EP1120180A1 - Procédé et dispositif pour la coulée continue de métaux - Google Patents

Procédé et dispositif pour la coulée continue de métaux Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1120180A1
EP1120180A1 EP01101347A EP01101347A EP1120180A1 EP 1120180 A1 EP1120180 A1 EP 1120180A1 EP 01101347 A EP01101347 A EP 01101347A EP 01101347 A EP01101347 A EP 01101347A EP 1120180 A1 EP1120180 A1 EP 1120180A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
crystallizer
tank
liquid metal
process according
induction coil
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP01101347A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1120180B1 (fr
Inventor
Alfredo Poloni
Milorad Pavlicevic
Anatoly Kolesnichenko
Andrea Codutti
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Danieli and C Officine Meccaniche SpA
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Danieli and C Officine Meccaniche SpA
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/04—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths into open-ended moulds
    • B22D11/0401—Moulds provided with a feed head
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/07—Lubricating the moulds
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
    • B22D—CASTING OF METALS; CASTING OF OTHER SUBSTANCES BY THE SAME PROCESSES OR DEVICES
    • B22D11/00—Continuous casting of metals, i.e. casting in indefinite lengths
    • B22D11/10—Supplying or treating molten metal
    • B22D11/11—Treating the molten metal
    • B22D11/114—Treating the molten metal by using agitating or vibrating means
    • B22D11/115—Treating the molten metal by using agitating or vibrating means by using magnetic fields

