Continuous annealing furnace for annealing steel strip, method for continuously annealing steel strip, continuous hot-dip galvanizing facility, and method for manufacturing hot-dip galvanized steel strip

Abstract

A continuous annealing furnace for annealing steel strips that is a vertical-type annealing furnace is configured so that part of gas inside the furnace is drawn and introduced to a refiner disposed outside the furnace including an oxygen removing apparatus and a dehumidifying apparatus, oxygen and moisture contained in the gas are removed to lower the dew point of the gas, and the gas having a lowered dew point is put back into the furnace. At least one gas inlet through which gas is drawn from the furnace into the refiner is disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace at a distance of 6 m or less in the vertical direction and 3 m or less in the furnace-length direction from the steel-strip-introduction section located at the lower part of the heating zone.

Claims

1. A method for continuously annealing a steel strip, the method comprising, when a steel strip is continuously annealed using a continuous annealing furnace having a steel-strip-introduction section located at a lower part of a heating zone of the furnace and a refiner disposed outside the furnace, the refiner including an oxygen removing apparatus and a dehumidifying apparatus, oxygen and moisture contained in gas from the furnace are removed to lower the dew point of the gas, and gas having a lowered dew point is put back into the furnace, wherein at least one gas inlet through which gas is drawn from the furnace into the refiner is disposed in the vicinity of an entry side of the furnace at a distance of 6 m or less in a vertical direction and 3 m or less in a furnace-length direction from the steel-strip-introduction section located at the lower part of the heating zone, the method comprising controlling an upper limit of an amount of gas drawn through the at least one gas inlet disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace so that an increase in the dew point of the gas inside the furnace in the vicinity of the at least one gas inlet compared with a condition where gas is not drawn through the inlet is less than 3° C., wherein the condition where gas is not drawn through the inlet is maintained while the refiner is operated at the same flow rate.

2. A method for manufacturing a hot-dip galvanizing steel strip, the method comprising continuously annealing a steel strip by the method according to claim 1 and subsequently performing hot-dip galvanizing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a continuous hot-dip galvanizing line including a continuous annealing furnace for annealing steel strips according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an arrangement of gas inlets through which gas is drawn into the refiner, gas outlets through which gas is ejected from the refiner, and dew-point-sensing points.

(3) FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of a refiner.

(4) FIG. 4 is a graph showing a tendency in which the dew point in an annealing furnace is lowered.

(5) FIG. 5 includes diagrams for explaining a method for sealing the entry side of the furnace.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

(6) A continuous hot-dip galvanizing line for galvanizing steel strips includes an annealing furnace located upstream of a plating bath. Commonly, in an annealing furnace, a heating zone, a soaking zone, and a cooling zone are arranged in this order in the direction from the upstream to the downstream of the furnace. A preheating zone may be optionally provided upstream of the heating zone. The annealing furnace and the plating bath are joined to each other through a snout. The inside of the furnace that extends from the heating zone to the snout is maintained in reducing atmosphere gas or in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. In the heating zone and the soaking zone, a radiant tube (RT) is used as heating means, with which steel strips are indirectly heated. Commonly, H.sub.2—N.sub.2 gas is used as reducing atmosphere gas, which is introduced to the inside of the furnace that extends from the heating zone to the snout as needed. In the above-described line, a steel strip is heated and annealed at a predetermined temperature in the heating zone and the soaking zone. The annealed steel strip is cooled in the cooling zone, and then, through the snout, dipped in the plating bath to perform hot-dip galvanizing. Subsequently, an alloying treatment of the galvanizing metal may optionally be performed.

(7) In the continuous hot-dip galvanizing line, the furnace is joined to the plating bath through the snout. Therefore, gas introduced inside the furnace is exhausted through the entry side of the furnace except for inevitable gas such as gas leaking out through the furnace body. Thus, the gas inside the furnace flows in the direction from the downstream to the upstream of the furnace, which is opposite to the direction in which steel strips are transported. Since water vapor (H.sub.2O) has a low specific gravity than N.sub.2 gas, which constitutes a large part of the atmosphere, the dew point in the upper part of the furnace tends to be high in a multipass vertical-type annealing furnace.

(8) In order to efficiently lower the dew point, it is important to suppress an increase in the dew point at the upper part of the furnace without causing retention of the atmosphere gas in the furnace (retention of the atmosphere gas in the upper, middle, and lower parts of the furnace). In order to efficiently lower the dew point, it is also important to detect the origin of water that increases the dew point. Examples of the origin of water include furnace walls, steel strips, the outside air entered through the entrance of the furnace, and inflows from the cooling zone, the snout, and the like. A leakage point formed in the RT or furnace walls may also act as the origin of water.

