US3349838A - Float control valve for continuous casting - Google Patents

Float control valve for continuous casting Download PDF

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Publication number
US3349838A
US3349838A US461296A US46129665A US3349838A US 3349838 A US3349838 A US 3349838A US 461296 A US461296 A US 461296A US 46129665 A US46129665 A US 46129665A US 3349838 A US3349838 A US 3349838A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
mold
valve
molten metal
metal
container
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 - Lifetime
Application number
US461296A
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English (en)
Inventor
Baier Richard
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.)
American Smelting and Refining Co
Original Assignee
American Smelting and Refining Co
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 American Smelting and Refining Co filed Critical American Smelting and Refining Co
Priority to US461296A priority Critical patent/US3349838A/en
Priority to GB23223/66A priority patent/GB1129766A/en
Priority to DE1966A0052633 priority patent/DE1508761B2/de
Priority to FI661465A priority patent/FI45422C/fi
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3349838A publication Critical patent/US3349838A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/16—Controlling or regulating processes or operations
    • B22D11/18—Controlling or regulating processes or operations for pouring
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/16—Controlling or regulating processes or operations
    • B22D11/18—Controlling or regulating processes or operations for pouring
    • B22D11/181—Controlling or regulating processes or operations for pouring responsive to molten metal level or slag level
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D41/00—Casting melt-holding vessels, e.g. ladles, tundishes, cups or the like
    • B22D41/14—Closures
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D41/00—Casting melt-holding vessels, e.g. ladles, tundishes, cups or the like
    • B22D41/50—Pouring-nozzles

