JPS5927672B2 - Variable width mold device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a variable-width molding device, and in particular to a variable-width molding device that can mold ingots of various widths for plate rolling with a rectangular cross section made of aluminum or its alloy, such as deformation due to solidification shrinkage. An object of the present invention is to provide a mold device having a variable mold width (casting width), which can arbitrarily and advantageously cast an ingot having a substantially perfect rectangular cross section while avoiding problems.

Generally, the ingot used for plate rolling has a rectangular cross section (cross section), and productivity is usually increased by continuously manufacturing it using a continuous casting method. ing.

This continuous casting method is well known among those skilled in the art, and involves continuously supplying molten metal into a cylindrical mold, and jetting cooling water from near the bottom of the mold to continuously cool the molten metal. , which is carried out by coagulation,
In the production of plate rolling ingots having a rectangular cross section, the mold used conventionally is the plate rolling ingot (hereinafter referred to as slab).
Molds corresponding to the cross-sectional shapes (sizes) of 5labs are prepared independently.

Regarding the shape of the slab, usually its thickness and short side)
is approximately constant, but the width (long side) varies depending on the size of the rolled product, so it is often advantageous to have slabs with as many width sizes as possible.

This is due to the fact that when the product width and the slab width do not match, the width must be increased by tenter rolling or narrowed by edge rolling or edge cutting. This is because a large processing area causes problems such as a decrease in efficiency and a decrease in yield due to the addition of operations.

However, preparing various molds according to the size of the slab (product) increases miscellaneous costs such as mold production costs and management costs, which in turn becomes a factor in increasing the production cost of rolled products. It is.

For example, if we consider a rolled product width in the range of 500 to 2000 mm and have slab sizes at intervals of 30 to 501 nm, we will need molds of 30 to 50 different sizes.
This significantly increases casting costs.

To deal with this problem, attempts have been made to make the opposite short sides of a rectangular mold movable and thereby adjust the width of the resulting ingot. All of these molds were developed only for casting molten steel, so they cannot be used at all for casting molten aluminum or its alloys, which suffer from solidification and shrinkage.

That is, if molten aluminum or its alloy is forced to be cast using a conventional width-changing mold device for molten steel,
Due to the solidification shrinkage and thermal conductivity of the molten metal, the resulting ingot is deformed by forming a large curved concave portion on each side, especially in the center of the long side.
Although such a deformed ingot can be used for rolling as it is, it must be subjected to some other processing, which completely negates the advantage of using a variable width mold device.

In short, with conventional variable width molding equipment, molten aluminum or its alloys suffer from solidification and shrinkage, and do not deform.
It was not possible to obtain an ingot with an accurate rectangular cross section.

On the other hand, as a mold structure that can effectively solve the problems in casting slabs made of aluminum or aluminum alloys, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 13422/1983 discloses a mold structure in which long side members of the mold are curved outward. However, such prior art employs a complex tensioning mechanism for its bending operation, which essentially increases the thickness of the slab and reduces the distance between the long side members. It is difficult to obtain slabs with different distances), and it is also difficult to replace the short side members required when changing the thickness of the slab, resulting in the problem of poor workability.

In addition, it is impractical to curve the long side members of the mold using a tension mechanism as in the prior art, since the long side members are made of metal with a predetermined thickness. In addition to being a difficult operation, it is also necessary to curve the cooling water jacket provided on the outside of the long side member evenly at the same time (otherwise, it will cause a difference in the cooling amount and adversely affect the formation of the slab). However, this is extremely difficult.

The present invention has been made against this background, and its gist is that a mold in a mold apparatus for continuous casting is connected to two opposing independent long side members. It is configured in a rectangular shape with two opposing independent short side members arranged between two long side members, and each long side member is movably suspended and supported by an outer frame placed around the mold. On the other hand, each short side member is further movably suspended and supported by the long side member via a support plate for suspension support to the long side member provided on each short side member, and the long side members and the short side member The distance between the long side members is adjustable, and the distance between the long side members is maximum at the center of the long side members, and the distance between the long side members becomes shorter toward the ends thereof. The inner surfaces of the side members that come into contact with the molten metal are formed into a curved shape that is convex in response to external force, and when two short side members suspended and supported by these two long side members are brought close to each other, the distance between the long side members is The main reason for this is that the overall thickness is gradually narrowed, and as a result, from a molten metal such as aluminum, which undergoes rapid solidification shrinkage and high thermal conductivity, to a nearly perfect material with at least approximately uniform thickness (distance between long sides). In addition to being able to effectively form a slab with a rectangular cross section regardless of its width, each long side member is supported in suspension, making it easy to move and replace it. Become,
Slabs with different thicknesses can be easily cast.
Moreover, the workability has also become extremely easy.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a mold apparatus according to the present invention.