(9) The higher the temperature of steel strips, the greater the impact of dew point on degradation of ease of plating. The impact particularly becomes great at a steel-strip temperature of 700° C. or more, at which reactivity with oxygen is high. Thus, the dew point in the latter part of the heating zone and the soaking zone, in which the temperature is high, greatly affects ease of plating. It is necessary to efficiently lower the dew point over the entirety of the heating zone and the soaking zone regardless of the presence or absence of a partition or the like that physically separates the heating zone and the soaking zone from each other.

(10) Specifically, it is necessary to be able to shorten the time required for, prior to starting a normal operation in which steel strips are continuously subjected to a heat treatment or when the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere of the furnace is increased during the normal operation, reducing the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere of the furnace and thereby lowering the dew point of the atmosphere in the entire furnace to −30° C. or less, at which a consistent manufacture of steel strips is realized.

(11) In the latter part of the heating zone and in the soaking zone, it is necessary to lower the dew point to −40° C. or less, at which oxidation of Si, Mn, or the like can be suppressed with effect. From the viewpoint of ease of plating, the lower the dew point is, the greater the advantage is. The dew point is preferably lowered to −45° C. or less and more preferably lowered to −50° C. or less.

(12) In embodiments of the present invention, in order to lower the dew point of atmosphere gas, part of the atmosphere gas in the furnace is introduced to a refiner disposed outside the furnace, which includes an oxygen removing apparatus and a dehumidifying apparatus, then oxygen and moisture contained in the gas are removed to lower the dew point of the gas, and the resultant gas having a lowered dew point is put back into the furnace. In the present invention, at this time, in order to effectively use gas inside the furnace which is to be introduced into the refiner, gas inlets through which gas is drawn into the refiner are preferably disposed and managed under the following conditions:

(13) 1) At least one gas inlet through which gas is drawn into the refiner is disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace (a region at a distance of 6 m or less in the vertical direction and 3 m or less in the furnace-length direction from the steel-strip-introduction section located at the lower part of the heating zone). The upper limit of the flow rate at which gas is drawn through the inlet is managed so that the dew point measured at the inlet does not increase by 3° C. or more compared with the case where gas is not drawn through the inlet;

(14) 2) Although the positions of gas outlets through which gas is ejected from the refiner are not particularly limited, in order to efficiently lower the dew point, the gas outlets are desirably disposed at the positions as far from the entry side of the furnace as possible. This is because, in the case where the outlets are disposed at positions close to the entry side of the furnace, gas having a low dew point is disadvantageously exhausted outside in a short time and, as a result, the gas having a low dew point cannot work effectively.

(15) It is considered that the origin of water in the furnace is mainly, as long as any special event such as trouble does not occur, a) inflow from the entry side of the furnace, b) reduction of a naturally-oxidized film, and c) bleeding of water from a furnace wall. Disposing inlets on the furnace-entry side is advantageous in the following points:

(16) (i) Efficient dehumidification is realized because the dew point tends to be the highest on the furnace-entry side;

(17) (ii) Disposing inlets on the furnace-entry side results in formation of a large stream of gas flowing from the soaking zone toward the heating zone, which prevents the atmosphere on the furnace-entry side, which has a high dew point, from entering a region subsequent to the latter part of the heating zone, at which the temperature of the steel strips is high; and

(18) (iii) Since the entrance of the furnace serves also as an exit of gas, the most of the effect of the refiner gas is made inside the furnace.

(19) The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-described viewpoints.

(20) An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

(21) FIG. 1 shows an example of a structure of a continuous hot-dip galvanizing line for galvanizing steel strips including a vertical-type annealing furnace according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a steel strip, and reference numeral 2 denotes an annealing furnace, which includes a heating zone 3, a soaking zone 4, and a cooling zone 5 in this order in the direction in which the steel strip is transported. In the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4, a plurality of upper hearth rolls 11a and a plurality of lower hearth rolls 11b are disposed, which define a plurality of passes over which the steel strip 1 is vertically transported a plurality of times. In the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4, the steel strip 1 is heated indirectly using a RT that serves as heating means. Reference numeral 6 denotes a snout, reference numeral 7 denotes a plating bath, reference numeral 8 denotes a gas-wiping nozzle, reference numeral 9 denotes a heating apparatus used for an alloying treatment of a plated metal, and reference numeral 10 denotes a refiner used for removing oxygen from and performing dehumidification of atmosphere gas drawn from the inside of the furnace.