Definitions

  • a shaft having at its bottom a cup which surrounds the tube.
  • the upper end of the shaft has an abutment or head which holds the shaft and cup assembled to the container so that the container together with the valve may be lifted from the mold as a unit.
  • the movable parts of the valve constitute a movable control member and the specific gravity of this member as a whole is less than the metal being cast. Substantially the entire member is immersed in the molten metal--shaft, abutment, and most of the cup-and thus substantially all parts are available to impart buoyancy to the member. The effect of this buoyancy is to close the feed tube when the metal level in the mold gets too high, and to open the tube when the metal level in the mold gets too low.
  • the invention relates to the continuous casting of metals, and more particularly to automatically feeding metals to a mold for continuously ⁇ casting copper base billets and other shapes.
  • the mold is spaced below the container holding the molten metal to be cast.
  • the metal flows from the container through a delivery tube into the open top of the mold at a rate corresponding to the rate at which the congealed product is withdrawn yfrom the bottom of the mold.
  • the molten metal in the mold has its own free surface, and care is required to keep this free surface at the proper level. It has heretofore been proposed to provide a valve arrangement for automatically controlling the metal flow into the mold to maintain the lfree surface at the proper height during the casting operation.
  • Such valve arrangements comprise a movable stopper member having a valve member contacting a seat on the depending feed tube. The valve member moves toward and away from the seat, providing a variable throttling opening which controls metal ow into the mold.
  • the prior arrangements have one or more of the following disadvantages.
  • Some stopper members engage stationary parts of the equipment and are not truly free moving, Some use counterweights to balance the weight of the movable stopper. Some have joints which are subject to attack by the molten metal. Some valve members go askew and form imperfect closure. In some cases the valve cannot be removed as a unit from the mold, with the ladle to which ⁇ it is attached. In still other cases the valve cannot withstand the high melting temperatures and corrosive action of metals such as copper or iron.
  • the valve comprises a tube depending from the holding container and extending into the top of the mold below its free surface.
  • a shaft having at its bottom a cup which surrounds the tube.
  • the upper end ⁇ of the shaft has an abutment or head which holds the shaft and cup assembled to the container so that the container and the valve may be removed from the mold as a unit.
  • the movable parts of the valve constitute a stopper member and comprise a material which has less specific gravity than the metal being cast. In the case of a copper base metal, this material is preferably a claygraphite.
  • Substantially the entire stopper is immersed in the molten metal-shaft, abutment, and most of the cupand thus substantially all parts are available to impart buoyancy to the stopper.
  • the effect of this buoyancy is to close the feed tube when the metal level in the mold gets too high, and to open the tube when the metal level in the mold gets too low.
  • the apparatus as shown, comprises mold 10, container 11 (which may be a portable ladle), and automatic valve 12.
  • the mold 16 comprises a metal jacket 20 having a graphite liner 21, and may be of the type disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Paten-t No.V 3,098,269, dated July 23, 1963, sometimes referred to as a stable mold.
  • the present invention is described with special reference to casting phosphorized deoxidized copper, but the invention is applicable to casting other types of copper and other metals.
  • it is first assumed that the casting operation has been started and the process is functioning at lfull running speed.
  • the mold 10 and valve 12 may bel circular in horizontal cross section, while the ladle 11 may be of any shape in horizontal cross section.
  • the position of the valve parts shown in the drawing is a normal running position With the valve partially open.
  • the ladle 11 is filled to a suitable level with molten phosphorized copper. Molten copper Hows from ladle 11 to the mold. It freezes in the mold, and the solid billet 13 is withdrawn from the bottom of the mold in any desired way.
  • the metal is fed and the billet withdrawn at Isuch rate as to cause the metal to freeze in the form of a crater 15, forming a crater shell 14.
  • the crater shell 14 is filled with molten metal having its own free surface 16 in the mold. The proper level of molten metal in the mold is maintained by the automatic valve 12, to be described.
  • the valve 12 comprises a relatively stationary seat member 17, and a relatively movable stopper 18.
  • the seat member 17 comprises a feed tube 19 ⁇ depending from the bottom of the container 11 and extending below the surface of the molten metal in the mold ltr.
  • the tube 19 has an enlarged upper ange 32 with a plurality of slots 33 permitting molten metal to flow into the tube even when the shaft abutment 31 engages enlargement 32.
  • Cement 29 holds tube 19 ⁇ tight in the bottom of container 11.
  • the stopper 18 comprises a cup 22 and a shaft 23 with head 31.
  • Cup 22 has a bottom 24 with a plurality of 3 feed holes 25, a side Wall 26 with a plurality of feed holes 27, and an open top 28.
  • the cup 22 is about half immersed in the molten metal in the mold, and its side wall 26 extends above the top of the mold 10.
  • the shaft 23 passes loosely through the tube 19 and is connected to the bottom 24 of the cup 22.
  • the top of the shaft 23 has a round enlarged upper head 31 engageable with the enlarged top 32 of the tube 19 which projects above the bottom of the ladle 11.
  • the movable valve stopper 18 (cup and a shaft) is made of clay-graphite which has less specific gravity than the molten copper being continuously cast. Buoyancy is obtained by partial immersion of the cup 22 in molten metal in the mold, by immersion of the abutment 31 in molten metal in the ladle 11, and by immersion of shaft 23 in molten metal in tube 19.
  • the tube 19 may be made of clay-graphite.
  • a protective layer of discrete particles of carbonaceous material such as flake graphite, lamp black, pulverized anthracite, etc. oating on the surface of molten metal in the mold.
  • Part of this cover 34 is loutside cup 22, and part 3S may be inside the cup. Presence of the cover 35 inside the cup is not especially important.
  • valve depends upon Archimedes principle which states that a body immersed in a fluid is buoyed up by a force equal to the mass of the fluid displaced. For proper operation, the valve member must rise and fall with the free surface 16 of liquid in the mold. When the free surface rises, the valve member must rise, and when the free surface falls, the valve member must fall.
  • the Vernier portion As an example of one manner in which the Vernier portion operates, let it be assumed that the level of metal in the mold is sufliciently high to close the valve opening (between seat 17 and cup bottom 24). This means that the Vernier portion must be immersed sufficiently to impart to the stopper an upwardly acting buoyant force equal to the head H of molten metal extending from the top metal surface 36 in the ladle to the valve seat 17. This stops all metal flow into the mold.
  • the molten level in the mold drops, which decreases the amount of immersion of the Vernier margin of the cup 22. This reduces the upward force of buoyancy, permitting the head of molten metal to force the stopper downwardly, opening the valve and permitting molten metal to ow through the cup holes into the mold.
