U.S. patent number 3,735,801 [Application Number 05/122,345] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-29 for continuous casting mold.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Concast AG. Invention is credited to Max Burkhardt.
United States Patent |
3,735,801 |
Burkhardt |
May 29, 1973 |
CONTINUOUS CASTING MOLD
Abstract
A built-up plate mold for continuous casting of slabs comprises
a supporting frame and longitudinal and transverse mold walls. The
transverse walls are normally clamped between the longitudinal
walls but can be released for removal and replacement by movement
of at least one longitudinal wall. The transverse walls are also
clamped to the supporting frame by releasable means operable from
the top of the mold so that they may be removed and replaced
without removal of the entire mold.
Inventors: |
Burkhardt; Max (8049 Zurich,
CH) |
Assignee: |
Concast AG (Zurich,
CH)
|
Family
ID: |
4256903 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/122,345 |
Filed: |
March 9, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Mar 10, 1970 [CH] |
|
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3481/70 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
164/436 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22D
11/05 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B22D
11/05 (20060101); B22d 011/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;164/273,280,283,342,82,89 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Overholser; J. Spencer
Assistant Examiner: Roethel; John E.
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A plate mold for continuous casting, comprising a supporting
frame, longitudinal and transverse cooled walls supported on said
frame and defining the mold cavity, means for moving at least one
of said longitudinal walls to clamp the transverse walls
therebetween, means for mounting said transverse walls for sliding
movement in vertical direction on said supporting frame during
insertion between or withdrawal from between said longitudinal
walls, means to clamp said transverse walls to said supporting
frame, and means operable from the top of the mold to release said
clamping means to permit insertion or withdrawal of said transverse
walls.
2. A plate mold according to claim 1, in which said guide means
comprises a T-shaped guideway in each transverse wall extending
substantially parallel to the casting axis, a sliding bar in said
guideway and a limit stop at the bottom of said guideway.
3. A plate mold according to claim 2, in which said clamping means
includes compression springs and studs mounted on said sliding bar,
and a screw spindle with tapered shoulders adapted to engage said
studs.
4. A plate mold according to claim 1, in which said clamping means
couples the inlet and outlet pipes for the cooling water
automatically to the transverse wall.
5. A plate mold according to claim 1, in which said transverse
walls have different degrees of taper in respect to the casting
direction.
6. A plate mold according to claim 1, in which said transverse
walls are suspended from yokes which rest movably on said
supporting frame.
7. A plate mold according to claim 6, in which the cooling water is
conducted to the transverse walls through said yokes.
Description
This invention relates to a built-up plate mold for continuous
casting of slabs, comprising a supporting frame which supports
longitudinal and transverse mold walls that are equipped with
cooling means and form the mold cavity. At least one of the
longitudinal walls is movable with respect to said frame and the
transverse walls are clamped between the longitudinal walls.
Experience has shown that most of the wear in built-up plate molds
occurs at the edges of the transverse walls where these abut the
longitudinal walls. It has been found that after only a few casting
operations gaps become visible at these butt joints which render
the mold unfit for further service. Such molds must be removed from
the casting machine to permit fresh or re-machined transverse walls
to be fitted. The mold must also be removed whenever it is desired
to replace the transverse walls by walls of different widths.
A built-up plate mold has already been proposed which is composed
of adjustable longitudinal and transverse walls equipped with
cooling means. The longitudinal and transverse walls are supported
by a frame surrounding the mold and the transverse walls can be
clamped between the longitudinal walls. In such molds the width of
the casting is adjustable without the mold having to be removed
from the casting machine. However, whenever the transverse walls
require replacement because of damage or for changing the thickness
of the casting, the mold must be removed from the machine since
this type of work cannot be carried out while it remains in
position. The time needed for removing a mold from a continuous
casting machine and for re-assembling it necessarily results in
prolonged stoppages of the machine.
The object of the present invention is to provide a built-up plate
mold which permits the transverse walls to be quickly replaced,
even by walls of different dimensions, whilst the mold remains in
place.
According to the invention this is achieved by transverse walls
which may be easily and quickly inserted between the longitudinal
walls and which may be secured to the supporting frame by means
operable from the top of the mold.
According to the present invention, for example, the transverse
walls of a plate mold approximately 700 mm high for casting a slab
of a cross-section of approximately 1,550 .times. 250 mm can be
replaced in about 5 minutes, whereas replacement of the transverse
walls of conventional plate molds would require much more time.
Moreover, in order to replace the transverse walls the entire mold
would have to be removed from the machine and then remounted.
In order to insure that each transverse wall is accurately guided
during insertion between the longitudinal walls, the wall may
comprise a T-shaped guideway running roughly parallel to the
casting axis, for cooperation with a sliding bar and a stop. The
clamping means may consist of spring operated studs cooperating
with the sliding bar, and a screw threaded spindle with beveled
shoulders.
According to another feature of the invention the time needed for
the replacement of the transverse walls is considerably reduced due
to the fact that said clamping means automatically couples the
inlet and outlet pipes for the cooling water to the transverse
wall.