In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a water-cooled outer frame, by which two opposing long side members 2a and 2b of the mold structure are independently suspended and supported, and each of the long side members 2
a and 2b can be fixed to elongated holes 3 provided in the water-cooled outer frame 1 at arbitrary positions with bolts 4 at both ends thereof.

Therefore, these two long side members 2a and 2b can each be translated in parallel within the range of the length of the elongated hole 3, and the distance between them will be widened or narrowed by this movement.

The two opposing mold-forming short side members 5a, sb can be independently held between these long side members 2a, 2b.

That is, specifically, support plates 6a and 6b are attached to the short side members 5a and sb, respectively, and the support plates 6a and 6b are attached to the short side members 5a and sb, respectively.
The short side members 5a and sb are supported by being suspended between the long side members 2a and 2b by the support plates 6a and 5b. It can be movably fixed in a predetermined position according to the position of the provided bolt holes 8, thereby maintaining the distance between the short side members 5a and sb at a predetermined value.

In addition, a cooling water pipe 9 is arranged up to the inside of the water cooling outer frame 1 in order to guide cooling water from the outside into the mold, and from the cooling water pipe 9 (not shown) in the water cooling outer frame 1, a water amount is adjusted. Through the valve 10, the long side members 2a, 2b and the short side members 5a constituting the mold by a well-known telescopic double pipe 11
, sb.

The internal structure of each long side member and each short side member is substantially the same, and for example, as shown in the cross section of the short side member 5b in FIG. Water flows sequentially through the water chambers 12a, 12b, and 12c, and is ejected from a spout 14 formed at the lower end of the mold surface portion 13b that contacts the molten metal inside, cooling and solidifying the formed ingot. This is how it is.

A mold surface portion 15a, 15b is provided on the inner side of each long side member 2a, 2b that contacts the molten metal.
Moreover, according to the present invention, the mold surface portions 15a, 15b are formed in a curved shape convex outward such that the center portion thereof is most protruding, and the opposing long side members 2a, 2
Between b, the distance between them is maximum at the center, and the distance between them becomes shorter toward the ends.

In addition, each short side member 5a, 5b also has its mold surface portion 13a similarly to each long side member.

As shown in Fig. 4, it is preferable that the slab 13b is configured to have a gently curved shape with a maximum outward convexity at its center, thereby making it possible to obtain a slab with a perfect rectangular cross-section. However, considering that the deformation of the slab is significant on the long sides and less so on the short sides, the short side member 5a having a linear inner surface (mold surface members 13a, 13b) as shown in FIG. ,
5b can also be used.

Therefore, when forming slabs of various widths using a molding device configured as described above, each short side member 5a, sb is moved in parallel to the bolt hole 8 position that provides the required width, and the bolt 7 is inserted into the bolt 7. If attached to each long side member 2a, 2b, each long side member 2a, 2b will be attached to the short side member 5a.
, 5b in the slab width direction, the slab is moved in parallel in the slab thickness direction, so that when a wide slab is generated, the thickness is increased, and when a narrow slab is generated, the thickness is decreased. This is a huge advantage when casting slabs of various widths.

When casting slabs using molten aluminum or its alloys, if you want to obtain a slab with a nearly perfect rectangular cross section, taking into account the solidification shrinkage, the thickness (length) of the wide slab mold must be This is because the distance between the sides) is required to be larger than that of a narrow slab mold.

Incidentally, in FIG. 3 showing the right half of the long side member 2a,
The X zone of the inner mold surface portion 15a is connected to the short side member 13.
By moving b, the long side member 2a is vertically translated in parallel, and the distance (
Thickness) y changes.