  • the stopper 18 will of course, continue to descend as long as the metal level in the mold descends; this is accompanied by an increase in metal ow through the Valve because of the wider throttle opening.
  • the Vernier margin of the cup becomes immersed to a greater extent, which in turn increases the upward force of buoyancy on the stopper, which in turn tends to close the throttle opening.
  • the invention has many advantages.
  • the stopper is self-floating in that all movable parts (except the Vernier margin) are immersed in the metal being continuously cast, and are of less specific gravity than the metal.
  • the mass density is Virtually no hollow closed portions are necessary to give buoyancy to the movable closure, and no counterweights are necessary to supplement the buoyancy of the movable stopper immersed in the liquid metal.
  • the force of buoyancy is sufficient to overcome the weight of the stopper 18 and the downward force caused by the downward flow of molten metal from the ladle into the mold.
  • the material of the Valve is of high strength; it resists attack by the metal being cast; it is easy to machine, and requires no bolts to hold the parts together.
  • a further advantage is the dual submersion of both cup 22 and head 31. In case it is desired to change the shape or size of the cup, a corresponding change can be made to the shaft head to maintain total displacement of the stopper the same, or to change it if desired.
  • the holes in the distributing cup 22 can have any pattern, and be directed at any angle, depending upon operating conditions such as size of the mold, the metal being cast, and the speed of casting, etc.
  • the edge of the cup projects above the top of the mold for easy Visibility by the operator who may be handling the simultaneous feeding of several molds.
  • the central pilot shaft 23 and upper head 31 hold all parts of the mold together as a unit, enabling the ladle and valve to be removed from the mold, and replaced into the mold, as a unit.
  • the ladle 11 When the ladle 11 is raised, it carries all of its valve parts with it.
  • the self-centering action of the pilot shaft holds the cup 22 centered with respect to the tube 19, and with respect to the mold, and prevents tilting or cocking of the cup with respect to the valve seat 17.
  • the Valve is entirely compatible with the carbonaceous cover on the free surface of metal in the mold.
  • the valve does not interfere with the introduction or with the function of the carbonaceous cover, nor does the carbonaceous cover interfere with the function of the valve.
  • valves may be mounted in the bottom of the same holding container for feeding a plurality of molds forming part of a plurality of stands.
  • the valve lends itself especially to running a plurality of stands with minimum attention on the part of the operator.
  • the ladle with attached valve Prior to starting up a casting operation, the ladle with attached valve is removed from the mold, placed to one side, and heated by a blowtorch. After preheating the ladle and Valve, the assembly is returned to the mold to place the Valve in operating position in the mold.
  • the mold Will have the conventional starting plug inserted in its lower open end for starting purposes.
  • the molten copper is then fed to the ladle which flows through the valve (since the valve will be in wide-open position) into the empty mold.
  • the valve will start functioning to limit further rise of metal level in the mold; at the proper time, the starting plug will be lowered and the continuous casting operation started.
  • the valve lends itself to change in casting speed.
  • the casting speed may be determined entirely by the rate at which the congealed casting is withdrawn from the bottom of the mold so 1 long as the ladle is kept adequately lled with molten metal.
  • the rate at which molten metal is fed to the mold may be controlled by the speed -at which the molten metal is fed to the empty ladle while the valve is at its lowermost full open position.
  • the valve including feed tube and stopper, may be made of different materials, depending upon the metal being continuously cast. In any event, the material should resist attack by the molten metal, and the specic gravity of the material of the movable stopper must be less than that of the molten metal.
  • the valve may be made from any good grade or quality of graphite, including materials containing graphite, such as graphite-coated carbons.
  • Clay-graphite may also be used.
  • An acceptable clay-graphite may comprise about 40% clay and 60% graphite by weight.
  • graphite as used in the claims is intended to cover all such materials containing substantial amounts of graphite.
  • cermets are a metal-ceramic comprising powdered chromium and aluminum oxide, as for example, by weight, 77% metallic chromium and 23% aluminum oxide (A1203). These materials may be made by the well-known slipcasting process and then sintered.
  • Steatite occurs in nature in dense formation, and is characterized by its softness.
  • One form of steatite is a hydrated magnesium silicate. It is machined to shape and then fired, resulting in a hard refractory material.
  • Other satisfactory materials for casting copper are carborundum, alundum, magnesia, zirconia and chromite.
  • the different parts of the stopper may be made of materials having different specific gravity, it being only necessary that the weight of the stopper as a whole be less than the weight of the volume of molten metal displaced.
  • the material of the central shaft may actually be of a specific gravity greater than that of the molten metal in which it is immersed.
  • Parts of the stopper may be hollow.
  • the invention may be employed to cast other metals and alloys, including but not limited to, steel, silver, nickel, aluminum, and magnesium.
  • a container for holding the molten metal to be cast continuous casting means spaced from said container and positioned below the latter to receive molten metal therefrom, said continuous casting means being adapted to contain a body of molten metal, a molten metal feed tube in communication with said container and extending down into said continuous casting means, movable valve means cooperating with said tube to control the flow of molten metal through the tube, said movable means comprising a valve member, a shaft disposed within said tube, said shaft being connected to said valve member and extending into said container, said movable means having interlocking means for interlocking said movable means with respect to said container, said movable valve means having a portion adapted to be immersed below the level of said body of molten metal in said continuous casting means with a Vernier portion above said level, the specific gravity of the movable means as a whole being less than that of the metal being cast, whereby said shaft displaces molten metal to be cast
  • valve member comprising a cup, said cup having a bottom Wall and annular side wall, said side wall surrounding said tube, said cup having openings for distributing the metal in a predetermined manner.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Casting Support Devices, Ladles, And Melt Control Thereby (AREA)
  • Continuous Casting (AREA)
US461296A 1965-06-04 1965-06-04 Float control valve for continuous casting Expired - Lifetime US3349838A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US461296A US3349838A (en) 1965-06-04 1965-06-04 Float control valve for continuous casting
GB23223/66A GB1129766A (en) 1965-06-04 1966-05-24 Continuous casting apparatus
DE1966A0052633 DE1508761B2 (de) 1965-06-04 1966-06-02 Selbstregelnder tauchausguss zum stranggiessen
FI661465A FI45422C (fi) 1965-06-04 1966-06-03 Säätöventtiili sulan metallin virtauksen säätämiseksi tankovalussa.

