APPARATUS TO REPLACE A GUIDE UNIT IN A CONTINUOUS CASTING MACHINE

Abstract

Apparatus to replace a guide unit in a continuous casting machine. A platform is positioned, during use, at the side of a casting line, and is provided with at least a first positioning zone of at least a first guide unit and at least a second positioning zone of at least a second guide unit. The platform is associated with a rotation device to take, on each occasion, the first positioning zone or the second positioning zone facing the side of the casting line. A movement device moves the second guide unit from a positioning zone outside the platform and, during use, in line with the casting line, to the second positioning zone of the platform and to move the first guide unit from the first positioning zone of the platform to the positioning zone outside the platform and, during use, in line with the casting line.

Claims

1. Apparatus to replace a guide unit in a continuous casting machine (15) provided with at least one casting line (L1-L4), wherein it comprises at least a platform (24) positioned, during use, at the side of said casting line (L1-L4), and provided with at least a first positioning zone (29) of at least a first guide unit (11-14) and at least a second positioning zone (30) of at least a second guide unit (11-14), said platform (24) being associated with rotation means (25, 26) to take, on each occasion, said first positioning zone (29) or said second positioning zone (30) facing the side of said casting line (L1-L4), the apparatus also comprising at least a first linear actuator (33) associated with said first guide unit (11-14) and at least a second linear actuator (32) associated with said second guide unit (11-14), said linear actuators (33, 32) being housed on board and inside the platform (24), and said platform (24) comprising at least a first slit (38) able to at least partly house a mobile shaft (35) of said first linear actuator (33) and at least a second slit (37) able to at least partly house a mobile shaft (34) of said second linear actuator (3), said second linear actuator (32) being configured to move said second guide unit (11-14) from a positioning zone (40) outside said platform (24) and, during use, in line with said casting line (L1-L4), to said second positioning zone (30) of the platform (24), and said first linear actuator (33) being configured to move said first guide unit (11-14) from said first positioning zone (29) of the platform (24) to said positioning zone (40) outside said platform (24) and, during use, in line with said casting line (L1-L4), or vice versa.

2. (canceled)

3. Apparatus as in claim, wherein said first and second slits (38, 37) are directed in a transverse direction with respect to the direction of the casting line (L1-L4).

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first slit (38) is made on said first positioning zone (29) and said second slit (37) is made on said second positioning zone (30).

5. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first and said second slits (38, 37) are disposed at 180 one with respect to the other on said platform (24).

6. Apparatus as in claim, wherein said first and second slits (38, 37) are able to be aligned, during use, with at least one slit (39) made in the casting line (L1-L4).

7. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first and second guide units (11-14, 11-14) are positioned on corresponding support benches (19a, 19b, 19a, 19b) able to selectively occupy said first positioning zone (29) or said second positioning zone (30) of the platform (24) and, during use, said positioning zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4).

8. Apparatus as in claim 7, wherein the shaft (34, 35) of each linear actuator (33, 32) is associated with a corresponding support bench (19a, 19b, 19a, 19b) by means of connection means (36).

9. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said platform (24) comprises sliding guides (31) of said guide units (11-14, 11-14) directed in a direction substantially transverse with respect to the direction of the casting line (L1-L4).

10. Apparatus as in claim 9, wherein said sliding guides (31) are able to align with sliding guides (22) made in the casting line (L1-L4).

11. Method to replace a guide unit in a continuous casting machine (15), provided with at least one casting line (L1-L4) having guide units (11-14) located one after the other, wherein it provides to: position adjacent to the casting line (L1-L4) at least one rotatable platform (24) on which at least a first guide unit (11-14) is housed in a first positioning zone (29), said platform (24) having a second positioning zone (30) free and facing directly onto a zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4) where at least a second guide unit (11-14) is positioned, said first guide unit (11-14) being associated with at least a first linear actuator (33) housed on board and inside the platform (24) and said second guide unit (11-14) being associated with at least a second linear actuator (32) housed on board and inside the platform (24), said platform (24) comprising at least a first slit (38) able to at least partly house a mobile shaft (35) of said first linear actuator (33) and at least a second slit (37) able to at least partly house a mobile shaft (34) of said second linear actuator (32); extract said second guide unit (11-14) from said zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4) by means of said second linear actuator (32) and take it into said second positioning zone (30) provided on said platform (24), thus leaving free said zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4); rotate said rotatable platform (24) so as to take said first guide unit (11-14) in proximity to said zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4); insert said first guide unit (11-14), by means of said first linear actuator (33), on said zone (40) of said casting line (L1-L4).