(22) The heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4 are communicated through the upper part of the furnace. The steel strip is passed through the communicating section and subsequently introduced into the soaking zone. A partition 12 is disposed in the furnace except for the communicating section located at the upper part of the furnace. The partition 12 blocks atmosphere gases in the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4 from each other. The partition 12 is located at a position intermediate between the upper hearth roll disposed at the exit of the heating zone 3 and the upper hearth roll disposed at the entrance of the soaking zone 4 in the furnace-length direction. The partition 12 is arranged vertically so that the upper edge thereof is adjacent to the steel strip 1 and so that the lower edge thereof and other edges thereof in the steel-strip-width direction are brought into contact with the furnace walls.

(23) A joining section 13, through which the soaking zone 4 and the cooling zone 5 are joined, is disposed at the upper part of the furnace above the cooling zone 5. In the joining section 13, a roll 15 is disposed, which is used for changing the direction in which the steel strip 1 drawn from the soaking zone 4 is transported to a downward direction. In order to prevent the atmosphere in the soaking zone 4 from entering the cooling zone 5 and to prevent radiant heat generated from the furnace walls of the joining section from entering the cooling zone 5, the cooling-zone-5-side exit located at the lower part of the joining section is designed in the form of a throat (a structure in which the area of a cross section taken at the steel-strip-passing section is reduced, i.e., a throat section). In the throat section 14, seal rolls 16 are disposed.

(24) The cooling zone 5 is constituted by a first cooling zone 5a and a second cooling zone 5b. In the first cooling zone 5a, the number of steel-strip passes is one.

(25) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 17 denotes atmosphere gas supply lines through which atmosphere gas is supplied from the outside of the furnace into the furnace; reference numeral 18 denotes gas-introduction tubes through which gas is supplied to the refiner 10; and reference numeral 19 denotes gas-delivery tubes through which gas is supplied from the refiner 10.

(26) Using valves (not shown) and flowmeters (not shown) disposed at the midpoint of each of the atmosphere gas supply lines 17 connected to the respective zones, the amount of atmosphere gas supplied to each of the heating zone 3, the soaking zone 4, the cooling zone 5, and the subsequent zones in the furnace can be independently controlled. Supply of the atmosphere gas into these zones can also be independently stopped. Generally, in order to cause an oxide that is present on the surface of the steel strip to be reduced and to prevent the cost of atmosphere gas from being excessively high, gas having a composition including H.sub.2: 1 vol % to 10 vol % and the balance being N.sub.2 and inevitable impurities is used as atmosphere gas supplied into the furnace. The dew point of the atmosphere gas supplied into the furnace is about −60° C.

(27) FIG. 2 shows an example of an arrangement of gas inlets through which gas is drawn into the refiner 10, gas outlets through which gas is ejected from the refiner 10, and dew-point-sensing points. Reference numerals 22a to 22e denote the gas inlets. Reference numerals 23a to 23e denote the gas outlets. Reference numerals 24a to 24h denote the dew-point-sensing points. The furnace width of the heating zone is 12 m. The furnace width of the soaking zone is 4 m. The total furnace width of the heating zone and the soaking zone is 16 m.

(28) The gas inlets through which gas is drawn from the furnace into the refiner are disposed at the following positions: the throat section located at the lower part of the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined (22e); 1 m below the shafts of the upper hearth rolls disposed in the soaking zone (22b); the center of the soaking zone (the center both in the height direction and in the furnace-length direction: 22c); 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls disposed in the soaking zone (22d); and the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace (on both sides of the pass line of the steel-strip-introduction section, at a position 0.5 m from the pass line and 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls: 22a).

(29) Gas is drawn at all times through the inlet disposed at the lower part of the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined and through the inlets disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace.

(30) The gas outlets through which gas is ejected from the refiner into the furnace are disposed at the following positions: a position above the pass line in the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined and 1 m from both the exit-side furnace wall and the ceiling wall (23e); and four positions 1 m below the shafts of the upper hearth rolls disposed in the heating zone, at intervals of 2 m with the starting point located at a position 1 m from the furnace wall on the furnace-entry side (23a to 23d)). The inlets have a diameter of φ200 mm and, except in the joining section, are disposed in pairs at intervals of 1 m; in the joining section, a single inlet is disposed. The outlets have a diameter of φ50 mm, and a single outlet is disposed in the joining section; at the upper part of the heating zone, four outlets are disposed as described above.

(31) The dew-point-sensing points for detecting the dew point of gas inside the furnace are disposed at the following positions: the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace (24a); the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined (24h); points intermediate between two inlets of each pair disposed in the soaking zone (24e to 24g); a point intermediate between the third and fourth outlets from the furnace wall on the heating-zone-entry side (point intermediate between the outlets 23c and 23d: 24b); the center of the heating zone (center both in the height direction and in the furnace-length direction: 24c); and a position 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls disposed in the heating zone and 6 m from the furnace wall on the furnace-entry side (24d). The dew-point-sensing point disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace is disposed at a point intermediate between the two gas outlets disposed on the furnace-entry side.

