RU2841098C2 - Segment of soft reduction device for soft reduction of slabs - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: performing operations.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a segment of a soft reduction device for performing soft reduction of slabs, to said soft reduction device and to a corresponding method. Disclosed is segment (1) for soft reduction of a continuous casting machine, wherein said segment is suitable for performing soft reduction of a slab emerging from said continuous casting machine, wherein segment comprises upper support (2) for upper support rollers; lower support (3) for lower support rollers; control units having pairs of drives configured to adjust the relative inclination between upper support (2) and lower support (3), and thus between the upper rollers and the lower rollers; wherein upper support (2) is divided into first part (21), which is located next to slab entry point, and second part (22), which is located next to slab exit point, wherein said first part (21) and said second part (22) are connected to each other by at least one first hinge (4).

EFFECT: creation of segment of device for soft reduction, which allows for more flexible and accurate optimization of soft reduction profile and thus will operate more efficiently, without excessive complication of installation.

9 cl, 8 dwg

Description

Field of technology to which the invention relates

The present invention relates to a soft reduction device segment for performing soft reduction of slabs, to the above-mentioned soft reduction device and to a corresponding method.

State of the art

The market demand for slabs with improved core quality has led to the development and implementation of in-line slab thickness reduction techniques, commonly referred to as soft reduction, the main objectives of which are to reduce segregation and central porosity, which is achieved by crushing the product in the immediate vicinity of the liquid cone closure zone.

Process calculation models have improved significantly in recent years, providing more accurate estimates of the solidification end point and allowing the development of improved control strategies such as dynamic soft reduction. However, the effectiveness of the existing methodology is inherently limited by the design of the continuous slab casting machine due to the discretization caused by the use of soft reduction segments.

A diagram of a first solution known from the prior art relating to a soft reduction segment is shown in Fig. 1. This soft reduction segment is a segment of a continuous injection molding machine, which comprises:

- upper support for the upper support rollers of the protective shell;

- lower support for the lower support rollers of the protective shell;

- two adjustment blocks located at the ends of the upper support, each adjustment block having a pair of adjustment drives located on the upper support for adjusting the relative inclination between the upper support and the lower support and, thus, between the upper rollers and the lower rollers;

- an additional pair of drives located in an intermediate position between the two above-mentioned pairs of drives, for controlling the motorized roller inside the segment.

Since the adjustment units are shown in the side view in Fig. 1, each adjustment unit shown in the Figure corresponds to a pair of actuators.

Both the upper support and the lower support are made as a corresponding one-piece part.

The piston rods of the first pair of adjustment drives, closest to the point of entry of the slab into the segment, are connected by a corresponding first hinge or an internal hinge with a corresponding additional rod attached to the lower support by a corresponding second hinge, while the piston rods of the second pair of adjustment drives, closest to the point of exit of the slab, are attached to the lower support directly by a corresponding third hinge.

The current common practice is to calibrate the casting speed slightly to ensure that the liquid cone or solidification cone closes exactly on the last roller of the segment that closes the soft reduction, limiting the flexibility of the machine. Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a soft reduction device with a number of segments in accordance with the first solution. The arrow indicates the position of the liquid cone closure.

To control the slab thickness profile with extreme precision, the second known solution provides a system that allows each segment roller to be controlled in a specific position using a significant number of hydraulic drives, for example fourteen. This system, on the one hand, can increase the internal quality of the product and the flexibility of the machine, but on the other hand, it involves a significant complication of the plant design.

Thus, there is a need for an innovative soft-reducing device segment for performing soft-reducing of slab, which can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Disclosure of invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a soft crimping device segment that allows for more flexible and precise optimization of the soft crimping profile and thus will operate more efficiently without overly complicating the installation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a corresponding soft crimping method.

