초록 ▼

In apparatus for the continuous casting of metal in strip form between moving belts, belt support means comprising a multiplicity of elements that are distributed crosswise and lengthwise of a belt path area beside the mold space and are individually yieldable against a loading force, permit close b

In apparatus for the continuous casting of metal in strip form between moving belts, belt support means comprising a multiplicity of elements that are distributed crosswise and lengthwise of a belt path area beside the mold space and are individually yieldable against a loading force, permit close belt stabilization to a selected path while yielding locally under excess outward force by the belt such as caused by solidified metal. Arrangement of belt support and cooling means along the mold space in successive sections each individually adjusted in respect to one or more of the conditions of belt path taper; degree of compliance, if any, in the retention of the belt against the support; and cooling action; are such that these features, as well as provision, if desired, of local yieldability, permit accommodation of the apparatus to various requirements of casting operation. A specific process for casting, well realized with the foregoing apparatus, includes controlling the stabilization of the belt along its path so that in a first zone where the metal is essentially liquid, the belt is held firmly against the supports, while in a second zone the belt may if necessary have soft support in the sense of locally following the surface shell of metal to avoid local impairment of cooling; this method may include provision of highly localized yieldability as by the above means, especially in later zones of the path where the metal completes solidification. Process improvement is further afforded, with a closed path for liquid coolant, by recirculating the liquid while controlling its temperature to a somewhat elevated level and if desired, adjusting its chemical character. The apparatus also has means for adjusting the contour of the belt support sections transversely of the path, e.g. to afford a profile concave toward the mold space for better assuring a flat product, such means coacting especially with the individually yieldable support elements across and along the path. The belts travel around carriage structures supported in desired relation to each other, with simplified means for separating one carriage from the other, for servicing purposes.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for the continuous casting of metal in strip form comprising a pair of movable heat-conducting belts defining therebetween a mold space extending over a predetermined distance from an extrance end of said mold space where liquid metal enters to an exit end where the metal traveling with

An apparatus for the continuous casting of metal in strip form comprising a pair of movable heat-conducting belts defining therebetween a mold space extending over a predetermined distance from an extrance end of said mold space where liquid metal enters to an exit end where the metal traveling with the belts has become cast strip, means for guiding the belts along predetermined paths through said distance, said guiding means for at least one of the belts comprising at least several sections of guiding structure disposed in succession to each other along said distance and having belt-facing areas thereby collectively covering the reverse surface of said one belt adjacent to the mold space, at least a plurality of said sections having mounting means adjustably settable to locate the section individually over a range of positions toward and away from the guiding means for the other belt, said adjustably settable means comprising means separately settable at least for the two ends of each section in the direction of belt travel, whereby each of said plurality of sections can be set to guide the adjacent belt along a path of selected position, and of selected direction in a range from parallelism through various degrees of taper, relative to the other belt, each of said several sections consisting of belt cooling and supporting means for a predetermined area of said reverse surface of said one belt, including a multiplicity of guiding elements distributed over said area crosswise and lengthwise of the belt path and constituted in a multiplicity of crosswise rows each containing a multiplicity of said elements, said elements of each of said several sections being disposed to lie collectively in a predetermined surface facing said reverse belt surface, and said elements of at least the last one of said sections in the direction of belt travel having mounting means whereby each element is individually displaceable in a direction away from the mold space, said section being constructed and arranged so that each element is releasably held in position in said predetermined surface and said mounting means comprising means yieldable to permit displacement of each element individually away from the mold space in response to force exerted by the belt. A method of continuous casting of metal in strip form between heat-conducting belts defining therebetween a mold space over a predetermined distance while metal is introduced as liquid at an entrance end of said distance and discharged as cast strip at the other, exit end of said distance and while cooling the reverse surfaces of the belts and providing a multiplicity of supports for each belt distributed throughout said distance and arranged to define a path for the belt, the procedure comprising, for at least one of the belts: a. cooling the belt by maintaining a thin layer of rapidly flowing liquid coolant over the reverse surface of the belt as a bearing layer between said reverse surface and said supports; b. exerting force on said one belt independent of metal in the mold space to urge the belt firmly against the bearing layer and through it against the supports, along a first zone extending from the entrance to not further than an intermediate point of said distance, being a zone where the metal is still essentially fluid; c. exerting little or no force independent of metal in the mold space on the belt toward the supports, through a second zone of said distance, where there are coherent shells of solidified metal adjacent to the belts, extending from the first zone toward the exit at least to a point where the metal behaves essentially as a solid, so that the bearing layer of flowing liquid coolant affords soft compliance, by compression of said layer between the belt and the supports; and d. yieldably loading each support individually toward the mold space, while controlling said loading for yield of each support locally upon exertion of outward force by the belt substantially greater than the outward force on the belt at the first zone, through a third zone of said distance, including a terminal zone where the metal behaves essentially as a solid, extending to the exit from said second zone or from an earlier point in said distance.