(32) The dew-point-sensing points 24e to 24g disposed in the soaking zone are arranged at the center of the soaking zone in the furnace-length direction. The dew-point-sensing points 24b to 24d are arranged at the center of the heating zone in the furnace-length direction. The dew-point-sensing points disposed at positions at which a gas inlet or a gas outlet is disposed are arranged at the same heights (positions in the vertical direction) as the gas inlet or the gas outlet.

(33) In embodiments of the present invention, the dew point of gas inside the furnace which is measured at the dew-point-sensing point 24a disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace as described above, is controlled so that an increase in the dew point of gas inside the furnace in the vicinity of the inlet 22a is less than 3° C. compared with a condition where gas is not drawn through the inlet 22a disposed on the vicinity of the furnace-entry side. The expression “condition where gas is not drawn through the inlet 22a” herein refers to a condition where gas is not drawn through the inlet 22a while the refiner is operated at the same flow rate. The reason for managing an increase in the dew point measured on the furnace-entry side by controlling the amount of gas drawn is described below.

(34) Since the region including the entry side of the furnace is the nearest to the outside air, the dew point in this region is quite likely to be high. In this regard, drawing gas to be supplied to the refiner from the region including the entry side of the furnace is efficient. However, if the seal at the furnace-entry side is unsatisfactorily weak or the flow rate of the gas drawn is excessively high, the outside gas having a high dew point may be drawn, which increases the dew point. This may adversely affect the reduction in the dew point in the entire furnace. That is, this may negatively work toward lowering the dew point in the entire furnace. Thus, in embodiments of the present invention, the dew point measured at the above-described position is managed and an increase in the dew point at the position is controlled to less than 3° C. If the increase in dew point is 3° C. or more, the effect of the dew point in the entire furnace being lowered is not produced.

(35) In order to control an increase in dew point to be less than 3° C., the amount of gas drawn through the inlets disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace may be controlled so that the increase in dew point is less than 3° C. Alternatively, the degree to which the furnace-entry side is sealed may be enhanced in order to control the increase in dew point to be less than 3° C. In another case, both of these methods may be employed in a combined manner. In order to control the amount of gas drawn, the amount of gas drawn: Q (Nm.sup.3/hr) and the total furnace volume of the heating zone and the soaking zone: V (m.sup.3) preferably satisfy Q>V/20. The degree to which the furnace-entry side is sealed may be enhanced by, for example, disposing double pairs of seal rolls at the furnace entrance, physically surrounding the seal rolls, or performing an optional atmosphere gas sealing.

(36) The atmosphere gas drawn through the gas inlets can be introduced into the refiner through the gas-introduction tubes 18a to 18e and 18. Using the valves (not shown) and the flowmeters (no shown), which are respectively disposed midway along each of the gas-introduction tubes 18a to 18e, the amount of atmosphere gas in the furnace which is drawn through the respective inlets can be individually controlled. Supply of the atmosphere gas through these inlets can also be independently stopped.

(37) FIG. 3 shows an example of the structure of the refiner 10. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 30 denotes a heat exchanger; reference numeral 31 denotes a cooler; reference numeral 32 denotes a filter; reference numeral 33 denotes a blower; reference numeral 34 denotes an oxygen removing apparatus; reference numerals 35 and 36 denote dehumidifying apparatuses; reference numerals 46 and 51 denote switching valves; and reference numerals 40 to 45, 47 to 50, 52, and 53 denote valves. The oxygen removing apparatus 34 is an oxygen removing apparatus using a palladium catalyst. The dehumidifying apparatuses 35 and 36 are dehumidifying apparatuses using a synthetic zeolite catalyst. Two dehumidifying apparatuses 35 and 36 are arranged in parallel in order to assure continuous operation.

(38) After the dew point of gas is lowered by removing oxygen and moisture using the refiner, the gas can be ejected through the outlets 23a to 23e, via the gas-delivery tubes 19 and 19a to 19e, into the furnace. Using the valves (not shown) and the flowmeters (not shown) which are respectively disposed midway along each of the gas-delivery tubes 19a to 19e, the amounts of gas ejected through the respective outlets into the furnace can be individually controlled. Supply of the atmosphere gas through these outlets can also be independently stopped.

