US2976586A - Method of and means for production of steel ingots - Google Patents

Description

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRODUCTION OF STEEL INGOTS Filed Aug. 8, 1957 March 28, 1961 J. O. GRIGGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Mergo 1.15157! Q 57' s.

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2,976,586 I METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRODUCTION OF STEEL INGOTS Filed Aug. 8, 1957.

March 28, 1961 J. o. GRIGGS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 28, 1961 J. o. GRIGGS 2,976,586

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRODUCTION OF STEEL INGOTS Filed Aug. 8, 1957 3 Shets-Sheet 5 I T .5. )1 fl :L 7 :-J

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PRODUCTION OF STEEL lNGOTS John 0. Griggs, 1815 Halsted St., Chicago Heights, 111.

Filed Aug. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 676,983

6 Claims. (Cl. 22-61) My invention relates to apparatus for and method of the continuous casting of steel ingots and the transporting of steel ingots into a blooming mill thus doing away with the usual soaking pit or reheating of the ingots after they have been poured and cooled to a sufficiently solid condition so that they can be handled for further processing purposes.

The primary object of my invention is apparatus for and method of the casting of ingots which cool rapidly upon being poured into a mold, the mold stripped therefrom while the ingots retain sufiicient latent heat for rolling purposes and as soon as the ingots are stripped, while still hot, they are transported into a blooming mill or into the first pass of a series of rollers for conversion into articles of commerce such as beams, or other steel shapes.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of means whereby, should the rolling operation be temporarily suspended and some of the ingots which are in the casting process become cooled under rolling temperature that such ingots can be reheated sufficiently to be rolled by the blooming mill or by other rolls for shaping purposes thereby preserving the ingot into workable form without the aid of soaking pits.

In the modern common practice of producing steel articles, the steel from the open hearth furnaces or other steel making vessels is poured into a heavy ingot mold of substantial size and of various shapes usually rectangular or round and in some cases all shapes are fluted on the inside. The molds are placed on cast iron stools which ride on ingot buggies and delivered to the stripper cranes. After the ingots are cast into the molds they are frequently delayed in reaching the soaking pits due to many things that happen in the ordinary way that is now employed in doing this job. For example: In many cases due to the fact that open hearth furnaces or any other steel making process cannot operate their furnaces to tap at a certain time, therefore, when heats become bunched a great portion of the ingots cannot be handled to the soaking pits on time, consequently, the ingots are allowed to cool in the ingot molds which not only necessitate longer heating periods but shortens the ingot mold life. By moving the steel molding vessels to the point of rolling would eliminate the tremendous amount of rolling equipment that is now necessary to transport the steel ingots from the open hearth or steel making vessels to the soaking pits.

In the casting of the ingots as above disclosed, the ingots are cast in an upright position and in the case of thoroughly deoxidized steel a hot top is used on top of the ingot mold to afford approximately 15% excess metal on top of the ingot. This excess metal in the hot top is for the purpose of feeding the cavities that are left by the evolution of gases.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of the casting or ingots in desired multiples of such size to produce a desired final form and in such manner that the gases escape without leaving cavities in the ingot and in which the volume is such that solidification will be almost instantaneous, the metaloids will immediately become fixed, and not cause trouble bebause of segregation and the practice of hot topping is eliminated resulting in producing a larger amount of usable steel per heat with increased production at lower cost.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of a split mold into which the molten steel is deposited and in which the molten steel cools rapidly and in which the mold can be separated and easily stripped from the ingot thus formed in such manner that the ingot is deposited upon a series of conveying rollers for transmitting it to the blooming or rolling mill.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of apparatus by means of which the molds can be easily and quickly brought into position for receiving the molten metal and after the molten metal is deposited therein, can be separated thereby stripping the sections of the mold from the slab of metal thus formed therein and allowing it to drop upon conveying rollers to p be transported to the rolling mill for shaping operations.

These and other objects of my invention will be better and more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved casting and transporting apparatus;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 and showing in addition a ladle for depositing molten steel into a mold;

Figure 3 is a side view somewhat diagrammatic in form of the apparatus shown in Fig. '1 with the mold handling and separating device eliminated therefrom;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the molds used in carrying out my invention;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the mold shown in Fig. 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the mold shown in Figs. 4 and 5; and

Figure 7 is a sectional view transversely of the mold.