12. Continuous casting machine, wherein it comprises at least an apparatus (10a,10b) to replace at least a guide unit (11-14) in line with at least a guide unit (11-14) offline as in claim 1.

13. Continuous casting machine as in claim 12, wherein said replacement apparatus (10a, 10b) is positioned in a zone (16) for the straightening and soft reduction of the product being worked in the machine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a schematic three-dimensional view of a pair of replacement apparatuses for guide units according to the invention applied to a continuous casting machine, for example with several casting lines;

[0042] FIG. 2 is a schematic view in lateral elevation of part of a continuous casting machine according to the invention;

[0043] FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the present replacement apparatus located at the side of the continuous casting machine;

[0044] FIGS. 4a-4d are schematic front views that show a substitution sequence of guide units according to the present invention.

[0045] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0046] We shall now refer in detail to the various embodiments of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other embodiments to produce another embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants.

[0047] Before describing these embodiments, we must also clarify that the present description is not limited in its application to details of the construction and disposition of the components as described in the following description using the attached drawings. The present description can provide other embodiments and can be obtained or executed in various other ways. We must also clarify that the phraseology and terminology used here is for the purposes of description, and cannot be considered as limitative.

[0048] With reference to the attached drawings, FIG. 1 shows a pair of apparatuses 10a and 10b for replacing guide units 11, 12 and 13, 14 in a continuous casting machine 15.

[0049] The continuous casting machine 15 comprises, in the example of FIG. 1, four casting lines L1, L2, L3 and L4, schematically identified by lines of dashes, on which the guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 are disposed in sequence. The guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 are therefore online guide units, that is, operational during use.

[0050] Each of the apparatuses 10a and 10b is used, in this example, for replacing guide units in a corresponding pair of casting lines, so the apparatus 10a is used for replacing the guide units 11 and 12 of the casting lines L1 and L2, while the apparatus 10b is used for replacing the guide units 13 and 14 of the casting lines L3 and L4.

[0051] It should be pointed out immediately that the continuous casting machine 15 could comprise a single casting line, for example the casting line L1, thus comprising a single row of guide units 11: in this case, the apparatus 10a will be used for replacing one or more guide units 11 in the casting line L1.

[0052] The guide units 11, 12, 13 and 14 are suitable to guide the bar or product being worked along the continuous casting machine 15, by means of suitable guide holes 41 through which the bar passes.

[0053] In the machine 15 shown in FIG. 1, it has been hypothesized that the guide holes 41 of all the guide units 11, 12, 13 and 14 of the casting lines L1, L2, L3 and L4 are of the same shape and size, for example rectangular.

[0054] The guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 can be guide units positioned in a straightening and soft reduction zone 16 of the bar, which is located downstream of a guide and cooling zone 17 of the bar, see also FIG. 2. In the guide and cooling zone 17, as it is known, a chute 18 is provided suitably inclined, along which the bar descends, cooling down.

[0055] In proximity to the entrance of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16 there is a bench 19a or 19b, which has a suitably inclined supporting surface 20 for the guide units 11, 12 or 13, 14.

[0056] If the bench 19a or 19b was disposed in another part of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16, or in another zone of the machine 15, it could be without inclination, and therefore have a substantially flat supporting surface.

[0057] The bench 19a or 19b is provided with sliding elements 21, for example wheels, pads or suchlike, inserted into suitable guides 22 made in a base 23 of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16.

[0058] The guides 22 are directed substantially in a transverse direction with respect to the direction along which the casting lines L1, L2, L3, and L4 develop, and along which the guide units 11, 12, 13 and 14 are disposed.

[0059] As can be seen, by way of example, the bench 19a or 19b supports a certain number of guide units of one or more casting lines. In this case it is provided that the bench 19a supports the guide units 11 and 12 of the casting lines L1 and L2 and the bench 19b supports the guide units 13 and 14 of the casting lines L3 and L4.

[0060] The apparatus 10a or 10b for replacing guide unit 11, 12, 13 and 14 comprises a platform 24, see also FIG. 3, positioned on a support 25 which allows it to rotate around an axis V.

[0061] The support 25 could be associated with rotation means of the platform 24, or be provided with a rotating shaft connected to the platform 24 and to suitable rotation means.

