METHOD FOR CUTTING A CAST STRAND OR INTERMEDIATE STRIP USING SHEARS

Abstract

A method for cutting a cast strand or intermediate strip using shears. In order to facilitate improved rolling of the section having significantly reduced thickness, the method according has the following steps: a) bringing part of the completely solidified cast strand or intermediate strip in the conveying direction (F) of the cast strand or intermediate strip in front of the shears; b) placing a first blade of the shears onto the one surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip and placing a second blade of the shears onto the other surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip and performing a cut by carrying out a relative movement of the two blades, wherein at least one of the blades is in a pushed-forward position; c) upset forging or upset forging with stamping a wedge-shaped contour on the end of the cast strand.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A method for cutting a cast strand or intermediate strip using shears, which comprises the following steps: a) bringing part of a completely solidified cast strand or intermediate strip in front of the shears in a conveying direction of the cast strand or intermediate strip; b) placing a first blade of the shears onto a one surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip and placing a second blade of the shears onto an other surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip and performing a cut by carrying out a relative movement of two blades, wherein at least one of the blades is in a pushed-forward position; c) upset forging or upsetting with stamping of a wedge-shaped contour on an end of the cast strand or intermediate strip that is in front of the shears in the conveying direction, by pressing an upsetting tool or an upsetting and stamping tool onto both surfaces of the cast strand or intermediate strip such that a thickness (d) of a start of the cast strand or intermediate strip is reduced as compared with a thickness (D) of the cast strand or intermediate strip, wherein part of the upsetting tool or upsetting and stamping tool is formed by one of the blades, wherein a separate adjustment option is given for the tool and blade, whereby the upset forging function or upsetting and stamping function can be switched on and off such that the shears can also be used only for cutting.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the upset forging or upsetting with stamping of the wedge-shaped contour takes place according to step c) while the at least one blade is still in the pushed-forward position according to step b).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein at least a part of the displaced material of the end of the cast strand or intermediate strip is conveyed into a collection space, which is situated in one of the blades, during upset forging or upsetting with stamping of the wedge-shaped contour according to step c).

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein, after the upset forging or upsetting with stamping of the wedge-shaped contour according to step c), the blade situated in the pushed-forward position according to step b) is pivoted about a horizontal axis (a), which is perpendicular to the conveying direction (F), before the blade is moved back into its starting position.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the pivot angle (a) is between 15 and 15.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein, during the upset forging or upsetting with stamping of the wedge-shaped contour according to step c) a contour with straight edges is created, as viewed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (F).

21. The method according to claim 15, wherein, during the upset forging or upsetting with stamping of the wedge-shaped contour according to step c) a contour with round edges is created, as viewed in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction (F).

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein pendulum shears are used as the shears.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein flying shears or cylindrical shears are used as the shears.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the shears used are those with a mechanical crank drive of the blade or blades.

25. The method according to claim 15, wherein an adjustment option of the upper and/or lower tool is provided for adaptation to the respectively given cast strand thickness or intermediate strip thickness.

26. The method according to claim 15, wherein an adjustment option of the upper and/or lower tool is provided for adjusting the minimum upsetting thickness based on the grasping condition computation.

27. The method according to claim 15, wherein measuring and/or process data and/or variables calculated therefrom are transferred from a rolling mill control system via a computer network of a machine controller, wherein the cutting and/or the upset forging or upsetting and stamping process is controlled by the machine controller as a function of these data.

Description

[0042] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in the figures. The following is shown:

[0043] FIG. 1 schematically shows a production system for producing slabs and/or a cast strand or intermediate strip;

[0044] FIG. 2 schematically shows shears as a component of the system according to FIG. 1, wherein the start of a cutting process is shown;

[0045] FIG. 3 schematically shows the shears, wherein shown is an upset forging and/or combined upsetting and stamping process of the end of the cast strand, of a slab, or of an intermediate strip;

[0046] FIG. 4 schematically shows the shears, wherein a return stroke with lateral relief is shown;

[0047] FIG. 5 schematically shows the shears, wherein the opening phase is shown; and

[0048] FIG. 6 schematically shows the shears, wherein the movement into the starting position is shown.

[0049] FIG. 1 schematically shows the shears 2 of a rolling mill system, with which a section, in the form of a slab or an intermediate strip section, is cut off of a cast strand or intermediate strip 1 in order to subject said section to a rolling process over the further course of the process. The cast strand and/or the intermediate strip 1 in this case is conveyed in a (horizontal) conveying direction F.

[0050] The shears 2 have a first (lower) blade 3 and a second (upper) blade 5, said blades being used to implement the cutting process. The shears 2 in this case are designed as pendulum shears; reference is made to EP 0 940 208 A1 for more details regarding this as it contains further information.