Referring now specifically to the drawings and in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, a roller bed designated as a whole as it is shown of the usual form having a plurality of side rails 11, 11 which are supported by spaced support members 12, 12 and have rolls 13, 13 mounted thereon in spaced relation with each other which rolls may be loosely mounted and disconnected from each other in the side rails 11, 11 or may be collectively operated by power means such as a power shaft 14 having gears 15, 15 thereon which mesh with other gears 16, 16 on the ends of the rolls 13, 13. Spaced casting stations designated as 17, 17 are provided which comprises horizontal frames 18, 18 supported by vertical frames 19, 19 at each side of the bed It) in which a plurality of spaced rolls 20, 20 are provided over which molds designated as 21, 21 are manipulated during the casting of the ingots.

The molds 21, 21 comprise two sections, 22 and 23 generally rectangular in form and each of said sections having cavities 24, 24 therein which are open'at the adjacent sides 25 and 26 of each of the mold sections 22 and 23. The mold section 22 has a half elliptical shaped opening 27 in its upper side while the mold section 23 has a corresponding half elliptical shaped opening 28 therein, the Openings 27 and 28, when fitted together, form an elliptical shaped opening which extends entirely across the combined cavities 24, 24 in the moldsections 22 and 23 and provides a pour opening in the mold sections of sufficient width so that molten metal' can be poured into the mold sections to fill the cavities 24, 24 within the mold sections and yet permit air, gas, or the like, to escape during the pouring operation so that the cavities can be completely filled with molten Ice Patented Mar. 28, 1961 metal, and no other openings to the cavities 24, 24 are necessary to permit the escape ofair, gas, or the like, from the mold. Lugs 29 and 30 are cast on the outer sidesof the sections 22 and 23 which lugs have overhanging angle portions 31 and-32-thereon under-which manipulating heads 33 and 34- are fitted which heads 33 and 34 are mounted upon threaded shafts 35-and 36 which extend through support members 37, 37'on,each side of the roll bed It and are connected with suitable electric motors 38, 38 by means of which the shafts 35 and 36 are moved inward and outward thereby moving the mold sections 22 and 23 into molten metal receiving position and also in an outward direction stripping the mold from the metal ingot fo-rmed therein as will be hereinafter described. The mold sections are supported in sliding engagement with the rolls13, 13 on the roller bed and inrolling engagement with the rollers Zii, 20 during their inward and outward movement as they aremoved into operative position to receive .the. molten metal and outward as they arestrippedfrom theingot cast within the mold. A ladle 39 is provided which is suspended from a conveyor track. 40, theladle having a discharge opening 41 in thebottom thereof with a refractory sleeve 42 being provided which has an openingv 43 in the lower end thereof adjacent to the discharge opening 41 with an elongated stopper 44 being-mounted therein which is connected to a lever 45 mounted upon the ladle 39 by a bracket 46, theouter end of the. lever 45 being connected to an arm 47, which in .turn, is connected to a pivotally mounted lever 48 which provides means by which the stopper member 44is moved within the refractory sleeve for the opening and closing of the discharge opening 41 in the bottom of the ladle. 39.

A reheating furnace 49 is provided which is open at each of its ends and has guillotine type doors 50 and .51 thereon which act as closure members, the reheating furnace 4 being located in the bed 10 and in alinement with the ingot 52 which passes over the rolls 13, 13 and is provided for the purpose of reheatingthe ingots after they are cast in the molds, should the rolling operation be suspended'for a period of timeso that the ingots which have already been cast lose so much of their heat that they cannot be rolled without being reheated. A U-shaped pusher 53 is provided which has a lower pushing arm 54 thereon which pusher can be raised out of the path of the ingot and lowered so that thejarrrr54 may enter the furnace to push the ingot out of the furnace and on to the rolls l3 beyond the heatingfurnace and between the blooming mill or the entrance to the rolling mills. This pusher may be suspended from aframe and be used for the entire transporting of the ingot 52 over the rolls after it has been east through the heating furnace 49 and into the blooming mill, or the initial setof rolls as may be desired.

In the operation of the device, theingot molds 21 are placed in position where they are engaged by the heads 33 and 34 engaging the side sections 22 and 23 under the overhanging portions 31 and 32 of the lugs 29 and 30 with the mold sections being supported upon the rolls 20, 20 on each side of the roller bed and the mold sections manipulated to closed position, in which position the ladle 39 is brought into position so the discharge opening 41 therein is spotted over the mold above the intake openings 27 and 28 whereupon the-operator, by manipulating the lever 48, raises the plug 44 out of the opening 41 and permits the molten steel to fiow'from the ladle into the openings 27 and 28- to fill the cavities 24,; 24 in the mold 21 to a point where the mold is completely filled with molten steel when the flow from the ladle is shut off. The molten steel entering themold cools very rapidly and becomes sufiiciently hardto retain its shape and once this occurs, the members 37, 37 are actuated reversely to the closing operation which pulls the .mold sections 22 and 23 apart. permitting the ingot 52 to drop on to thev rolls 13, 13 where it is normally movedthrough the reheating furnace and transported N! 4 either by manual movement or by the pusher 53, or by the combined use of the pusher 53and the motor mounted rolls directly into the blooming mill which commences the rolling operation and which can be thereupon completed to the desired shape and form of the structure desired.