[0062] Alternatively, it is possible to provide rotation means 26 outside the platform 24 and able to engage with the periphery 27 of the platform 24 so as to rotate it, in one direction or the other. In this case the platform 24 will have a circular shape.

[0063] For example, it can be supposed that the rotation means 26 comprise a pinion 28 able to engage on a corresponding toothing made on the periphery 27 of the platform 24.

[0064] Naturally, it would be possible to provide that the rotation means 26 drive the platform 24 by means of other motion transmission elements or means, such as belts, gears or suchlike.

[0065] On the surface of the platform 24 it is possible to identify a first positioning zone 29 in which a bench 19a or 19b is housed, to support guide units 11, 12, 13, 14, that is, guide units which are located outside the casting machine 15 and therefore, in this case, off line.

[0066] On the platform 24 it is also possible to identify a second positioning zone 30 which is free in FIG. 1 and, as we will see, it will be able to house the bench 19a or 19b of the guide units 11, 12, 13, 14, once extracted from the casting lines L1, L2, L3, L4.

[0067] The guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 can be provided with a guide hole 41 of a different shape from the guide hole 41 of the guide units 11, 12, 13, 14, therefore, for example a guide hole 41 with a circular shape and suitable for a soft reduction treatment of the bar or product being worked which will pass between the guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 once positioned on the casting lines L1, L2, L3 and L4.

[0068] The guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 could also be provided with guide holes of different shape and size, for example to effect a change-in-format of the product being worked, if the guide units 11, 12, 13, 14 were inserted in the casting machine at the bottom of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16, or in another zone of the continuous casting machine 15.

[0069] The zones 29 and 30 of the platform 24 are passed through by guides 31 supporting the benches 19a and 19b, which will be provided with corresponding sliding pads in said guides 31.

[0070] The guides 31 are able to align, in at least two positions of the platform 24, with the guides 22 made in the base 23 of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16.

[0071] The apparatus 10a or 10b comprises at least a first linear actuator 33 associated with at least one guide unit 11, 12, 13, 14 and at least one second linear actuator 32 associated with at least one guide unit 11, 12 , 13, 14.

[0072] The linear actuators 32 and 33 are both housed on board the platform 24.

[0073] The benches 19a, 19b, 19a and 19b can be translated along the guides 22 and 31 by means of the linear actuators 32 and 33, which can be, for example, pneumatic, hydraulic or similar linear actuators, see FIG. 3 for example.

[0074] In particular, the linear actuators 32 and 33 are housed inside the platform 24, in staggered positions, and each of them comprises at least one removable shaft 34 and 35 connected to the bench 19b and 19b.

[0075] The shaft 34 or 35 of the linear actuator 32 or 33 is connected to the corresponding bench 19b or 19b by suitable connection means 36, for example pins or suchlike.

[0076] The shafts 34 and 35 can slide in corresponding slits 37, 38 made in the platform 24 in both positioning zones 29 and 30: a first slit 37 is made in the positioning zone 30 able to accommodate a bench 19b which can be extracted from the casting lines L3 and L4, see FIG. 2 for example, and a slit 38 is made in the positioning zone 29 occupied by the bench 19b, provided with the guide units 13 and 14.

[0077] The slits 37 and 38 are made on the platform so as to selectively align with guide slits 39 made on the base 23.

[0078] The linear actuators 32 and 33 are therefore substantially housed inside the platform 24 in a zone below, respectively, in the slits 37 and 38.

[0079] Substantially therefore, in the embodiment shown, the shafts 34 and 35 of the linear actuators 32 and 33 are connected below to the base of the benches 19b and 19b by means of the connection means 36, so as to allow a two-directional translation of the benches 19b and 19b resting on the base 23 and on the platform 24.

[0080] In the situation of FIG. 3, the shaft 34 of the linear actuator 32 is extracted and is partly housed in the slit 39 of the base 23 and partly in the slit 37 made in the positioning zone 30.

[0081] The shaft 35 of the linear actuator 33 is instead retracted and is housed in the slit 38 of the positioning zone 29, where the bench 19b is housed.

[0082] The linear actuators 32 and 33 therefore, substantially, allow a translation of the benches 19b or 19b inside and outside the platform 24, or vice versa, so that they can be extracted or inserted automatically into the casting lines L3 and L4 of the continuous casting machine 15.

