Method for altering casting roll profile with the alteration of localized temperature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237147-A1
Application number	US-201917054077-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 9, 2019
Priority date	May 9, 2018
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for continuously casting thin strip comprises a pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls having casting surfaces, the pair of casting rolls laterally positioned to form a gap at a nip between the casting rolls through which a thin metal strip can be cast, where the casting surface of each casting roll has a roll profile extending in an axial direction of the corresponding casting roll; a metal delivery system adapted to deliver molten metal above the nip to form a casting pool; and a temperature altering source external to the casting roll and having one or more zones configured to alter the casting roll profile of at least one of the pair of casting rolls by locally heating or cooling the casting roll.

First claim

1 . A method of continuously casting thin strip comprising:
providing a pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls having casting surfaces laterally positioned to form a gap at a nip between the casting rolls through which a thin metal strip having a thickness of less than 3 mm can be cast, where the casting surface of each casting roll of the pair of internally cooled counter rotatable casting rolls has a roll profile extending in an axial direction of a corresponding casting roll, providing a metal delivery system adapted to deliver molten metal above the nip to form a casting pool, the casting pool being supported on the casting surfaces of the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls and confined at the ends of the casting rolls, delivering a molten steel to the metal delivery system; delivering the molten metal from metal delivery system above the nip to form the casting pool; counter rotating the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls to form metal shells on the casting surfaces of the casting rolls that are brought together at the nip to deliver the thin metal strip downwardly, the thin metal strip having a thickness less than 3 mm and an initial thickness profile; and, altering the roll profile of at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls by altering a temperature of the corresponding casting roll at one or more local locations along a length of the corresponding casting roll.

2 . The method of claim 1 , where altering the temperature of the corresponding casting roll at any one or more locations along the length of the corresponding casting roll is performed using a temperature altering source external to the corresponding casting roll and having one or more zones configured to locally heat and/or cool the corresponding casting roll, where each of the one or more zones of the temperature altering source corresponds with one of the one or more locations of the corresponding casting roll.

3 . The method of claim 2 , where the temperature altering source includes a heat source arranged in each of the one or more zones.

4 . The method of claim 3 , where the heat source is selected from a group consisting of an array of lasers, a focused scanning laser, an electrical radiation source, a gas burning radiation tube, an induction heating source, and a direct flame impingement source.

5 . The method of claim 3 , where the temperature altering source comprises an array of lasers.

6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining a need to alter the roll profile of at least one casting roll of the pair of internally cooled counter-rotating casting rolls;
where the step of altering the roll profile is performed in response to determining the need to alter the roll profile, where in the step of altering the roll profile of at least one of the pair of counter-rotating casting rolls is altered by altering a temperature of the corresponding casting roll at one or more local locations along a length of the corresponding casting roll; and,
counter rotating the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls subsequent to altering the roll profile of at least one of the pair of counter-rotating casting rolls to form metal shells on the casting surfaces of the casting rolls that are brought together at the nip to deliver the thin metal strip downwardly, the thin metal strip having a thickness less than 3 mm and an altered thickness profile, the altered thickness profile being different than the initial thickness profile.

7 . The method of claim 6 , where determining a need to alter the roll profile of at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls is based upon the initial thickness profile of the cast strip.

8 . The method of claim 6 , where determining a need to alter the roll profile of at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls is based upon a cross-width temperature distribution of the cast strip.

9 . The method of claim 2 , where each of the one or more zones has a zone width greater than or equal to 5 millimeters and less than or equal to a length of at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls.

10 . The method of claim 2 , where at least one of the one or more zones provides a heat input to the corresponding location of the at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls, where the heat input is greater than or equal to 0.1 Megawatt per square meter and less than or equal to 10 Megawatts per square meter.

11 . The method of claim 2 , where the temperature altering source is arranged in a location immediately prior to a location in which at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter rotating casting rolls enters the casting pool.

12 . The method of claim 2 , where the temperature altering source includes a cooling source.

13 . The method of claim 12 , where the cooling source utilizes cryogenic gas.

14 . The method of claim 6 , where altering the temperature of the corresponding casting roll at any one or more locations along the length of the corresponding casting roll occurs while the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls are counter rotating as the thin metal strip is being delivered from pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls.

15 . The method of 4 , where the induction heating source forms a plurality of inductors arranged in an array along the length of each corresponding casting roll.

16 . The method of 15 , where in altering the roll profile, power to each of the one or more individual inductors is variably provided to provide a desired amount of heat.

17 . An apparatus for continuously casting thin strip comprising:
a pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls having casting surfaces, the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls laterally positioned to form a gap at a nip between the casting rolls through which a thin metal strip having a thickness of less than 3 mm can be cast, where the casting surface of each casting roll of the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls has a roll profile extending in an axial direction of a corresponding casting roll; a metal delivery system adapted to deliver molten metal above the nip to form a casting pool, the casting pool being supported on the casting surfaces of the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls and confined at the ends with a pair of side dams; and a temperature altering source external to the casting roll and having one or more zones configured to alter the casting roll profile of at least one of the pair of internally cooled counter-rotatable casting rolls, where the temperature altering device source is configured to change the temperature of the corresponding casting roll at one or more locations along a length of the corresponding casting roll, where the one or more zones of the temperature altering source are configured to locally heat and/or cool the corresponding casting roll.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , where the temperature altering source includes a heat source arranged in each of the one or more zones.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , where the heat source is selected from the group consisting of an array of lasers, an electrical radiation source, a gas burning radiation tube, an induction heating source, and a direct flame impingement source.

20 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherei

Assignees

• Nucor Corp

Inventors

• Nooning Jr Robert G
• Schmitz Wilhelm
• Sellger Roland
• Albrecht-Frueh Ulrich

Classifications

• B22D11/0622 Primary

  formed by two casting wheels · CPC title

• B22D11/16

  Controlling or regulating processes or operations · CPC title

• B22D11/0671 Primary

  for heating or drying · CPC title

• B22D11/0665

  for treating the casting surfaces, e.g. calibrating, cleaning, dressing, preheating · CPC title