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US461296A US3349838A (en) 1965-06-04 1965-06-04 Float control valve for continuous casting

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3349838A true US3349838A (en) 1967-10-31

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ID=23831996

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US461296A Expired - Lifetime US3349838A (en) 1965-06-04 1965-06-04 Float control valve for continuous casting

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Country Link
US (1) US3349838A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
DE (1) DE1508761B2 (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
FI (1) FI45422C (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)
GB (1) GB1129766A (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3463365A (en) * 1963-12-12 1969-08-26 Siderurgie Fse Inst Rech Metal casting apparatus with electromagnetic nozzle
US3465811A (en) * 1965-11-15 1969-09-09 Est Aciers Fins Plants for the continuous casting of steel
US3738419A (en) * 1971-08-26 1973-06-12 Phelps Dodge Copper Prod Molten metal level control for continuous casting
US3752217A (en) * 1971-08-13 1973-08-14 Olin Corp Float-distributor for direct chill casting
US3776296A (en) * 1971-04-19 1973-12-04 Universal Oil Prod Co Method for continuously casting a hollow billet
US3800853A (en) * 1969-09-16 1974-04-02 Concast Ag Submerged nozzle for continuous casting
US3834446A (en) * 1972-04-10 1974-09-10 B Medovar Mould for electroslag remelting of metals
FR2561957A1 (fr) * 1984-04-03 1985-10-04 Didier Werke Ag Busette refractaire pour coulee en plongee
US4719959A (en) * 1984-06-12 1988-01-19 Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd. Apparatus for continuously producing hollow metallic ingot
WO2003078095A1 (de) * 2002-03-20 2003-09-25 Ing. Rauch Fertigungstechnik M.B.H. Schmelzbehälter, insbesondere tundish
US20110233237A1 (en) * 2008-11-22 2011-09-29 Refractory Intellectual Property Gmbh & Co. Kg Immersion nozzle
CN106744629A (zh) * 2017-02-28 2017-05-31 华南理工大学 一种流量控制阀及流量控制系统和流量区间动态控制方法