That is, in FIG. 1, if the distance between the center parts of the wide slab casting mold configuration shown by the solid line is Dl, the short side members 5a and sb are moved in parallel toward the center of the mold in order to cast a narrow slab. As shown by the broken line, the distance between the long side members becomes D2 and becomes narrower overall.

Also, the mold surface portion 15a in the long side member 2a in FIG.
Zone 2 has the necessary curvature to match the solidification shrinkage of the molten aluminum or its alloy, and this effectively suppresses deformation due to solidification shrinkage in the long side direction of the slab. .

Note that such curvature may be formed not only by a curved surface but also by a combination of straight lines (planes).

Therefore, by using the molding apparatus according to the configuration of the present invention, there is no need to prepare a mold for each product (slough size), and only one mold is required for each product or a predetermined product size range, making it easier to manufacture molds. It is possible to reduce costs (including spare parts), management costs, storage space, etc., thereby achieving a direct cost reduction of the product, and it is also possible to obtain slabs of various sizes according to the size of the rolled product. This results in improved quality by reducing tenter rolling, improved efficiency by reducing tenter rolling and edge rolling, and improved yield by reducing edge cutting allowance. This made a significant contribution to improving the productivity of sheet materials and lowering production costs.

Further, according to the structure of this embodiment, the long side members 2a, 2
b. Since the short side members 5a and 5b are both suspended and movable, and the mutual spacing can be adjusted, changing the shape of the slab is extremely easy, and the workability is improved. is significantly improved.

In particular, even when replacing the short side members 5a and sb that are required when changing the slab thickness, the distance between the long side members 2a and 2b can be easily changed, making it possible to advantageously manufacture slabs with different thicknesses. I ended up getting it.

Furthermore, the molten metal contact surfaces of the long side members 2a and 2b are formed in a curved shape that is convex to external forces, so that they are not curved by external forces during casting, and the cooling water jacket portions also need to be curved as in the conventional method. Therefore, cooling is always uniform and there are no problems with slab formation.

Note that the present invention is by no means limited to these illustrative embodiments, and various changes and improvements can be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, cooling water is supplied to each long side member and each short side member using a telescopic double pipe (0-ring stopper) 11 on the upper side. 16
a, 16b, 16c, 16d with low rigidity joint 17
By connecting a, 17b, and 17c so that they can expand and contract, there is an advantage that the expansion and contraction distance can be extended even in a narrower space.

In addition, although Figure 1 shows an example of a single installation, it is also possible to install multiple installations if necessary.Furthermore, if there is uneven distribution of cooling water, a water flow adjustment valve can be installed as necessary. By installing 10 in the middle of the piping, it is also possible to equalize the supply of cooling water.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the short side members 5 a t5b
Since they are provided independently, they can be used not only to change the width, but also to supply slabs with different thicknesses by replacing the short side members with ones of other sizes. It is also possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a variable width mold device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of the short side member 5b, FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic plan view of the right half of the long side member 2a, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic plan view of the short side member, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the expansion/contraction mechanism. 1: Water cooling outer frame, 2a, 2b: Long side member, 3: Long hole, 4, 7: Bolt, 8: Bolt hole, 5a, sb: Short side member, 5a, 5b: Support plate, 9: Cooling water piping , 10:
Water volume adjustment valve, 11: Telescopic double pipe, 12a, 12b:
Water chamber, 13a, 13b, 15a. 15b: Mold surface part.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mold device for continuously manufacturing plate rolling ingots with a rectangular cross section made of aluminum or its alloy, which continuously cools and solidifies supplied molten aluminum or its alloy. The mold is configured in a rectangular shape with two opposing independent long side members and two opposing independent short side members disposed between the two long side members, and each of the long side members is connected to the mold. The short side members are movably suspended and supported by an outer frame disposed around the long side members, and each short side member is further provided on each short side member via a support plate for suspension support to the long side members. The suspension support is movable, and the distance between the long side members and between the short side members can be adjusted, and the distance between them is maximum at the center of each of the long side members, and the distance between them is maximum at the center of each long side member, and The inner surface of each long side member that contacts the molten metal is curved outwardly so that the distance between them becomes shorter as the distance between the two long side members is suspended. A variable width mold device characterized in that when the short side members are brought close to each other, the interval between the two long side members is gradually narrowed overall.