(39) In the case where a steel strip is annealed and subsequently subjected to hot-dip galvanizing using the above-described continuous hot-dip galvanizing line, the steel strip 1 is heated to a predetermined temperature (e.g., about 800° C.) and then annealed while being transported through the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4. The annealed steel strip is cooled to a predetermined temperature in the cooling zone 5. After being cooled, the resulting steel strip is transported through the snout 6 and then dipped in the plating bath 7 to perform hot-dip galvanizing. After the hot-dip galvanized steel strip is taken up from the plating bath, the amount of plated metal deposited is reduced to a desired amount using the gas-wiping nozzle 8 disposed above the plating bath. After reducing the amount of plated metal deposited as needed, an alloying treatment of the galvanized steel strip is performed using the heating apparatus 9 disposed above the gas-wiping nozzle 8.

(40) At this time, atmosphere gas is supplied into the furnace through the atmosphere gas supply lines 17. The type of atmosphere gas, the composition of the atmosphere gas, and the method for supplying the atmosphere gas are as in the common method. Generally, H.sub.2—N.sub.2 gas is employed, which is supplied into each zone of the furnace such as the heating zone 3, the soaking zone 4, the cooling zone 5, and the subsequent zones.

(41) The atmosphere gases in the heating zone 3, the soaking zone 4, and the throat section 14 located at the lower part of the joining section 13, through which the soaking zone 4 and the cooling zone 5 are joined, are drawn through the respective gas inlets 22a to 22e using a blower 33. The drawn atmosphere gas is passed through the heat exchanger 30 and then the cooler 31 and thereby cooled to about 40° C. or less. The cooled atmosphere gas is then cleaned through the filter 32. Subsequently, oxygen contained in the atmosphere gas is removed using the oxygen removing apparatus 34 and dehumidification of the atmosphere gas is performed using the dehumidifying apparatus 35 or 36. Thus, the dew point of the atmosphere gas is lowered to about −60° C. Switching between the dehumidifying apparatuses 35 and 36 is done by operating the switching valves 46 and 51.

(42) The gas having a lowered dew point is passed through the heat exchanger 30 and subsequently returned to the heating zone 3 and the joining section 13, through which the soaking zone 4 and the cooling zone 5 are joined, through the gas outlets 23a to 23e. By passing the gas having a lowered dew point through the heat exchanger 30, the temperature of gas that is to be ejected into the furnace can be increased.

(43) By disposing the gas inlets and the gas outlets in the above-described manner and by controlling the amount of gas drawn through each inlet and the amount of gas ejected through each outlet to be adequate amounts, retention of atmosphere gas which may occur at the upper parts, the middle parts, and the lower parts of the furnace in the soaking zone and the former part of the cooling zone can be suppressed. Thus, the dew point of the atmosphere gas at the upper part of the furnace can be prevented from becoming high. As a result, prior to starting a normal operation in which steel strips are continuously subjected to a heating treatment or when the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere is increased during the normal operation, a time required for reducing the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere and thereby lowering the dew point of the furnace atmosphere to −30° C. or less, at which consistent manufacture of steel strips is realized, can be shortened, which suppresses a reduction in productivity. Furthermore, the dew point of the atmosphere in the soaking zone and the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined can be lowered to −40° C. or less or may be further lowered to −45° C. or less. Moreover, in the latter part of the heating zone, retention of the atmosphere gas at the upper part, the middle part, and the lower part of the furnace can be suppressed. Consequently, the dew point of the atmosphere in the latter part of the heating zone, the soaking zone, and the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined can be lowered to −45° C. or less or may be further lowered to −50° C. or less.

(44) In the above-described continuous annealing furnace, the communicating section, through which the heating zone and the soaking zone are communicated, is located above the partition, and the joining section, through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined, is located at the upper part of the furnace. However, the positions of the communicating section and the joining section are not limited to the above-described positions. In the continuous annealing furnace according to the present invention, the communicating section, through which the heating zone and the soaking zone are communicated, may be located below the partition, and the joining section, through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined, may be located at the lower part of the furnace.

(45) In the above-described continuous annealing furnace, the partition 12 is interposed between the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4. However, in the continuous annealing furnace according to the present invention, a partition between the heating zone 3 and the soaking zone 4 may be omitted.

(46) In the above-described continuous annealing furnace, a preheating furnace is not disposed upstream of the heating zone. However, a preheating furnace may be disposed in the continuous annealing furnace according to the present invention.

(47) Embodiments of the present invention are described above taking a CGL as an example. However, the present invention may also be applied to a continuous annealing line (CAL) in which steel strips are continuously annealed.

