A soft reduction device (1) of a round-section metal product, having liquid or partially liquid core, for reducing the thickness of said metal product coming from a continuous casting machine, the device comprising at least two soft reduction units (2, 3); in which said at least two soft reduction units (2, 3) are arranged in series; in which each soft reduction unit (2, 3) is provided with a group of only three rolls arranged at 120 from one another; and wherein the group of three rolls (7, 8, 9) of one soft reduction unit is offset by a predetermined angle with respect to the group of three rolls (10, 11, 12) of an adjacent soft reduction unit.

Conditions for soft reduction are determined in a method of continuous casting in accordance with a method utilizing the thickness of a slab strand to prevent center segregation from occurring in the strand due to an insufficient pressing rate or internal cracks from occurring in the strand due to an excessively high pressing rate.

Provided is a continuous casting method of steel that prevents a solidification completion position from being changed even when a drawing speed V of a cast slab is changed. The method includes drawing a cast slab by setting a drawing speed V0 while spraying cooling water to the cast slab at a cooling water spray amount W0 [kg/ton-cast slab]. Then, changing the drawing speed to the speed V1 while spraying cooling water to the cast slab at a cooling water spray amount W1 [kg/ton-cast slab]. The method further includes spraying cooling water to the cast slab at a cooling water spray amount Wt [kg/ton-cast slab] during a period of time t that is obtained by dividing a target length Lt by the drawing speed V0. The water spray amount Wt satisfying either formula (1): Wt<W1 under a condition of V1<V0, or formula (2): Wt>W1 under a condition of V1>V0.

An apparatus (100) and method for the production of elongated metal products such as bars, rods or the like: A rolling mill (10) with at least one rolling stand (5); a casting station (20) with at least a first casting line (2a) and at least a second casting line (2b), each line (2a, 2b) being operable to produce respective elongated intermediate products (b2a, b2b), such as billets; wherein at least the first casting line (2a) is directly aligned with the rolling mill (10), the first casting line (2a) being configured to feed the rolling mill (10) with a fully continuous casting strand or with cast elongated intermediate products; and the second casting line (2b) is not aligned with the rolling mill (10). A bidirectional transfer device (30) for transferring elongated intermediate products (b2b) of the second casting line (2b) alternatively in a first direction from the second casting line (2b) to the first casting line (2a) to align the elongated intermediate product (b2b) with the rolling mill (10) or in a second direction from the at least second casting line (2b) to a cooling bed (40).

A primary object of this invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which a slab of excellent internal quality can be obtained even if the casting speed is changed. In this invention, upon continuous casting with two pairs of the reduction rolls arranged along a casting direction and support rolls arranged between the reduction rolls, when a casting speed is reduced compared to a state where combination of reduction with reduction rolls at a first stage on an unsolidified portion of the slab and reduction with reduction rolls at a second stage on a solidified portion thereof is employed, the combination is switched to combination of reduction with the reduction rolls at the first stage on a portion of the slab at an end of solidification and the reduction with the reduction rolls at the second stage on the solidified portion thereof.

Provided is a slab warpage detection apparatus detecting warpage of a slab drawn from a mold in continuous casting equipment. The slab warpage detection apparatus includes a pair of pressing roils that pinches the slab on a rear side of a roll segment, supporting the slab drawn from the mold, in a slab drawing direction, a movement unit that supports the pair of pressing rolls to be movable in a thickness direction of the slab, and a position detecting unit that detects positions of the pressing rolls in the thickness direction of the slab.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which a slab of excellent internal quality can be obtained even if the casting speed is changed. In this invention, upon continuous casting with two pairs of the reduction rolls arranged along a casting direction and support rolls arranged between the reduction rolls, when a casting speed is reduced compared to a state where combination of reduction with reduction rolls at a first stage on an unsolidified portion of the slab and reduction with reduction rolls at a second stage on a solidified portion thereof is employed, the combination is switched to combination of reduction with the reduction rolls at the first stage on a portion of the slab at an end of solidification and the reduction with the reduction rolls at the second stage on the solidified portion thereof.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which a slab of excellent internal quality can be obtained even if the casting speed is changed. In this invention, upon continuous casting with two pairs of the reduction rolls arranged along a casting direction and support rolls arranged between the reduction rolls, when a casting speed is reduced compared to a state where combination of reduction with reduction rolls at a first stage on an unsolidified portion of the slab and reduction with reduction rolls at a second stage on a solidified portion thereof is employed, the combination is switched to combination of reduction with the reduction rolls at the first stage on a portion of the slab at an end of solidification and the reduction with the reduction rolls at the second stage on the solidified portion thereof.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which a slab of excellent internal quality can be obtained even if the casting speed is changed. In this invention, upon continuous casting with two pairs of the reduction rolls arranged along a casting direction and support rolls arranged between the reduction rolls, when a casting speed is reduced compared to a state where combination of reduction with reduction rolls at a first stage on an unsolidified portion of the slab and reduction with reduction rolls at a second stage on a solidified portion thereof is employed, the combination is switched to combination of reduction with the reduction rolls at the first stage on a portion of the slab at an end of solidification and the reduction with the reduction rolls at the second stage on the solidified portion thereof.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a continuous casting method by which a slab of excellent internal quality can be obtained even if the casting speed is changed. In this invention, upon continuous casting with two pairs of the reduction rolls arranged along a casting direction and support rolls arranged between the reduction rolls, when a casting speed is reduced compared to a state where combination of reduction with reduction rolls at a first stage on an unsolidified portion of the slab and reduction with reduction rolls at a second stage on a solidified portion thereof is employed, the combination is switched to combination of reduction with the reduction rolls at the first stage on a portion of the slab at an end of solidification and the reduction with the reduction rolls at the second stage on the solidified portion thereof.