Definitions

  • the present invention refers to a process for improving the quality of continuously cast metallic bodies and to the corresponding implementation device. More precisely, it refers to an essentially electromagnetic process and to the corresponding implementation device, which may be used in continuous-casting plants for casting billets, blooms and slabs, for improving the surface and internal quality of the cast product, when a tank made of refractory material is set upstream of the crystallizer.
  • Continuous casting is a technique extensively used in the production of metallic bodies having various shapes and sizes (blooms, slabs, and billets), which has reached a high level of efficiency, both in terms of reliability of the plants and systems and in terms of quality of the products obtained, which is generally satisfactory.
  • the above technique albeit interesting, poses further problems.
  • the area of joining between the refractory material of the walls of the "tank" and the contiguous edge of the cooled metal crystallizer, referred to as "triple point” proves very delicate both on account of the possible desegregation of the refractory material due to the sharp thermal jump between the latter and the cooled crystallizer, and because the molten metal tends to start solidifying precisely at the said joining point, with a high likelihood of adhesion to the refractory material and corresponding problems of formation of surface defects in the bodies produced, or, worse still, of catastrophic tearing of the skin and consequent leakage of the liquid metal, which may cause damage to the casting machine and the stoppage of operations.
  • the US patents Nos. 5 494 095 and 5 379 828 propose to set, between the "tank" made of refractory material and the crystallizer, an insert consisting of a material having a thermal and electrical conductivity lower than that of the material of which the crystallizer is built, so that the molten metal will start to solidify at the insert itself.
  • the joint between this and the refractory material of the tank is heated by means of an alternating electromagnetic field.
  • the aim of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks discussed above, improving the surface quality of the continuously cast product, making possible a quality cast at higher speeds and hence obtaining a bigger output, by rendering the flow and the temperature of the liquid metal in the said tank uniform, preventing adhesion of the solidifying metal at the joint between the tank and the cooled crystallizer, thus reducing the depth of the markings due to oscillation in the longitudinal direction of the crystallizer and possibly getting rid of them altogether.
  • the process according to the present invention uses a tank made of refractory material (set on top of a crystallizer), into which, by means of a special discharging device, liquid metal is poured continuously, the said liquid metal moving with disordered motion towards the crystallizer, and in the latter starting to solidify at a point corresponding to the joining area (i.e., the aforesaid "triple point") between the tank and the crystallizer, forming a so-called "skin" on the cast body, the skin being continuously extracted from the crystallizer, the said tank having the purpose of removing, from the area of start of solidification, the free surface of the metal, the supernatant scale and the area of molten metal having perturbed flow as a result of the continuous addition of metal.
  • the aforesaid process is characterized by the combination, in a relationship of co-operation, of a first action of slowing down and rendering regular the disordered motion of the liquid metal, the said action being implemented in the tank, and of a second action of detachment of the liquid metal at the said triple point, the said detachment of the liquid metal being possibly accompanied also by the detachment of the said skin from the walls of the crystallizer.
  • the said first action of slowing down and of rendering uniform the motion is achieved by electromagnetic fields which are periodically interrupted and modified in direction and intensity, the said electromagnetic fields being generated by an induction system made up of a first continuous core, set around the tank and equipped with at least four poles arranged at regular intervals all around the tank, and of windings arranged around each pole, the said poles being energised in a pre-defined order (for example, simultaneously but with different intensity and sign, as illustrated in Figure 3) for a given period of time ⁇ t, and with a time interval between two consecutive energising corresponding to 0.1-0.2 ⁇ t.
  • the current value used will range, as shall be seen in what follows, from 1 kA to 200 kA. The currents are considered positive when the magnetic field generated is directed towards the liquid metal.
  • the second action of detachment of the liquid metal from the triple point is achieved by means a pulsating magnetic field, which is generated by a second induction coil consisting of a plurality of turns inserted into a second magnetic core which completely surrounds the crystallizer and is generally electrically insulated from the external environment.
  • the second induction coil is activated by means of a pulse current, having an intensity of between 5 kA and 200 kA, preferably between 30 kA and 200 kA, with pulses having a duration of between 50 ⁇ s and 500 ⁇ s, preferably between 100 ⁇ s and 200 ⁇ s, and a frequency of between 2 Hz and 150 Hz.
  • magpetic field thus produced generates electromagnetic forces directed towards the liquid metal, which in turn cause detachment of the latter from the walls of the tank-crystallizer ensemble, thus creating a stable cavity between the surface of the liquid metal and the said walls.
  • the second induction coil can be set between the tank and the crystallizer, and in this way it directly faces onto the area in which the liquid metal is contained. In this case, the second induction coil must be appropriately protected by means of cooling, or else it can be set outside the crystallizer.
  • the process according to the present invention also envisages the possibility of carrying out a distribution of lubricant at the aforesaid triple point, with the purpose of favouring sliding of the skin being formed against the walls of the crystallizer.
  • This distribution of lubricant may be omitted if means for favouring detachment of the solidifying skin from the crystallizer walls are used.
  • Preferred means for this purpose are exciters of an electrodynamic, pneumatic, magnetostrictive, or piezoelectric type, etc., applied outside the crystallizer, with at least one on each wall, to make the crystallizer vibrate both transversally and longitudinally, in order to reduce friction between the solidified skin and the walls of the crystallizer.
  • the process according to the present invention also envisages the possibility of using a lubricant with ferromagnetic properties, preferably consisting of a mixture of ferromagnetic particles, sized smaller than 100 ⁇ m, in quantities of between 5 wt% and 25 wt%, and the usual powdered oxides and/or oils of the type commonly used in continuous casting.
  • a lubricant with ferromagnetic properties preferably consisting of a mixture of ferromagnetic particles, sized smaller than 100 ⁇ m, in quantities of between 5 wt% and 25 wt%, and the usual powdered oxides and/or oils of the type commonly used in continuous casting.
  • the part of lubricant that is in contact with the internal walls of the tank and of the crystallizer, and possibly with the second induction coil assumes a relatively low temperature, maintaining a permeability higher than unity.
  • the magnetic field produced by the second induction coil keeps the lubricant in contact with the induction coil itself, if the latter is facing towards the inside of the tank-crystallizer ensemble, and in contact with the said internal walls.