(48) Due to the above-described actions, prior to starting a normal operation in which steel strips are continuously subjected to a heating treatment or when the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere is increased during the normal operation, a time required for reducing the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere and thereby lowering the dew point of the furnace atmosphere to −30° C. or less, at which consistent manufacture of steel strips is realized, can be shortened, which suppresses a reduction in productivity. In addition, a furnace atmosphere having a low dew point of −40° C. or less, which is less likely to cause pick-up defects and damages to furnace walls and which suppresses formation of an oxide of an oxidizable element such as Si, Mn, or the like contained in steel which concentrates at the surface of the steel strip during annealing, can be consistently prepared.

Example 1

(49) Dew-point measurement tests were conducted using an ART-type (all-radiant type) CGL (annealing-furnace length (total length of steel-strip passes inside the annealing furnace): 400 m, furnace height in the heating zone and the soaking zone: 20 m) shown in FIG. 1. The furnace width of the heating zone was 12 m. The furnace width of the soaking zone was 4 m. Note that, the term “furnace width” used herein refers to a furnace width measured in the furnace-length direction. The furnace volume of the heating zone was 570 m.sup.3 and the furnace volume of the soaking zone was 300 m.sup.3.

(50) Atmosphere-gas supply points, at which atmosphere gas was supplied from the outside of the furnace, were disposed as follows. In the soaking zone, three atmosphere-gas supply points were arranged in the furnace-length direction at heights of 1 m and 10 m above the furnace floor on the driving side respectively. That is, in total, six atmosphere-gas supply points were disposed in the soaking zone. In the heating zone, eight atmosphere-gas supply points were arranged in the furnace-length direction at heights of 1 m and 10 m above the furnace floor on the driving side respectively. That is, in total, sixteen atmosphere-gas supply points were disposed in the heating zone. The dew point of the atmosphere gas supplied was −60° C.

(51) FIG. 2 shows the positions of the gas inlets through which gas was drawn into the refiner, gas outlets through which gas was ejected from the refiner, and the dew-point-sensing points. In FIG. 2, the chain double-dashed lines show the vertical positions of the shafts of the upper hearth rolls and the lower hearth rolls disposed in the heating zone and the soaking zone.

(52) The gas inlets and the gas outlets, which were associated with the refiner, were disposed as follows. Specifically, the gas inlets were disposed at the following positions: at the throat section located at the lower part of the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone were joined (22e: “lower part of communicating section”); at a position 1 m below the shafts of the upper hearth rolls disposed in the soaking zone (22b: “upper part of soaking zone”); at the center of the soaking zone (center both in the height direction and the furnace-length direction: 22c: “middle part of soaking zone”); at a position 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls disposed in the soaking zone (22d: “lower part of soaking zone”); and in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace, at the lower part of the heating zone (position 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls and 0.5 m forward and rearward of the pass line in the furnace-length direction: 22a: “vicinity of heating-zone-entry side”). The above-described gas inlets were configured so that inlets at which gas was to be drawn can be selected. The gas outlets, through which gas was ejected from the refiner into the furnace, were disposed at the following positions: at a position 1 m from both the exit-side furnace wall and the ceiling of the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone were joined (23e: “upper part of joining section”); and at four positions 1 m below the shafts of the upper hearth rolls disposed in the heating zone, at intervals of 2 m with the starting point located at a position 1 m from the furnace wall on the furnace-entry side (23a to 23d: “upper part of heating zone: first to fourth outlets from entry side”).

(53) The diameter of the inlets was φ200 mm. The inlets were disposed in pairs except in the joining section at intervals of 1 m; in the joining section, a single inlet was disposed. The diameter of the outlets was φ50 mm. In the joining section, a single outlet was disposed; at the upper part of the heating zone, the outlets were disposed in groups of four at intervals of 2 m.

(54) In the refiner, synthetic zeolite was used in the dehumidifying apparatus, and a palladium catalyst was used in the oxygen removing apparatus.

(55) The tests were conducted using a steel strip having a thickness of 0.8 to 1.2 mm and a width of 950 to 1000 mm at an annealing temperature of 800° C. and at a sheet-passing speed of 100 to 120 mpm. The above-described conditions for the tests were unified as far as possible. Table 1 shows the alloy content of the steel strip used.

(56) The atmosphere gas supplied was H.sub.2—N.sub.2 gas (H.sub.2 concentration: 10 vol %, dew point: −60° C.). The dew point of atmosphere gas measured 1 hr after starting operation of the refiner was examined with reference to the dew point (initial dew point, −34° C. to −36° C.) of the atmosphere measured in the case where the refiner was not used. The flow rate of the gas supplied to the refiner was set to 1500 Nm.sup.3/hr.