The present invention achieves the above-mentioned object and other objects that will become clear in view of the present description, by means of a soft reduction device segment for performing soft reduction of a slab exiting said continuous casting machine, said segment comprising

- upper support for upper support rollers;

- lower support for lower support rollers;

- adjustment blocks consisting of pairs of drives designed with the possibility of adjusting the corresponding inclination between the upper support and the lower support;

wherein the upper support is divided into a first part, which is located near the entry point of the slab, and a second part, which is located near the exit point of the slab, wherein said first part and said second part are connected to each other by at least one first hinge, which allows said first part and said second part to move at an angle around an axis defined by said at least one first hinge;

in which at least one pair of first drives, one pair of second drives and one pair of third drives are configured to adjust the position of said first part and said second part relative to each other and relative to the lower support;

wherein the pair of first actuators, the pair of second actuators and the pair of third actuators are all located on said upper support or said lower support, or some of them are located on said upper support and the others on said lower support;

in which the connecting elements of the pair of first drives which are closest to the said slab entry point are connected by a corresponding second hinge to a corresponding additional connecting element attached to the lower support or to the first part of the upper support by a corresponding third hinge;

in which the connecting elements of the pair of second drives, which are closest to the said at least one first hinge, are attached, preferably directly, to the lower support or to the first part or to the second part of the upper support by a corresponding fourth hinge;

and in which the connecting elements of the pair of third drives, which are closest to the place of exit of the slab, are connected by a corresponding fifth hinge with a corresponding additional connecting element attached to the lower support or to the second part of the upper support by a corresponding sixth hinge.

This soft reduction segment may be a soft reduction segment of a horizontal portion of a continuous injection molding machine or a soft reduction segment of a casting curve of said continuous injection molding machine, located entirely or partially along the casting curve.

The second aspect of the invention relates to a soft reduction device for a continuous injection molding machine comprising at least two soft reduction segments according to the invention.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of soft reduction, in which, before closing the solidification cone of the slab, the soft reduction operation is performed using at least one soft reduction segment, by adjusting the angle of inclination of the first part and/or the second part of the upper support relative to the lower support.

The soft compression segment according to the invention is designed with the possibility of being installed preferably in the horizontal part of the continuous injection molding machine, where the closure of the solidification cone is ensured.

In other embodiments of the invention, the soft reduction segment, in accordance with the present invention, may be located completely or partially along the injection molding curve.

Preferably, the hinge or hinges that hold the first part and the second part of the upper support of the segment together, in interaction with the adjustment blocks, allow the geometry of the segment to be changed, ensuring independence in adjusting the inclination of the two parts of the upper support.

An additional advantage is represented by the fact that the structure of the segment is an isostatic structure. In the preferred embodiment, instead of the six pivot points provided in the first solution known from the prior art (Fig. 1), in addition to the hinges that hold the first part and the second part of the upper support of the segment together, ten pivot points are provided.

It is possible to add a pair of actuators on the first part of the upper support to control at least one motorized roller within the segment. However, it is possible to consider removing some of the motorized rollers when manufacturing a new segment, which will simplify the design of the installation.

The solution, in accordance with the invention, allows to obtain the following advantages:

- a finer soft recovery profile by halving the discretization in relation to the above-mentioned first solution known from the prior art;

- increasing the internal quality of the workpiece in relation to the use of the specified first solution;

- the possibility of using the same number of actuators that are currently used in the first solution;

- simplification of the installation technology in relation to the above-mentioned second solution from the prior art;

- lower investment and operating costs in relation to the said known second solution;

- the ability to design a new segment with minimal changes in the remaining parts of the machine;

- the segment according to the invention is suitable for minor modernization.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in light of the detailed description of exemplary, but non-exclusive, embodiments thereof.