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3735803A (en) * 1971-04-19 1973-05-29 Universal Oil Prod Co Method of and apparatus for continuously casting a hollow billet
CN108838356B (zh) * 2018-07-18 2021-04-16 中铝华中铜业有限公司 一种无氧银铜的连铸生产方法

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2728123A (en) * 1953-01-22 1955-12-27 Abigail Jordan Apparatus for feeding raw molten iron at a constant rate
US2876509A (en) * 1953-06-19 1959-03-10 Kaiser Aluminium Chem Corp Apparatus for continuous casting of metal
US2891291A (en) * 1956-01-27 1959-06-23 Kaiser Aluminium Chem Corp Apparatus for continuous casting
US3050792A (en) * 1959-08-27 1962-08-28 Warner Mfg Corp Apparatus for continuous metal casting and parts thereof

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2728123A (en) * 1953-01-22 1955-12-27 Abigail Jordan Apparatus for feeding raw molten iron at a constant rate
US2876509A (en) * 1953-06-19 1959-03-10 Kaiser Aluminium Chem Corp Apparatus for continuous casting of metal
US2891291A (en) * 1956-01-27 1959-06-23 Kaiser Aluminium Chem Corp Apparatus for continuous casting
US3050792A (en) * 1959-08-27 1962-08-28 Warner Mfg Corp Apparatus for continuous metal casting and parts thereof

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3463365A (en) * 1963-12-12 1969-08-26 Siderurgie Fse Inst Rech Metal casting apparatus with electromagnetic nozzle
US3465811A (en) * 1965-11-15 1969-09-09 Est Aciers Fins Plants for the continuous casting of steel
US3800853A (en) * 1969-09-16 1974-04-02 Concast Ag Submerged nozzle for continuous casting
US3776296A (en) * 1971-04-19 1973-12-04 Universal Oil Prod Co Method for continuously casting a hollow billet
US3752217A (en) * 1971-08-13 1973-08-14 Olin Corp Float-distributor for direct chill casting
US3738419A (en) * 1971-08-26 1973-06-12 Phelps Dodge Copper Prod Molten metal level control for continuous casting
US3834446A (en) * 1972-04-10 1974-09-10 B Medovar Mould for electroslag remelting of metals
FR2561957A1 (fr) * 1984-04-03 1985-10-04 Didier Werke Ag Busette refractaire pour coulee en plongee
US4719959A (en) * 1984-06-12 1988-01-19 Nippon Light Metal Co., Ltd. Apparatus for continuously producing hollow metallic ingot
WO2003078095A1 (de) * 2002-03-20 2003-09-25 Ing. Rauch Fertigungstechnik M.B.H. Schmelzbehälter, insbesondere tundish
US20110233237A1 (en) * 2008-11-22 2011-09-29 Refractory Intellectual Property Gmbh & Co. Kg Immersion nozzle
US8517231B2 (en) * 2008-11-22 2013-08-27 Refractory Intellectual Property Gmbh & Co. Kg Immersion nozzle
CN106744629A (zh) * 2017-02-28 2017-05-31 华南理工大学 一种流量控制阀及流量控制系统和流量区间动态控制方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1508761B2 (de) 1976-10-21
FI45422C (fi) 1972-06-12
FI45422B (GUID-C5D7CC26-194C-43D0-91A1-9AE8C70A9BFF.html) 1972-02-29
DE1508761A1 (de) 1969-11-06
GB1129766A (en) 1968-10-09

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