GB2242148A

GB2242148A - A semi-continuous casting machine

Info

Publication number: GB2242148A
Application number: GB9105734A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Erkki Olavi Levo; Jouko Tapio Luoto
Original assignee: Outokumpu Oyj
Current assignee: Outokumpu Oyj
Priority date: 1990-03-19
Filing date: 1991-03-19
Publication date: 1991-09-25
Anticipated expiration: 2011-03-19
Also published as: GB9105734D0; FI86694C; FI901347A0; DE4108785A1; GB2242148B; FI86694B; FI901347A

Abstract

The casting machine comprises a casting elevator (4) for removing the castings from the casting space, a member (8) for supporting the casting essentially throughout the whole casting period, means (9) for inclining the casting (1) after the casting period and means (5) for transporting the casting away from the casting machine. The elevator (4) has a starter bar (7) by which the casting is commenced, and lowering of the elevator draws the cast product down from the mould, through the support (6), and into the pit (8). When the desired product length is achieved the support (6) is retracted and the starter bar (7) inclined by the means (9) to allow the product to rest at an inclination against another support (5). The elevator (4) is raised and the product guided to an increasingly horizontal position by the support (5). Finally, after separation of the product from the starter bar (7), the support (5) assists horizontal product conveyance. <IMAGE>

Description

1 W 1, 2;;-> -el tt -'L AI ú3 CASTING MACHINE The present invention

relates to a casting machine, particularly to a semi-continuous casting machine, where the casting direction is advantageously from top to bottom, and which is designed for producing large and heavy castings, such as bars with large diameters, or thick metal ingots.

While the casting takes place from top to bottom, the casting machine must either be lifted so high that the casting of desired size can be removed from below the machine on the working level, or there must be constructed a casting pit under the machine, below the working level, to which casting pit the casting is conveyed from the casting machine for instance by means of a particular casting elevator. From the casting pit the casting must, however, be liftedback onto the working level.

The FI patent 76267 describes a semi-continuous casting machine, which uses an product wagon for lifting the elevator and for removing the casting from the casting machine. For the product wagon the casting machine needs a separate track, as well as respective support and control members for the product wagon and the track. Thus a semi-continuous casting machine becomes fairly costly in production and investment expenses, and the structure is very complicated.

The object of the present invention is to realize a Casting machine which is simpler and more economical, particularly a semi-continuous casting machine with operation from top to bottom, and which is not provided with a separate interconveyor traverser for lifting the casting onto the working level, and which does not require a track for the interconveyor traverser, but the lifting of the casting elevator and the removing of the casting from the casting machine are carried out by means of simple support and control members.

2 The essential novel features of the invention are apparent from the appended patent claims.

In the casting machine of the invention, the starter bar of the casting process is attached to the casting elevator, whereby the casting, molded by the mold, is drawn in order to remove the casting from the casting space. During the casting process, the casting is supported and at the same time prevented from falling on the turning support arm, which is located essentially near to the bottom part of the mold, and which thus supports the casting essentially throughout the whole casting period. When the casting reaches its desired measure, or the elevator reaches the bottom end of its conveying path, the casting process is finished, and the removal of the casting from the casting machine is started after the casting period. According to the invention, the casting elevator is provided with inclining members, so that the casting attached to the starter bar can be inclined. The inclining members can be located for instance so that the starter bar, together with its fastening members, is turnably installed in the casting elevator. The turning angle, starting from the casting position, is at least 900. In order to perform the inclination, the support member used for guiding and supporting the casting during the casting process is opened, and the casting is allowed to be inclined towards the conveyor member arranged on the edge of the casting pit, which conveyor member is advantageously for instance a sliding or rolling member, and which can be turned, by means of actuators, advantageously for example between the horizontal level and the desired angle below the horizontal level of the conveying member. The conveying member can also be adjusted to be operated so that the movement of the conveying member essentially extends to above the horizontal level of the conveying member, so that the casting and the starter bar can be detached, by taking the joint in between them into account in a suitable fashion. If necessary, there can be k 1 1 3 m 1 several conveyor members, which are installed for instance at different heights in order to remove the casting from the casting machine on a desired level.