  • the presence of ferromagnetic particles in the lubricant ensures that on the surface of the liquid metal in contact with the lubricant itself there are electromagnetic forces which are considerably higher, for example 80 to 100 times higher, than those obtainable in the absence of the said ferromagnetic particles.
  • the device according to the present invention comprises a container 1, referred to as "tank”, made of refractory material, possibly tapered towards the bottom, for example as represented in Fig. 1, set on top of a metal crystallizer 9 which is cooled by means of a cooling system 10 of its own with forced water circulation.
  • a metal crystallizer 9 which is cooled by means of a cooling system 10 of its own with forced water circulation.
  • an induction coil 11 (the outer surfaces of which are coated with a deposited oxide layer having an appropriate thickness, to guarantee electrical insulation) comprising a lubricant injection system 24.
  • the tapered part of the container 1 is surrounded by a magnetic core 6 equipped with four poles 4, each of which is provided with a cooled gap 8 and with a winding 5.
  • the induction coil 11 is made up of a plurality of turns, which are made of a material having high electrical and thermal conductivity and are inserted in a magnetic core 16, the said induction coil 11 being equipped with water-cooling means 12 and having inside it a plurality of ducts 14, which are set on one and the same plane and are fed by means of manifolds 13 with a lubricating material which is injected by means of a positive-displacement pump system (not shown) at the joint between the container 1 and the crystallizer 9, the said crystallizer 9 carrying, at its initial part where it is in contact with the tank 1, high-permeability inserts 15 (Figs.
  • the induction coil 11 is not set in contact with the liquid metal, but outside the crystallizer (electrically insulated in an appropriate way from the latter), which is in turn connected to the tank by means of a joint made, in this case, preferably, by providing the outer walls of the part of the tank in contact with the crystallizer with a generically ogival or parabolic profile, the said outer walls being set in a housing having a specular profile, which is made in the top part of the crystallizer, as represented, for instance, in Fig. 6.
  • the crystallizer presents, within its walls, a system of channels 10b, for circulation of the cooling water, which may be connected to channels 10c for enabling cooling also of the induction coil 11.
  • a series of slots 28, as shown in Figure 8 is preferably made in the top part of the crystallizer in order to favour, together with the special shape of the said top part described previously, passage and concentration of the electromagnetic forces 19 at the triple point, thus enabling a cavity 23 to be obtained having satisfactory dimensions and high stability.
  • Lubricant can be supplied, in this case, by way of the bottom part 14b of the said slots 28, which are filled, for the rest of their length, with refractory material, or in any case electrically insulating material.
  • a further embodiment of the present invention which enables elimination of the use of lubricant, involves the use of a plurality of mechanical exciters 30, of a pneumatic, electromechanical, piezoelectric, or magnetostrictive type, etc., which are applied outside the crystallizer, as illustrated in Figure 9, at least one on each wall of the crystallizer, to induce, in the latter, vibrations in the transverse and longitudinal directions with the purpose of promoting and maintaining detachment of the solidified skin from the walls of the crystallizer, thus reducing friction between the skin and the walls.
  • the frequencies of the exciters are preferably the resonance frequencies of the crystallizer-cast product system, in order to limit the power applied.
  • the said frequencies generically depend upon the shape of the cast body, the geometry of the crystallizer, and the temperatures reached on the latter. To provide an indication, such frequencies may range between 100 Hz and 25000 Hz.
  • coils 31 can be used, which are shown in Figure 10, each of which is equipped with a cooling system, for example an internal cooling system 32, and with an insulation system, with respect to the crystallizer 9, around which they are mounted.
  • the said coils are supplied with a pulse current having an intensity of between 5 kA and 200 kA, preferably of between 30 kA and 100 kA, a pulse duration of between 50 ⁇ s and 500 ⁇ s, preferably of between 100 ⁇ s and 200 ⁇ s, and a frequency of between 2 Hz and 150 Hz, preferably of between 10 Hz and 100 Hz.
  • electromagnetic forces 19b are induced on the solidified skin 20, which make it possible to detach the skin that has just formed from the walls of the crystallizer, thus reducing friction and facilitating passage of the lubricant.
  • the tank 1-crystallizer 9 system which is initially closed at the bottom by a dummy bar, is filled with molten metal by means of a discharging device 3.
  • the liquid metal is protected from oxidation by means of a floating layer 7 of powders and scale, or else by the creation of an inert atmosphere of argon.
  • the poles 4 of the core 6 are energised in a particular order, for instance, as in Figure 3, by means of open-closed actuation of the corresponding power supplies, not shown in the Figures, in direct current for the windings 5.
  • the working diagram is given in Fig.
  • I A , I B , I C , I D indicate the currents in the four windings 5, which are considered positive when the magnetic field generated is directed towards the liquid metal, and ⁇ t indicates the duration of the current pulse. Two consecutive pulses are separated by a time interval corresponding to 0.1-0.2 ⁇ t.
  • the molten metal 2 fed into the tank 1 by the discharging device 3 does not have a regular motion, and this causes lack of uniformity of temperature and the possibility of formation of non-metallic inclusions, such as fragments of scale or of refractory material, being drawn inside the molten bath and as far as the start-of-solidification area.
  • Activation of the windings 5 with DC pulses causes the formation of magnetic fields, the flux lines of which are indicated by continuous lines, for example in Fig. 4, in the case of casting of billets/blooms. In this way, electromagnetic forces are generated according to well-known modalities, and a motion, represented by dotted lines, is thus induced in the liquid metal 2.
  • the duration of each phase of activation of the windings is between 1 and 15 seconds, preferably between 4 and 10 seconds, with an interruption between two consecutive phases of a duration of between 10 and 20% of the activation time.
  • the molten metal flows down in the tank, until it reaches the boundary area, or triple point.
  • a further induction coil which is set between the tank 1 and the crystallizer 9, or else is set outside the said crystallizer, and is supplied by a pulse current as specified previously, generates a field of electromagnetic forces that is able to create a cavity 23 which removes the liquid metal away from the triple point, thus preventing its solidification in contact with the tank refractory walls, or in contact with the induction coil.
  • a lubricant may be injected into the said cavity, which will advantageously contain ferromagnetic particles that favour concentration of the said electromagnetic forces, thus enabling the formation of a larger and more stable cavity 23.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Continuous Casting (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Steel In Its Molten State (AREA)
EP01101347A 2000-01-26 2001-01-22 Procédé et dispositif pour la coulée continue de métaux Revoked EP1120180B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITMI200096 2000-01-26
IT2000MI000096A IT1316299B1 (it) 2000-01-26 2000-01-26 Procedimento e dispositivo per migliorare la qualita' di corpimetallici colati in continuo