[0083] In exactly the same way, the linear actuators 32 and 33 will be provided for the platform 24 of the apparatus 10a, which operates to replace the guide units 11 and 12 with the guide units 11 and 12, or vice versa, of the casting lines L1 and L2 of the continuous casting machine 15.

[0084] We again reiterate that the apparatus 10b or 10a could allow the replacement of one or more guide units even just for one casting line, for example, see FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, and it is hypothesized to provide only the casting line L4 with guide units 14 and the guide units 14 located on the platform 24, for example by means of the corresponding support benches 19b and 19b.

[0085] By way of example, the sequence of FIGS. 4a-4d show how the guide units 13 and 14 provided in the casting lines L3 and L4 are replaced by the guide units 13 and 14 provided on the platform 24 of the apparatus 10b.

[0086] The linear actuator 32 is driven to extract the bench 19b from the casting lines L3 and L4, which slides by means of the elements 21 along the guides 22 of the base and then along the guides 31 of the platform 24, which are therefore aligned with said guides 22. The slit 39 of the base 23 is also aligned with the slit 37 of the platform 24, see FIG. 1.

[0087] The shaft 34 of the actuator 32 therefore moves in direction E, FIG. 4a, and is therefore returned inside the platform 24 of the apparatus 10b, until the situation shown in FIG. 4b.

[0088] The bench 19b, on which the guide units 13 and 14 to be replaced are disposed, will therefore occupy the positioning zone 30, which is free.

[0089] At this point, by means of the rotation means 26, the platform 24 of the apparatus 10b is rotated by 180, in one direction or the other, see arrows R, so as to bring the slit 38, on which the bench 19b provided with the replacement guide units 13 and 14 is housed, into alignment with the slit 39 of the base 23, see FIG. 4c. The guides 31 of the platform 24 and the guides 22 of the base 23 will also be aligned again.

[0090] At this point, the linear actuator 33 with which the bench 19b is associated, translates the bench 19b in direction I into a positioning zone 40 for the base 23. To accomplish this operation, the shaft 35 of the linear actuator 33 is extracted so as to partly occupy both the slit 38 of the platform 24 and the slit 39 of the base 23, until it reaches the situation shown in FIG. 4d.

[0091] The positioning zone 40 is the zone of the base 23 where the bench 19b was housed and which is now left free thereof, for the insertion of the bench 19b.

[0092] In the situation of FIG. 4d, the guide units 13 and 14 are located correctly aligned with the casting lines L3 and L4, in replacement of the guide units 13 and 14.

[0093] The guide units 13 and 14, as can be seen, are provided with guide holes 41 with a different shape from the guide holes 41 of the guide units 13 and 14: if the guide holes 41 are circular, then the guide units 13 and 14 can be used to carry out the soft reduction treatment of the bar or product being worked, as in the example shown; downstream of the guide units 13 and 14, guide units 13 and 14 with guide holes 41 will be provided again.

[0094] Naturally, what is described above with respect to the replacement of the guide units 13 and 14 by the replacement apparatus 10b, is similarly applicable in all respects for the replacement of the guide units 11 and 12 by means of the apparatus 10a.

[0095] The apparatus 10a and/or 10b could also be used to perform a change-in-format of the bar or product being worked, so it could also be positioned at the bottom of the straightening and soft reduction zone 16, or in any other zone whatsoever of the casting line, or lines.

[0096] It would also be possible to provide that the platform 24 of the apparatus 10a and/or 10b can be translated in a direction substantially parallel to the casting lines so as to be able to be positioned on different points of the casting machine.

[0097] As can be understood from the operating sequence shown above, the linear actuators 32 and 33 can be left constantly connected to the benches 19a, 19a, 19b, 19b, therefore, it is possible to replace the guide units 11-14 continuously and without intervention from the operators by the guide units 11-14, or vice versa, effectively and rapidly and, as we said, also for a single casting line.

[0098] Naturally, it is possible to provide that the guide units 11-14 and 11-14 are connected directly to the respective movement means, that is, the linear actuators 32 and 33, and therefore without using the benches 19a, 19a, 19b, 19b shown, or providing different support means.

[0099] The linear actuators 32 and 33 could, in turn, be replaced by other movement means configured to insert and extract the guide units 11-14 and 11-14 into and out of the casting lines, or the casting line.

[0100] It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the apparatus to replace guide units in a continuous casting machine as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

[0101] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of apparatus to replace guide units in a continuous casting machine, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

[0102] In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate reading: they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection claimed in the specific claims.