Another feature of the invention permits assembled molds in casting
position to be quickly and easily adjusted to castings of different
width or thickness by the use of transverse walls of different
width and/or thickness which are inserted between the longitudinal
walls and are locked into position.
When casting different grades of steel and/or different casting
widths it may be an advantage if the transverse walls are
insertable at different angles of taper in respect to the casting
direction.
The supply of cooling water to adjustable molds may be further
simplified by conducting it to the transverse wall through a wall
support yoke which rests movably on the supporting frame.
Embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described
with reference to the drawings in which
FIG. 1 is a plan view of part of a built-up mold, shown partly in
section.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line II -- II in FIG.
1.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of part of a modified form of built-up plate
mold, and
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line IV -- IV in FIG.
3.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 a built-up plate mold is generally
indicated by reference number 1. The cavity 4 of the mold is
enclosed by one fixed longitudinal wall 2, one movable longitudinal
wall 2' and by transverse walls 3, only one of which is shown. Each
of the transverse walls 3 consists of a copper plate 7 facing the
cavity 4 of the mold and a backing plate 8 secured thereto. The
walls 2, 2' and 3 are supported in a supporting frame 5 which
surrounds the mold on all sides. The thrust of power cylinder units
6 is used to clamp the transverse walls 3 tightly between the
longitudinal walls 2 and 2'. The power cylinder units 6 also
withdraw the longitudinal wall 2' in the arrowed direction 10 when
the transverse walls 3 require replacement because of wear or when
the casting cross-section has to be changed.
When the transverse walls have thus been released by retraction of
the longitudinal wall 2', they are still supported by the frame 5
and are locked into position by supporting and clamping means
operable from the top of the mold. The supporting means for each
transverse wall 3 consists of a T-shaped guideway 12, extending
vertically through the backing plate 8 roughly parallel to the axis
of the casting, a sliding bar 13, and a limit stop 14. For securing
the transverse wall 3 to the supporting frame 5 clamping means are
provided which consist of springs 15 which are held under
compression by studs 11 attached to the sliding bar 13. A screw
spindle 16 with beveled shoulders 17 adapted to engage the studs 11
can be operated from the top of the mold. The springs 15 normally
hold the bar 13 in frictional engagement with the walls of the
guideway 12. However, when it is desired to remove a transverse
wall 3, rotation of the screw spindle 16 moves the spindle
upwardly, causing the beveled shoulders to engage the heads of the
studs 11 so that they are forced inwardly to release the sliding
bar 13 in the T-shaped slot 12. Thereby the transverse wall 3 is
released and can then be easily lifted out of the mold. The
insertion of a fresh transverse wall takes place by performing the
above described operations in reverse order.
The dimensions of the mold cavity 4 can be changed by the insertion
of transverse walls 3 of different widths and/or thicknesses. Dot
and dash lines indicate the reduction in the width of the mold
cavity by insertion of a thickness transverse wall 18 which may, if
desired, be tapered in respect to the casting direction as shown in
FIG. 2. If desired, the said transverse walls may have different
degrees of taper.
The inlet and outlet for cooling water for the wall 3 is shown at
20. The clamping means 15 and 16 couple the pipe connections for
the cooling water automatically to the wall 3 and are sealed by
packing 19 when the transverse wall 3 is locked into position.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show a modified built-up plate mold 30. Plate
shifting gear comprising two screw spindles 34, two worm gears 35
and an articulated shaft 36 connected to both worm gears serve for
adjustably shifting each transverse wall 33. Thereby, it is
possible to change the width of the mold cavity without replacement
of the transverse walls. Flexible water hoses 40 conduct the
cooling water through a support yoke 41 resting on the frame 5 and
a transverse wall support 42 to the transverse wall 33. The support
yoke 41 which is firmly secured to the transverse wall support 42
is movable on faces 43.
In this embodiment, the replacement of the transverse walls, when
necessary, is performed in the same way and with the same means as
has already been described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2.
In such an adjustable mold it is likewise possible to make use of
transverse walls of varying thicknesses in order to extend the
adjustability range of the screw spindles and to obtain a mold with
an increased adjustability range.
Alternatively, other designs and constructions than those which are
shown in the drawings may be used. For instance, the arrangements
for the insertion of the transverse wall may comprise hook-shaped
elements, with keys or magnetic clamps being used to lock the
transverse wall into position.
The yoke may also be attached directly to the transverse wall to
conduct the cooling water directly from the yoke into the wall. In
this arrangement the yoke may be connected to the flexible water
hoses by quick-release connections.
The invention is not limited to the above-described examples. For
instance, both longitudinal walls might be movable. Besides setting
one of the longitudinal walls in a fixed location this can also be
done in the case of one of the transverse walls and the other
transverse wall can be adjustable so that the mold has two fixed
sides, and the other two sides can be adjusted to the
cross-sections which have to be cast.
* * * * *