Dependent claims of the invention describe specific embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The description of the invention makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which are presented as a non-limiting example, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a first solution known from the prior art relating to a soft compression segment;

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a soft compression device with a number of segments in accordance with the first solution of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows a diagram of the first embodiment of the soft compression segment in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a soft compression device with at least some segments in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 5 schematically shows a second embodiment of a soft compression segment in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 6 schematically shows a top view of the said second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 shows three possible configurations of a soft compression segment according to the invention;

Fig. 8 schematically shows possible embodiments with different arrangements of pairs of adjustment drives on the upper support and on the lower support of the soft compression segment in accordance with the invention.

The same reference numbers and letters in the figures denote the same elements or components.

Implementation of the invention

With reference to the figures, examples of soft reduction segments according to the invention are illustrated, preferably but not necessarily used in the horizontal section of a continuous slab casting machine.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a soft-reduction device of a continuous injection molding machine, comprising at least two soft-reduction segments 1 according to the invention. In the illustrated non-limiting example, there are three soft-reduction segments 1 according to the invention.

In all embodiments of the invention, the soft-pressing segment, preferably being part of the horizontal section of the continuous injection molding machine, comprises:

- upper support 2 for upper support rollers 2’;

- lower support 3 for lower support rollers 3’;

- adjustment blocks consisting of pairs of drives 5, 6, 7, designed with the possibility of adjusting the relative tilt between the upper support 2 and the lower support 3.

Preferably, the upper support 2 is divided into a first part 21, closest to the place where the slab enters the segment, and a second part 22, closest to the place where the slab exits the segment.

The first part 21 and the second part 22 are connected to each other by at least one first hinge 4, which allows said first part 21 and said second part 22 to move at an angle around an axis defined by said at least one first hinge 4. Preferably, two hinges 4 are provided, located on the same axis.

In the non-limiting examples of Figs. 3 and 5, seven upper rollers 2' and corresponding seven lower rollers 3' are provided in each soft compression segment.

For example, in the first part 21 of the upper support 3, three or four upper rollers 2’ are provided, and in the second part 22, four or three upper rollers 2’ are provided, respectively.

Preferably, at least one pair of first drives 5, one pair of second drives 6 and one pair of third drives 7 are provided, wherein these pairs of drives are designed with the possibility of adjusting the position of the first part 21 and the second part 22 relative to each other and relative to the lower support 3.

A pair of first drives 5, a pair of second drives 6 and a pair of third drives 7 are located on the upper support 2 or the lower support 3, or some of them are located on the said upper support 2 and others on the said lower support 3.

The actuators are preferably, but not necessarily, hydraulic actuators, such as cylinders.

Preferably, the connecting elements 15, for example piston rods, of the pair of first drives 5, which are closest to the said slab entry point, are connected by a corresponding second hinge 8 to a corresponding additional connecting element 13, for example, a corresponding additional rod, attached to the lower support 3 (for example, in Fig. 3) or to the first part 21 of the upper support 2 (for example, in Fig. 5) by a corresponding third hinge 9.

The connecting elements 16, for example piston rods, pairs of second drives 6, which are closest to at least one first hinge 4, are attached, preferably directly, to the lower support 3 (for example, in Fig. 3) or to the first part 21 or to the second part 22 of the upper support 2 (for example, in diagrams a), e-g) in Fig. 8) by a corresponding fourth hinge 10.

Finally, the connecting elements 17, for example, piston rods, pairs of third drives 7, which are closest to the said place of exit of the slab, are connected by a corresponding fifth hinge 11 with a corresponding additional connecting element 14, for example, a corresponding additional rod, attached to the lower support 3 (for example, in Fig. 3) or to the second part 22 of the upper support 2 (for example, in diagram b) in Fig. 8) by a corresponding sixth hinge 12.

Preferably, but not necessarily, if the pair of second drives 6 is located on the lower support 3, the two fourth hinges 10 may coincide with the two first hinges 4, and preferably each second drive 6 has an axis perpendicular to the axis of the corresponding first hinge 4 (see, for example, Fig. 5).

In all variants, the axis defined by at least one first hinge 4 is fixed or movable.