[0051] In order to implement the cutting process, blade 3 is positioned on the lower surface 4 of the cast strand and/or of the intermediate strip 1. Blade 5 is placed on the upper surface 6 of the cast strand or intermediate strip 1. The cutting process is implemented by means of a relative movement between the two blades 3, 5. In this respect, the procedure corresponds to the prior art.

[0052] In the view according to FIG. 1, a machine controller 13 for the shears 2 should be mentioned, which also actuates all adjusting devices 10, 11, and 12. Using adjusting device 10, a pivoting movement of the shearing tools can be created about a pivoting axis a, which is aligned horizontally and is perpendicular to the drawing plane from FIG. 1. The travel path of the blade is adjusted with adjusting device 11, and a part of the upsetting tool is engaged and/or the amount of upsetting is set with adjusting device 12. Preferably, the adjusting devices are designed as a hydraulic cylinder. However, other designs are conceivable, for example, as an electric actuator or linear guide or combination.

[0053] FIG. 1 also schematically shows a computer network 14, a higher-level control system 15, a steelwork control system 16, a cast strand control system 17, and a rolling mill control system 18.

[0054] The arrangement according to FIGS. 2 to 6 represents upsetting shears, with which the start of the cast strand and/or the intermediate strip 1 is provided with a wedge in order to facilitate the subsequent rolling. The individual figures show the sequence of the procedure of the shears 2.

[0055] FIG. 2 shows the start of the cutting process. The upper and the lower blades, 5 and 3 respectively, are placed onto the respective surfaces, 6 and 4 respectively, of the cast strand and/or intermediate strip 1. The cut is implemented in that the upper blade 5 is pressed downward. A crank drive 9 is available for this, which actuates blade 5, wherein adjusting device 11 ensures the suitable positioning of the blade relative to the cast strand or the intermediate strip.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows the essential core of the present invention. According to this, the lower blade 3 functions as a part of an upsetting/stamping tool; another part 7 of an upsetting/stamping tool acts from above in the form of a swage to the extent that a wedge-shaped contour is formed at the start of the cut cast strand or intermediate strip 1, as viewed in the horizontal direction and perpendicular to the conveying direction F, i.e. in the viewing direction of the view according to FIG. 3.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 3, thus the thickness D of the cast strand and/or the intermediate strip 1 is reduced to a lower value, namely to thickness d at the end of the cast strand and/or intermediate strip 1, wherein the extent of the reduction can be adjusted via an adjusting device 12.

[0058] In this case, a collection space 8 (cavity) is formed in blade 5, said cavity being suitable to receive displaced material from the cast strand and/or intermediate strip 1 which has escaped during the upsetting and/or stamping process.

[0059] FIG. 4 shows that a pivoting movement may occur about the pivoting axis a at a pivot angle during the return stroke of blade 5 in order to provide relief to the tool assembly. The pivot angle in this case is just a few degrees, which is sufficient, however, for effectively providing the relief. The adjusting cylinder 10 in this case enables the pivoting of the assembly about the pivot angle .

[0060] The opening phase is shown in FIG. 5. According to FIG. 6, the assembly is guided back into the starting position in order to be ready for the next cut.

[0061] The thusly cut cast strand and/or intermediate strip 1 is subsequently rolled. Once the head end has been provided with the wedge-shaped contour during cutting with shears and thus has a reduced thickness d, there will be improved pull-in conditions for rolling, i.e. the grasping condition will be easier to fulfil.

[0062] The figures show that the end of the cast strand 2 has a wedge-shaped contour, which has straight edges (as seen in the views according to the figures). However, there may also be round or polygonal sections, which thus do not necessarily have to be linear (straight).

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0063] 1 Cast strand/intermediate strip [0064] 2 Shears [0065] 3 First blade/part of the upset forging or upsetting and stamping tool [0066] 4 Surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip [0067] 5 Second blade [0068] 6 Surface of the cast strand or intermediate strip [0069] 7 Part of the stamping or upsetting tool (swage) [0070] 8 Collection space [0071] 9 Crank drive [0072] 10 Adjusting device [0073] 11 Adjusting device [0074] 12 Adjusting device [0075] 13 Machine controller [0076] 14 Computer network [0077] 15 Higher-level control system [0078] 16 Steelwork control system [0079] 17 Strand-casting control system [0080] 18 Rolling mill control system [0081] F Conveying direction [0082] d Thickness of the end of the cast strand or intermediate strip [0083] D Thickness of the cast strand or intermediate strip [0084] a Pivoting axis [0085] Pivot angle