(57) The dew point of the atmosphere gas was measured at the following points: at the point intermediate between the two gas outlets disposed on the furnace-entry side (24a: “vicinity of furnace-entry side”); at the joining section through which the soaking zone and the cooling zone are joined (24h: “communicating section”); at the points intermediate between two inlets of each pair disposed in the soaking zone (24e to 24g: “upper part of soaking zone”, “center of soaking zone”, and “lower part of soaking zone”, respectively); at the point intermediate between the third and fourth outlets from the furnace-entry-side wall in the heating zone (point intermediate between outlets 23c and 23d: 24b: “upper part of heating zone”); at the center of the heating zone (center both in the height direction and in the furnace-length direction: 24c: “center of heating zone”); and at the position 1 m above the shafts of the lower hearth rolls disposed in the heating zone and 6 m from the furnace-entry-side wall (24d: “lower part of heating zone”).

(58) Table 2 shows the distribution of the initial dew points (dew points measured when the refiner was not used) and the dew-point lowering effect determined at the positions at which gas was drawn into the refiner. Note that, the items in Table 2 (descriptions enclosed in “ ” above) correspond to the above-described positions of the inlets, the outlets, and the dew-point measurement.

(59) In Nos. 1 to 8 shown in Table 2, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the entry side of the furnace was sealed by the common method in which seal rolls 62 are disposed at the entrance of the annealing furnace 61. In No. 9 shown in Table 2, the seal at the entry side of the furnace was tightened. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(b), two pairs of seal rolls 62 were arranged in the direction in which steel strips were transported. A first roll chamber 63 that housed the first pair of the seal rolls 62 and a second roll chamber 64 that housed the second pair of the seal rolls 62 were provided. N.sub.2 gas was supplied from the outside into the second roll chamber 64 at a flow rate of 25 Nm.sup.3/hr. Using a fan 65, atmosphere gas was drawn from the second roll chamber 64 at a flow rate of 25 Nm.sup.3/hr, and the drawn gas was then ejected into the first roll chamber 63. Thereby, the seal at the entry side of the furnace was tightened.

(60) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 (mass %) C Si Mn S Al 0.12 1.3 2.0 0.003 0.03

(61) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Dew point *1) Upper part Center of Lower part Upper part Center of Lower part Vicinity of Communicating of soaking soaking of soaking of heating heating of heating furnace- section zone zone zone zone zone zone entry side No. ° C. ° C. ° C. ° C. ° C. ° C. ° C. ° C. 1 −34.9 −33.7 −33.2 −35.0 −38.7 −38.1 −37.1 −34.5 2 −51.3 −51.4 −52.3 −52.5 −51.6 −51.3 −51.5 −47.9 3 −52.5 −54.5 −53.8 −54.5 −53.9 −53.8 −53.3 −47.2 −1.2 −3.1 −1.5 −2.0 −2.3 −2.5 −1.8 0.7 4 −52.5 −54.6 −55.1 −55.2 −54.4 −54.0 −53.7 −47.6 −1.2 −3.2 −2.8 −2.7 −2.8 −2.7 −2.2 0.3 5 −51.2 −51.8 −52.8 −52.7 −51.7 −51.6 −50.6 −45.1 0.1 −0.4 −0.5 −0.2 −0.1 −0.3 0.9 2.8 6 −51.0 −49.5 −50.2 −50.9 −48.7 −47.7 −46.8 −44.4 0.3 1.9 2.1 1.6 2.9 3.6 4.7 3.5 7 −48.8 −46.4 −47.3 −48.1 −44.8 −44.0 −42.6 −39.5 2.5 5.0 5.0 4.4 6.8 7.3 8.9 8.4 8 −47.8 −43.4 −44.0 −44.9 −41.8 −40.8 −38.9 −35.9 3.5 8.0 8.3 7.6 9.8 10.5 12.6 12.0 9 −52.1 −53.3 −53.4 −53.9 −53.4 −53.6 −53.6 −47.3 −0.8 −1.9 −1.1 −1.4 −1.8 −2.3 −2.1 0.6 Amount of gas drawn through inlets Vicinity of Lower part of Upper part Middle part Lower part heating- communicating of soaking of soaking of soaking zone-entry section zone zone zone side No. Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 300 1200 0 0 0 3 300 800 0 0 400 4 300 1000 0 0 200 5 300 600 0 0 600 6 300 500 0 0 700 7 300 200 0 0 1000 8 300 0 0 0 1200 9 300 500 0 0 700 Amount of gas ejected through outlets Upper part of Upper part of Upper part of Upper part of Upper part of heating zone- heating zone- heating zone- heating zone- communicating first outlet from second outlet third outlet fourth outlet section entry side from entry side from entry side from entry side No. Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Nm.sup.3/hr Remarks 1 0 0 0 0 0 Comparative Example 2 300 300 300 300 300 Comparative Example 3 300 300 300 300 300 Invention Example 4 300 300 300 300 300 Invention Example 5 300 300 300 300 300 Invention Example 6 300 300 300 300 300 Comparative Example 7 300 300 300 300 300 Comparative Example 8 300 300 300 300 300 Comparative Example 9 300 300 300 300 300 Invention Example (seal was tightened) *1) Dew point: The values in the upper rows are dew points and the values in the lower rows are differences in dew point compared with that of No. 2