I prefer two stations for, filling the molds as shown particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawings whereby the ladle 391 can be moved to either station for the filling of the molds and in this way, the production of the steel ingots or billets of the desired size can be continuous and the steel remains in the molds a sufiicient length of time so it becomes cool enough to be handled on the rolls and yet retains sufiicient latent heat to enable it to be worked in the rolling mill without-the necessity of reheating in soaking pits in the practice which is now usually followed. By having two stations, the ingots can be produced rapidly enough so that the rolling mill is kept continuously supplied with ingots of suitable size and shape depending upon the size of the'molds for the finished product desired.

In actual operation of the apparatus, if two mold sections are used, the mold section nearest the reheating furnace should be-operated first, an ingot cast, and cooled for a few seconds while an ingot is cast at the second station. The first-cast ingot is then stripped and started on its way to the rolls. The second ingot is thereupon stripped and the ingot moved toward the rolls while the mold sections are separated at the first station so as to permit the second cast ingot to pass over the roller bed toward the rolling mill. When the ingot has passed this station,- the molds can be closed and the operation repeated.

While we have described more or less precisely the details of construction, we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves thereto, as :We contemplate changes in form and the proportion of parts and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a roller bed, sectional ingot molds thereon, means associated with the roller bed whereby sections of the mold may be moved toward each other thereby forming a complete mold for receiving molten steel and moved away from each other thereby stripping the mold sections from the ingot formed therein and permitting the ingot thus formed to drop onto the said roller bed, and a movable molten steel ladle over the said mold whereby molten steel may be deposited in the said molds.

2. In combination with a main roller bed, mold handling apparatus comprising auxiliary roller beds at the sides of the main roller bed, frames on each side of the main roller bed, movable shafts in said frames, a mold section on each of said shafts, means whereby the shafts are moved inward and outward from the main roller bed whereby the mold sections are brought in face-to-face relation with each other upon the main roller bed and moved outward from each other thereby stripping the mold sections from an ingot and permitting the ingot to drop onto the roller bed and means whereby molten steel is supplied to the said molds while on the main roller bed.

3. In combination with a main roller bed, mold handling apparatus consisting of auxiliary roller beds on each side of the main roller bed, frames associated with each of said auxiliary roller beds, shafts mounted in each of said frames having heads on their inner ends, means whereby the shafts are moved toward and away from the main roller bed, a mold section having a lug on one ofits sides mounted on each of the shafts, the heads on the shafts extending under the said lugs whereby the mold sections are moved together to form a complete mold and moved away from each other to strip the mold sections from an ingot formed therein and means whereby molten steel is poured into the said molds.

4. In combination with a main roller bed, mold handling apparatus consisting of auxiliary roller beds on each side of the main roller bed, frames associated with each of said auxiliary roller beds, shafts mounted in each of said frames having heads on their inner ends, means whereby the shafts are moved toward and away from the main roller bed, a mold section having a lug on one of its sides mounted on each of the shafts, the heads on the shafts extending under the said lugs whereby the mold sections are moved together to form a complete mold and moved away from each other to strip the mold sections from an ingot formed therein, means whereby molten steel is poured into the said molds, and a heating furnace on the main roller bed.

5. In combination with a main roller bed, mold handling apparatus consisting of auxiliary roller beds on each side of the main bed, sectional mold sections having mold cavities therein open at oneside of the mold section, each section having a filling opening therein, the sections, when fitted together, forming a complete ingot mold and means whereby the mold sections are moved together to form a complete mold and moved apart from each other whereby the sections are stripped from the ingot formed therein.

6. Aningot mold for use in continuous ingot producing operations consisting of complementary sections having cavities therein open along adjacent sides of the mold sections, ribs on the outer sides of each of the mold sections having down-turned portions for engagement with stripping mechanism opposite to the open sides of the cavities under the mold sections, each section having a semi-elliptical filling opening therein in substantial registering positions with each other to form a filling opening for the said mold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nash Apr. 10, 1900 Mueller Apr. 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Feb. 2, 1884

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