Preferably, the lower support 3 is fixed, preferably made in the form of a single part.

In the first embodiment of the invention, both the pair of first drives 5 and the pair of second drives 6 are located on the first part 21 of the upper support 2 or on the first part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said first part 21; and the connecting elements or piston rods 15, 16 of each first drive 5 and the second drive 6 are connected to the first part of the lower support 3 or to the first part 21 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the first part 21 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In this case, a pair of third drives 7 is located on the second part 22 of the upper support 2 or on the second part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said second part 22; and the connecting elements 17, for example piston rods, of each third drive 7 are connected to the second part of the lower support 3 or to the second part 22 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the second part 22 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In the second embodiment of the invention, both the pair of second drives 6 and the pair of third drives 7 are located on the second part 22 of the upper support 2 or on the second part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said second part 22; and the connecting elements or piston rods 16, 17 of each second drive 6 and third drive 7 are connected to the second part of the lower support 3 or to the second part 22 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the second part 22 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In this case, the pair of first drives 5 is located on the first part 21 of the upper support 2 or on the first part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said first part 21; and the connecting elements or piston rods 15 of each first drive 5 are connected to the first part of the lower support 3 or to the first part 21 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the first part 21 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In the third embodiment of the invention, the pair of first actuators 5 is located on the first part 21 of the upper support 2, while the pair of second actuators 6 is located on the first part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said first part 21, or vice versa; and the connecting elements or piston rods 15 of each first actuator 5 are connected to the first part of the lower support 3, while the connecting elements or piston rods 16 of each second actuator 6 are connected to the first part 21 of the upper support 2, or vice versa, in order to adjust the angle of inclination of the first part 21 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In this case, a pair of third drives 7 is located on the second part 22 of the upper support 2 or on the second part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said second part 22; and the connecting elements or piston rods 17 of each third drive 7 are connected to the second part of the lower support 3 or to the second part 22 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the second part 22 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In the fourth embodiment of the invention, the pair of third actuators 7 is located on the second part 22 of the upper support 2, while the pair of second actuators 6 is located on the second part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said second part 22, or vice versa; and the connecting elements or piston rods 17 of each third actuator 7 are connected to the second part of the lower support 3, while the connecting elements or piston rods 16 of each second actuator 6 are connected to the second part 22 of the upper support 2, or vice versa, in order to adjust the angle of inclination of the second part 22 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

In this case, the pair of first drives 5 is located on the first part 21 of the upper support 2 or on the first part of the lower support 3, corresponding to the said first part 21; and the connecting elements or piston rods 15 of each first drive 5 are connected to the first part of the lower support 3 or to the first part 21 of the upper support 2 in such a way as to adjust the angle of inclination of the first part 21 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3.

All possible combinations of positions of the pair of first actuators 5, the pair of second actuators 6 and the pair of third actuators 7 are illustrated in the diagrams in Fig. 8. With reference to the second actuators 6, in each diagram from a) to h) the two positions indicated by a dotted line represent two alternative positions with respect to the position indicated by a continuous line.

In all variants of the soft compression segment in accordance with the invention, a pair of fourth actuators 18 may be provided between the pair of first actuators 5 and the pair of second actuators 6 for controlling the motorized upper roller inside the segment.

Preferably, in the soft reduction method performed using the soft reduction device according to the invention, before closing the slab solidification cone, the soft reduction operation is performed using at least one soft reduction segment 1 by adjusting the angle of inclination of the first part 21 and/or the second part 22 of the upper support 2 relative to the lower support 3. Preferably, the closing of the slab solidification cone is performed at least on one first hinge 4 of the soft reduction segment 1.