(62) In Nos. 3 to 5, in which gas was drawn through the inlet disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace and supplied into the refiner while the amount of gas drawn was controlled so that the dew point measured at the inlet was increased by less than 3° C. compared with No. 2 in which gas was not drawn into the refiner through the inlets disposed in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace, a reduction in dew point was achieved except in the vicinity of the entrance of the furnace. Note that, No. 1 is an example where the refiner was not used. On the other hand, in Nos. 6 to 8, where the dew point of gas measured on the furnace-entry side was increased by 3° C. or more, the dew point of gas was higher than in No. 2. In No. 9, where the conditions for drawing gas into the refiner and ejecting gas from the refiner were the same as in No. 6 but the seal at the furnace-entry side was tightened, an increase in dew point measured in the vicinity of the entry side of the furnace was controlled to less than 3° C. and, in addition, the dew point was markedly lowered. This is presumably because, due to the effect of tightening the seal at the entrance of the furnace, the outside air was less likely to be drawn even when a large amount of gas was drawn at the entrance of the furnace, which lowered the dew point.

(63) In the above-described example, a continuous annealing furnace including a partition interposed between the heating zone and the soaking zone was shown as an example. However, the effect of the present invention can be produced even with a continuous annealing furnace without the partition. That is, regardless of the presence or absence of a partition, a reduction in dew point can be achieved by the method according to the present invention.

Example 2

(64) The tendency in which the dew point was lowered was examined using the ART-type (all-radiant-type) CGL shown in FIG. 1, which was used in Example 1.

(65) The conditions of the existing method (a refiner is not used) were as follows. The composition of the atmosphere gas supplied into the furnace included H.sub.2: 8 vol % and the balance being N.sub.2 and inevitable impurities (dew point: −60° C.) The flow rate of the atmosphere gas supplied into the furnace was set as in Example 1. A steel strip (alloy content in steel was as in Table 1) having a thickness of 0.8 to 1.2 mm and a width of 950 to 1000 mm was used. The annealing temperature was set to 800° C. The sheet-passing speed was set to 100 to 120 mpm. The conditions for operating a refiner in the method according to the present invention were the same as in No. 3 of Example 1 shown in Table 2.

(66) FIG. 3 shows the examination results. The term “dew point” used in FIG. 3 refers to a dew point measured at the upper part of the soaking zone.

(67) In the existing method, about 40 hours was required to lower the dew point to −30° C. or less. Even after 70 hours, the dew point could not be lowered to −35° C. In contrast, in the method according to the present invention, the dew point was able to be lowered to −30° C. or less in 4 hours, to −40° C. or less in 7 hours, and to −50° C. or less in 12 hours.

(68) The present invention is applicable to a method for annealing steel strips in which, prior to starting a normal operation in which steel strips are continuously subjected to a heating treatment or when the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere is increased during the normal operation, the moisture concentration and/or the oxygen concentration in the furnace atmosphere is reduced and thereby the dew point of the furnace atmosphere is lowered to −30° C. or less, at which consistent manufacture of steel strips is realized, in a short time.

(69) The present invention is applicable to a method for annealing high-strength steel strips containing oxidizable elements such as Si and Mn. This method may be effectively applied to an annealing furnace including a partition interposed between the soaking zone and the heating zone and which is less likely to cause pick-up defects and damages to furnace walls.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

(70) 1 steel strip 2 annealing furnace 3 heating zone 4 soaking zone 5 cooling zone 5a first cooling zone 5b second cooling zone 6 snout 7 plating bath 8 gas-wiping nozzle 9 heating apparatus 10 refiner 11a upper hearth rolls 11b lower hearth rolls 12 partition 13 joining section 14 throat section 15 roll 16 seal roll 17 atmosphere gas supply lines 18 gas-introduction tubes 19 gas-delivery tubes 22a to 22e gas inlets 23a to 23e gas outlets 24a to 24h dew-point-sensing points 30 heat exchanger 31 cooler 32 filter 33 blower 34 oxygen removing apparatus 35 and 36 dehumidifying apparatus 46 and 51 switching valves 40 to 45, 47 to 50, 52, and 53 valves 61 annealing furnace entrance 62 seal roll 63 first roll chamber 64 second roll chamber 65 fan