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1120180A1 true EP1120180A1 (fr) 2001-08-01
EP1120180B1 EP1120180B1 (fr) 2005-04-27

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ID=11443777

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EP01101347A Revoked EP1120180B1 (fr) 2000-01-26 2001-01-22 Procédé et dispositif pour la coulée continue de métaux

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US (1) US20010017198A1 (fr)
EP (1) EP1120180B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE294037T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE60110273D1 (fr)
IT (1) IT1316299B1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103464706A (zh) * 2013-09-26 2013-12-25 上海大学 连续铸造制备高取向均匀细晶组织的方法及制备装置
CN112496281A (zh) * 2020-12-10 2021-03-16 东北大学 一种分体式电磁半连铸结晶器与应用方法

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN101497114B (zh) * 2009-03-26 2011-06-01 田志恒 连铸机结晶器加保护渣装置及方法
CN105772664B (zh) * 2014-12-26 2018-02-23 北京有色金属研究总院 一种用于电磁搅拌的气滑结晶器装置及其应用方法
CN112091188B (zh) * 2020-10-13 2024-07-09 中冶赛迪工程技术股份有限公司 一种多段连铸结晶器
CN112687419B (zh) * 2020-12-18 2022-04-12 岭东核电有限公司 乏燃料除金属井及去除乏燃料上液态金属的方法
CN115971433B (zh) * 2022-12-06 2024-10-22 湖南西鼎新材料有限公司 一种铝锭的液压半连续铸造机台
CN120095112B (zh) * 2025-05-12 2025-08-22 兰州铝业有限公司 一种安全型铝合金管的深井铸造装置
CN121017488B (zh) * 2025-10-29 2025-12-30 东北大学 一种复合电磁立体化分区控流装置及连铸机

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3987840A (en) * 1973-11-28 1976-10-26 Institut De Recherches De La Siderurgie Francaise (Irsid) Method and apparatus for continuously casting of metal in horizontal direction
US4082207A (en) * 1975-07-04 1978-04-04 Agence Nationale De Valorisation De La Recherche (Anvar) Electromagnetic apparatus for construction of liquid metals
JPS57127553A (en) * 1981-01-30 1982-08-07 Sumitomo Light Metal Ind Ltd Hot top continuous casting method for aluminum
FR2501550A1 (fr) * 1981-03-11 1982-09-17 Fives Cail Babcock Procede et installation de coulee continue
US4450892A (en) * 1980-07-11 1984-05-29 Concast, A.G. Method and apparatus for continuous casting of metallic strands in a closed pouring system
US4495982A (en) * 1981-11-18 1985-01-29 Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Horizontal continuous casting method
EP0620062A1 (fr) * 1993-03-30 1994-10-19 Sollac S.A. Procédé de coulée continue en charge des métaux et lingotière pour sa mise en oeuvre

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3987840A (en) * 1973-11-28 1976-10-26 Institut De Recherches De La Siderurgie Francaise (Irsid) Method and apparatus for continuously casting of metal in horizontal direction
US4082207A (en) * 1975-07-04 1978-04-04 Agence Nationale De Valorisation De La Recherche (Anvar) Electromagnetic apparatus for construction of liquid metals
US4450892A (en) * 1980-07-11 1984-05-29 Concast, A.G. Method and apparatus for continuous casting of metallic strands in a closed pouring system
JPS57127553A (en) * 1981-01-30 1982-08-07 Sumitomo Light Metal Ind Ltd Hot top continuous casting method for aluminum
FR2501550A1 (fr) * 1981-03-11 1982-09-17 Fives Cail Babcock Procede et installation de coulee continue
US4495982A (en) * 1981-11-18 1985-01-29 Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Horizontal continuous casting method
EP0620062A1 (fr) * 1993-03-30 1994-10-19 Sollac S.A. Procédé de coulée continue en charge des métaux et lingotière pour sa mise en oeuvre

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 006, no. 224 (M - 170) 9 November 1982 (1982-11-09) *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103464706A (zh) * 2013-09-26 2013-12-25 上海大学 连续铸造制备高取向均匀细晶组织的方法及制备装置
CN112496281A (zh) * 2020-12-10 2021-03-16 东北大学 一种分体式电磁半连铸结晶器与应用方法
CN112496281B (zh) * 2020-12-10 2022-03-25 东北大学 一种分体式电磁半连铸结晶器与应用方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT1316299B1 (it) 2003-04-10
DE60110273D1 (de) 2005-06-02
ATE294037T1 (de) 2005-05-15
EP1120180B1 (fr) 2005-04-27
ITMI20000096A0 (it) 2000-01-26
ITMI20000096A1 (it) 2001-07-26
US20010017198A1 (en) 2001-08-30

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