At least a pair of first drives 5, a pair of second drives 6 and a pair of third drives 7 are provided for adjusting the position of the first part 21 and the second part 22 relative to each other and relative to the lower support 3, and these pairs of drives 5, 6, 7 are located on the upper support 2 or on the lower support 3, or some of them are located on the upper support 2 and others on the lower support 3. The soft compression operation is performed by means of the upper rollers 2' of the upper support 2 and the lower rollers 3' of the lower support 3 during the angular movement of the first part 21 and/or the second part 22 of the upper support 2 upward and/or downward around the axis defined by the first hinge or first hinges 4, by means of joint actuation of the pair of first drives 5, the pair of second drives 6 and the pair of third drives 7.

Claims (18)

1. A soft-pressing segment (1) of a continuous casting machine, wherein said segment is designed to perform a soft-pressing of a slab exiting said continuous casting machine, wherein the segment comprises - upper support (2) for upper support rollers (2’); - lower support (3) for lower support rollers (3’); - adjustment blocks consisting of pairs of drives (5, 6, 7) designed with the possibility of adjusting the corresponding tilt between the upper support (2) and the lower support (3); in which the upper support (2) is divided into a first part (21), which is located near the place where the slab enters the segment, and a second part (22), which is located near the place where the slab exits the segment, wherein said first part (21) and said second part (22) are connected to each other by at least one first hinge (4), which allows said first part (21) and said second part (22) to move at an angle around an axis defined by said at least one first hinge (4); in which at least one pair of first drives (5), one pair of second drives (6) and one pair of third drives (7) are designed with the possibility of adjusting the position of said first part (21) and said second part (22) relative to each other and relative to the lower support (3); in which a pair of first drives (5), a pair of second drives (6) and a pair of third drives (7) are located on said upper support (2) or said lower support (3), or some of them are located on said upper support (2) and the others on said lower support (3); in which the connecting elements (15) of the pair of first drives (5), which are closest to the specified place of entry of the slab, are connected by a corresponding second hinge (8) to a corresponding additional connecting element (13), attached to the lower support (3) or to the first part (21) of the upper support (2) by a corresponding third hinge (9); in which the connecting elements (16) of the pair of second drives (6), which are closest to the said at least one first hinge (4), are attached, preferably directly, to the lower support (3) or to the first part (21) or to the second part (22) of the upper support (2) by a corresponding fourth hinge (10); and in which the connecting elements (17) of the pair of third drives (7), which are closest to the place of exit of the slab, are connected by a corresponding fifth hinge (11) with a corresponding additional connecting element (14), attached to the lower support (3) or to the second part (22) of the upper support (2) by a corresponding sixth hinge (12). 2. A soft compression segment according to claim 1, wherein, if a pair of second drives (6) are located on said lower support (3), two fourth hinges (10) may coincide with two first hinges (4), and preferably each second drive (6) has an axis perpendicular to the axis of the corresponding first hinge (4). 3. A soft compression segment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the axis defined by said at least one first hinge (4) is fixed or movable. 4. A soft compression segment according to any of the preceding claims, in which the lower support (3) is fixed, preferably formed as a single piece. 5. A soft compression segment according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the actuators are hydraulic actuators. 6. A soft reduction device for a continuous injection moulding machine comprising at least one soft reduction segment (1) according to any of the preceding claims, adapted to be placed in a horizontal part of the continuous injection moulding machine or adapted to be placed wholly or partially along the injection moulding curve. 7. A method of soft reduction carried out using the device according to claim 6, in which, before closing the slab solidification cone, the soft reduction operation is carried out using at least one soft reduction segment (1) by adjusting the angle of inclination of the first part (21) and/or the second part (22) of the upper support (2) relative to the lower support (3). 8. The method according to claim 7, in which the closing of the slab solidification cone is carried out on the said at least one first hinge (4) of at least one soft compression segment (1). 9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said soft compression operation is performed using the upper rollers (2’) and the lower rollers (3’) during the angular movement upward and/or downward of the first part (21) and/or the second part (22) of the upper support (2) around the axis defined by said at least one first hinge (4), using the joint actuation of a pair of first drives (5), a pair of second drives (6) and a pair of third drives (7).