When the casting has, according to the invention, reached the conveyor member, the lifting of the casting elevator is simultaneously started, so that the casting is advantageously brought to the horizontal level defined by the conveyor member. The conveyor member also is simultaneously lifted, so that by means thereof the casting can be advantageously supported, for example so that the essentially linear contact between the casting and the conveyor is essentially maintained throughout the whole lifting process. After the casting elevator has reached the horizontal level essentially defined by the conveyor member, the casting is detached from the starter bar and transported, by means of the conveyor, away from the casting machine to further treatment. After removing the casting, the starter bar is turned back to the casting position, and the production of a new casting can be started after positioning the casting elevator. When the casting elevator has, during the casting process, been transported to below the space required by the trajectory of the support member, the support member is returned to the previous position for supporting the casting and preventing it from falling. Accordingly, in the casting machine of the invention there is no need for a separate product wagon for transporting the casting, nor any track for the said wagon, but the removal of the casting from the casting machine is carried out by means of the casting elevator and advantageously by means of a conveyor member arranged on the edge of the casting pit. Moreover, the junction of the casting and the starter bar can be realized for instance by means of a simple chamfered joint, in which case the casting is easily detached from the starter bar without any special equipment. Thus the detaching of the casting from the starter bar can take place, depending on the direction of the chamfered joint, for 4 example by lifting the conveyor member above the horizontal level while the casting elevator remains in place, or by lowering the casting elevator while the conveyor member remains in place during the detaching operation. In the casting machine of the invention, the junction of the casting and the starter bar can be realized by means of a simple chamfered joint, because the casting is not subjected to tensile stress in conjunction with the removal, but the removal is carried out essentially by means of the casting elevator, by pushing the casting upwards.

The casting machine of the invention can also be used for casting shorter pieces with respect to the trajectory of the casting elevator, because the operation of the casting ele vator is not directly connected to the equipment for removing the casting. Furthermore, the casting machine of the invention can be used for casting pieces of various shapes and sizes, because the structure of the casting machine does by no means limit the shapes of the castings. Moreover, according to the invention the casting elevator can be turnably provided with several starter bars, which inables the casting of several castings simultaneously.

The invention is explained in more detail below, with reference to the appended drawing, which is a side-view illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

According to the drawing, the casting 1 is cast of casting material supplied from the ladle 2 through the mold 3. Now the casting elevator 4 is located at the bottom of the casting pit 8. In order to incline the casting 1 towards the roller member 5, the support member 6 of the casting is first turned away from the support position 12, marked with dotted lines, to the rest position. Thereafter the starter bar 7 is started to be ihclined by means of the inclining members 9. Dotted lines in the drawing illustrate two inclined positions 10 and 11 of the casting 1, in one of which T-, n 1 1 positions the casting 1 is supported against the roller member 5. Now the roller member 5 is in its bottom position. Dotted lines also denote the top position 14 of the roller member, which describes the level whereon the casting 1 is lifted.

In order to remove the casting 1 from the casting machine, the casting elevator 4 is lifted, so that the casting 1 slides upwards along the roller member 5. When the casting elevator 4 reaches the level corresponding.to the top position 14 of the roller member, the roller member also is lifted to its top position, and now the casting 1 is supported against the roller member 5. The detaching of the casting 1 from the starter bar 7 is advantageously cried out for instance by lowering the casting elevator 4. After the casting 1 has been removed, it is transported to further treatment by means of the roller member 5. The starter bar 7 is turned back to its locked position for a new casting operation, and the casting elevator is driven back to its top position in order to produce a new casting. After the casting process has started and the casting elevator has been lowered down, out of reach of the operating range of the support member 6, the support member 6 is returned to its supporting position 12.

1

Claims

C L A I M S

1. A casting machine comprising:- a casting elevator for removing the casting from the casting space; and means for supporting the casting throughout substantially the whole casting period, for inclining the casting after the casting period, and for conveying the casting out of the casting machine.

2. A casting machine according to claim 1, wherein in order to support the casting throughout substantially the whole casting period, there is rotatably arranged a support member near to the bottom part of the mold of the casting machine.

3. A casting machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casting elevator comprises inclining members for inclining the casting after the casting period.

4. A casting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, including a starter bar rotatably installed in the casting elevator.

5. A casting machine according to claim 4, wherein the angle of rotation of the starter bar with respect to the casting position is at least 900.

6. A casting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the casting can be directed on to a suitable level by means of the conveyor means.

7. A casting machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in the form of a semi-continuous casting machine for producing castings from top to bottom.

8. A casting machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawings.

Published 3991 at The Patent Ofisce. Concept House. CardifT Road. Newport. Gwent NP9 I RH. Further copies maybe obtained from Sales Branch. Unn 6. Nine Mile Point. Oxinfelinfach. Cross Keys. Neuporl. NPI 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques lid. St Mary Cray. Kent.

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