INSTALLATION FOR MANUFACTURING METAL STRIPS AND METHOD OF OPERATING SAME

Abstract

The invention essentially is characterized in that downstream of the casting machine and upstream of the rolling device, in particular immediately behind shears for cutting the thin slab or the pre-strip, there is provided a scrap removal device, in particular a coiling device that winds the thin slabs or pre-strip into a coil which is removed from the installation as scrap. Therefore, the quality of the coil winding is not important as the wound then slab or pre-strip need not anymore be advanced to the rolling train. The resulting coil can be lifted with a forklift and bind during the emergency maintenance of the rolling train, without use of any personnel. No additional crane is required for scrap removal. In addition, no constructional measures, e.g., construction of a gravel pit for material cut by shears, are necessary.

Claims

1-5. (canceled)

6. A method of operating an installation for manufacturing metal strips, comprising at least one casting machine (1) for casting thin slabs or pre-strip, at least one rolling device located downstream of the at least one casting machine (1) and having a system of rolling stands, for rolling the thin slabs or, the pre-strip in metal strips of a predetermined thickness, and at least one first furnace (5), characterized in that during downtime of the at least one rolling device, the thin slabs or the pre-strip which leaves the at least one casting machine (1) are removed, between the at least one casting machine (1) and the at least one rolling device, from the installation by being wound into a coil by at least one scrap removal device formed as coiling device (9), with the coil to be disposed with as scrap.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that during the downtime of the at least one rolling device, a casting speed of a strand (4) of the at least one casting machine (1) is reduced.

8. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that during the downtime of the at least one rolling device, the thin slab or the pre-strip is removed from the installation until a tunnel furnace that acts as a temporary storage becomes empty.

Description

[0022] The drawings show:

[0023] FIG. 1 a schematic view of a first embodiment of the installation according to the present invention,

[0024] FIG. 2 a schematic view of a second embodiment of the installation according to the present invention, and

[0025] FIG. 3 a schematic view of a third embodiment of the installation according to the present invention.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a casting and rolling installation having a casting machine 1 with a casting machine outlet 2 and a located downstream, rolling installation or rolling train. Downstream of the casting machine outlet 2, first shears 3 are located for cutting a strand 4 that leaves the casting machine outlet 2, into separate thin slabs or pre-strips. Downstream of the shears 3, a first furnace 5 is located that, e.g., can be formed as an induction furnace. The term downstream means, on one hand, in the flow direction of the strand 4 of the cast steel, and on the other hand, in the transportation direction of the thin slab in and/or pre-strip cut by the shears 3, and/or in the transportation direction of a rolled metal strip. Between the first shears 3 and the first furnace 5, according to the invention, there is provided a scrap disposal device in form of a coiling device 9.

[0027] Downstream of the first furnace 5, there are provided two rolling stands 10, and downstream of the two rolling stands 10, there is provided a second furnace 6 formed, e.g., as a tunnel furnace. Thereafter, there are provided the second shears 7 and several finishing stands 8. Other parts of the installation, e.g., a reel for winding the finished rolled strip, are not shown for simplification purposes.

[0028] In the installation shown in FIG. 1, there are provided both the roughing stands 10 and the finishing stands 8. The second furnace 6 is a tunnel furnace serves for an inductive heating and storing of the pre-strip. In case of downtime of the finishing stands 8, the cut-off, by the first shears 3, thin slabs or the pre-strip are coiled by the coiling device 9 and are removed from the process, e.g., by a fork lift, while the second furnace 6 is being emptied. The pre-strip which is stored in the second furnace 6, can be wound on coil storage device or coil box, not shown, and later again be fed into the process.

[0029] In the installation shown in FIG. 2, no roughing stands are contemplated. In FIG. 2, the same components are designated with the same reference numerals. The installation includes a casting machine 1 and an adjoining rolling train with several rolling stands 8. In the flow direction, behind the casting machine outlet 2, there are provided first shears 3 and first furnace 5 which, in the case of the second embodiment, is formed as a tunnel furnace according to FIG. 2. Immediately, behind the first furnace 5, there is provided the coiling device 9 according to the present invention.

[0030] A flame cutter 11 is provided in both the first embodiment and in the second embodiment. In the installation shown in FIG. 1, the flame cutter 11 is arranged behind the roughing stands 10, in the installation shown in FIG. 2, the flame cutter is arranged behind the coiling device 9.

[0031] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 corresponds substantially to the embodiment of FIG. 1. In the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the roughing stands 10 are arranged behind the first furnace 5. Behind the roughing stands 10, there is provided the second furnace 6. The inventive coiling device 9 is located immediately behind the second furnace 6 and in front of second shears 7. In this embodiment, an additional coiler for storing a prestrip is provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0032] 1 Casting machine [0033] 2 Casting machine outlet [0034] 3 First shears [0035] 4 Strand [0036] 5 First furnace [0037] 6 Second furnace [0038] 7 Second shears [0039] 8 Finishing stands [0040] 9 Coiling device [0041] 10 Roughing stands