 of the basket 2 illustrated. in Figures 1 to 8.

When at the time of the introduction of the false ingot 1 into the sheath 102, the tail 4 of said false ingot comes into contact with the first predetermined tooth of the cake 3, the latter is rotated until the false ingot 1 reaches the storage position illustrated in FIG. 10. During this rotation the tail 4 follows a circular path ascending over 180 °, then descending over 90 °, and then a straight path descending along the outlet section 108.

The basket 100 can then be moved by means of the handling system already described, so as to bring the section 108 into alignment with the cavity of the ingot mold 33. The rotation of the cake 3 then controls the descent of the false ingot 1. On easily understands that the exit of the false ingot 1 out of the sheath 102 taking place in a descending direction, the reversal provided for the basket 2 is avoided to bring the tail 4 of the false ingot 1 above the cavity of the ingot mold 33 .

A rotation of the cake 3 in the opposite direction to the previous ones can also be controlled when the basket 100 is stopped above the casting floor 34. It is thus possible to extract the head 8 from the false ingot 1 to replace it or possibly remove a section of ingot attached to said head.

The structure of the cake 3 and its control means are the same as in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 8.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, it goes without saying that it is in no way limited thereto and that modifications can be made to it without departing from its field. We can in particular replace any of the means described by a technically equivalent means. The invention in fact works, not only the example shown, but also its various possible variants.

Claims (9)

1. Means for introducing a dummy bar in a continuous casting installation, including a handling system to bring the dummy bar (1) separated from the casting line, into position above the mold (33), means (3) being provided to control the introduction of the dummy bar (1) from above and into the mold (33), the said handling system consisting of a hoisting frame (12) to which hoisting means (21, 25) are attached and a conveying frame (22) with which the hoisting means (21, 25) are connected, the said conveying frame (22) including two vertical slides (24) that can receive the hoisting frame (12), and means (30, 32) for controlling the displacement of the conveying frame (22) along a horizontal path (23), characterized by the fact that it includes, in a known per se manner, a basket (2 or 100) into which the dummy bar (1), separated from the casting line, is introduced, by the fact that the basket (2 or 100) is mounted on the hoisting frame (12) with which it is brought into position above the mold (33) by the conveying frame (22), and by the fact that the basket (2 or 100) is fitted with the means (3) for controlling the introduction of the dummy bar (1) from above and into the mold (33).

2. Means according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the means (3) for controlling the introduction of the dummy bar (1) into the mold (33) includes a sprocket wheel which is mounted on the basket (2 or 100), the teeth of the said sprocket wheel engaging with the links of the chain which forms the dummy bar (1).

3. Means according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the basket (2) spreads over a quarter of a circle around the sprocket wheel (3).

4. Means according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that the hoisting frame (12) supports a motor (29) capable of controlling the 180° reversal of the basket (2), the said basket being pivotally mounted on the hoisting frame (12) whereas the slides (24) of the conveying frame (22) constitute a support allowing the basket to rotate (2).

5. Means according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the basket (100) is made in the form of a circular duct (102) surrounding a co-axial sprocket wheel (3) the teeth of which engage with the links of the chain formed by the dummy bar (1) through the internal wall (105, 106) of the said duct.

6. Means according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the duct (102) spreads over an arc of a circle of 270° and that its end sections are straight and perpendicular to each other, one (107) being horizontal, the other (108) vertical.

7. Means according to any one of the claims 2 to 6, characterized by the fact that two successive teeth of the sprocket wheel (3) are separated by a large interval (7), the position of these teeth with respect to the first tooth encountered by the dummy bar (1) when it is introduced into the basket (2 or 100) and the size of the said interval being calculated in such a way, that the head (8) of the dummy bar (1) can engage with the sprocket wheel (3).

8. Means according to any one of the claims 2 to 7, characterized by the fact that the rotation of the sprocket wheel is controlled through a clutch (9) by a motor (5) which is integral with the basket (2 or 100).

9. Means according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the basket (2 or 100) is mounted on the hoisting frame (12) so that it can slide sideways.

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