초록 ▼

In continuous metal-casting machines utilizing one or more thin flexible belts as mold surfaces, a suitably placed thermal sensing probe which contacts the reverse side of a casting belt results in enhanced control of molten-metal pool levels, in contrast to the earlier systems where a series of sep

In continuous metal-casting machines utilizing one or more thin flexible belts as mold surfaces, a suitably placed thermal sensing probe which contacts the reverse side of a casting belt results in enhanced control of molten-metal pool levels, in contrast to the earlier systems where a series of separately monitored probes were disposed serially against the belt from upstream to downstream, each of which registered a separately monitored “yes”or “no”signal. In accordance with the present invention, an intermediate temperature is selected as the control point, at one location in the mold. If the pool of molten metal rises above the optimum level, the sensing probe will register a correspondingly increased temperature. If the pool falls below optimum, the probe will register a cooler temperature. The resulting electrical signals are processed by an electronic circuit. The result may be displayed for manual control of metal feed or machine speed, or a resulting control signal may be employed to control automatically the flow of molten metal into the mold cavity or, alternatively, to control the speed of the casting belts which convey metal through the casting machine. Multiple sensing probes disposed serially along the direction of motion of the moving mold afford a greater physical length of effectiveness of pool-level control when they are wired in series or otherwise related so that their signals are summed up to result in only one combined single-channel signal to be monitored or to be used for automatic control.

대표청구항 ▼

In a continuous metal-casting machine having an input region for introducing molten metal into a pool P of molten metal having an upper surface S and wherein flow-control means control the rate of introducing molten metal into said pool, said casting machine employing at least one moving flexible ca

In a continuous metal-casting machine having an input region for introducing molten metal into a pool P of molten metal having an upper surface S and wherein flow-control means control the rate of introducing molten metal into said pool, said casting machine employing at least one moving flexible casting belt having a front face for contact with the molten metal in said pool and a reverse face which is cooled by aqueous coolant having an incoming temperature and wherein said casting belt travels downstream in the machine at a controllable travel rate for carrying metal downstream from said pool to become solidified and wherein the temperature of each point on the reverse face of the traveling belt rises from an initial temperature prior to contact with the molten metal to a steady state temperature after remaining in contact with the molten metal, said rise in temperature of each such point occurring along a ramp R of ascending temperature as each opposite point on the front face travels downstream from initial contact with the molten pool surface S, and wherein the physical position of said ramp R of ascending temperature moves upstream and downstream as said pool surface moves upstream and downstream, the method for controlling the elevation level of said pool surface S as the casting machine is operating comprising the steps of: selecting a desired elevation-level control-point LP for said molten pool surface S during operation of the casting machine, selecting a sensing point SP for sensing the temperature of the reverse face of the traveling belt to be a small distance DD