US3730780A

US3730780A - Method of transporting and positioning continuous casting butts

Info

Publication number: US3730780A
Application number: US00071825A
Authority: US
Inventors: A Pfeuffer; G Kalkhof; H Weber; A Ludtke
Original assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH
Current assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH
Priority date: 1969-09-18
Filing date: 1970-09-14
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01
Also published as: GB1291815A; FR2061782A1; FR2061782B1; DE1947287A1; AT304781B; SE364652B

Abstract

A method of moving and positioning a casting butt produced in a continuous casting plant with the aid of holding means and a cutting device used as the transport means. The device is secured to the butt, after which they are together moved in one direction into a position that corresponds to a desired cut length, holding means clamp said butt, whereupon the cutting device is released and moved to a starting position operable to cut the held butt.

Description

O United States Patent 1 1 3,730,780

Pfeuffer et al. May 1, 1973 [54] METHOD OF TRANSPORTING AND POSITIONING CONTINUOUS CASTING [56] References Cited BUTTS UNITED STATES PATENTS [75] Inventors: Alfred Pfeuffer, Neu-lsenburg;

Gustav Kalkhof, Langen/Hessen; 15/1942 Bucknam ..l48/9.6 /l967 Remfeld et al.. ..l48/9 Helm Weber Stembach/Taunus, 3,382,112 5/1968 Oxley eta]. ..l48/9 Arnold Ludtke, Offenbach, all of Germany Primary Examiner-W. W. Stallard [73] Assignee: Messer Griesheim GmbH, Frankfurt AtmmeyEme5t Marmol'ek Main, Germany [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Sept. 14, 1970 Appl. No.: 71,825

Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 18, 1969 Germany ..P 19 47 28 7.8

US. Cl ..l48/9 Int. Cl. ..B23k 7/00 Field of Search 148/9, 9.6; 164/263;

A method of moving and positioning a casting butt produced in a continuous casting plant with the aid of holding means and a cutting device used as the trans port means. The device is secured to the butt, after which they are together moved in one direction into a position that corresponds to a desired cut length, holding means clamp said butt, whereupon the cutting device is released and moved to a starting position operable to cut the held butt.

3 Claims, 1 Drawing lFigure Patented May 1, 1973 3,730,780

ENTORS BY warm M1 Arno u Lat 41th, aw wwmj,

METHOD OF TRANSPORTING AND POSITIONING CONTINUOUS CASTING BUTTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION At the end of the casting operation employed in con- 1 tinuous casting plants, a butt is left at the'outlet of the train of the driving and levelling rolls and cannot be moved continuously forward by the material which follows. It is desirable, however, that this part, the socalled casting butt, should be cut into portions. Broadly speaking, the invention provides a method of permitting automatic cutting of the casting butt largely, however, with the aid of the cutting device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a method which is simple and positive in operation and requires very little additional tooling.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for a method which is inexpensive to establish and operate.

Further objects, and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following specification and in part will be obvious therefrom without being specifically referred to, the same being realized and attained as pointed out in the claims hereof.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the invention consists in the novel methods, certain embodiments of the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in the specification.

The problems of the prior art are solved by clamping a cutting device to the casting butt and running it to a position corresponding to the desired length of the portions; fixing the butt in the aforesaid position with the I portions which are longer than the cutting path, it is advantageous to repeat the forward movement of the casting until the desired portion length lies ahead of the torch. In this way it is possible to cut portion lengths of any desired size.

In a further embodiment of the invention the sequence of operations is automated by arranging that a length measuring device terminates the forward movement of the cutting device in one direction when the desired portion length has been reached and it is situated ahead of the torch in that direction. This measure enables the portion length to be determined in the same manner as in the normal dividing operation without however measuring the length to be cut off. By using the aforesaid length measuring device it is ensured' that terminal portions which are shorter than the desired portion length will not be produced, since when the end of the casting leaves the length measuring device no further cut is effected.

The invention accordingly. comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the accompanying drawing there is depicted, in a single fragmentary sectional wing, a part of a continuous casting plant, namely the region downstream of the driving and levelling roll train and upstream of the delivery roller table.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In carrying the invention into effect in the embodiments which have been selected for illustration in the accompanying drawing and for description in this specification, there is provided a plurality of first table rollers 1 and 2 of an intermediate roller table. There is also a delivery roller table 3 downstream of said first rollers 1 and 2. Between the first rollers l and 2 and the delivery roller table 3 there is disposed a cutting pit 4, over which a running track 5 is disposed. A cutting device 6 is adapted to run on the running track 5 and is provided with a cutting torch 7 and a clamping device 8. A stationary holding device 9 is disposed near the delivery roller table 3. This holding device 9 may be of any kind and the arrangement thereof at the end of the intermediate roller table is also within the scope of the invention.

A length measuring device 10 is disposed in the region of the intermediate roller table and is connected to the cutting device 6 by a suitable electric control (not shown). The distance from the axis of the measuring wheel of the length measuring device 10 to the center of the cutting torch 7 in the zero .position is the measure of the smallest possible portion which can be cut at the end of a casting buttfThe arrangement of the holding device 9 is therefore advantageously determined by being dependent upon the portion length mainly cut off in the machine in question.

OPERATION After thecontinuous forward movement of the casting has stopped, the remainder of the flame cutting operations are carried out in accordance with the invention. For this purpose the cutting device 6 is run into the zero position at the end of the intermediate roller table and there fastened to the casting. Through the independent drive of the cutting device 6the latter is moved together with the casting in the direction of the delivery roller table 3. When the desired portion length has been reached the holding device 9 is operated and takes over the positioning or holding of the casting. The clamp jaws 8 of the cutting device 6 are then released and the latter is returned either to the zero position or to a cutting position corresponding to the desired portion length. For this purpose it is advantageous for a supporting roller 11 to be provided on the torch 7 for the purpose of supporting the portion cut off.

If the desired portion length should be greater than the possible path of movement of the cutting device 6, the abovedescribed movement of the casting in the direction of the delivery roller table 3 is repeated until the desired portion length is situated ahead of the torch 7.

For the purpose of simplifying this operation the length measuring device indicates when the desired position of the portion ahead of the zero position of the torch 7, which is the reference point for the measurement, has been reached. The forward movement of the cutting device 6 is switched off with the aid of the length measuring device 10 when the portion length is reached. The holding device takes over the fastening of the casting, the clamp jaws of the cutting device 6 are released again, the cutting device 6 is returned to the zero position, and the dividing cut is carried out in the zero position.

We wish it to be understood that we do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A method of cutting an end section of a casting produced in a continuous casting plant, with the aid of a cutting device movable in either direction throughout a stroke between a starting position and an end position in the path of movement of said casting, and operable for being used as a transport means for the end section, and stationary holding means located at the end position,

the steps comprising: securing said cutting device to said end section; thereafter moving said cutting device together with said secured end section to said end position; subsequently holding said end section in said end position by said holding means; then releasing said cutting device from being secured to said end section; and lastly moving back said cutting device for a desired length into a cutting position and cutting said end section held by said holding means. 2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, the steps prior to cutting said end section further comprising repeating the transport movement of said cutting device for cutting portions longer than said stroke. 3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, the steps of measuring said desired length, and terminating said back movement when said desired length has been reached.

Claims

2. A method, as claimed in claim 1, the steps prior to cutting said end section further comprising repeating the transport movement of said cutting device for cutting portions longer than said stroke.
3. A method, as claimed in claim 1, the steps of measuring said desired length, and terminating said back movement when said desired length has been reached.