System and method for producing flat rolled products

Abstract

A system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast metal slabs includes: a continuous casting device, by which a flat continually cast product with a thickness of at least 160 mm can be continually cast; a separating device, arranged so as to adjoin the continuous casting device for separating the flat continually cast product into individual thick slabs; a hot-rolling mill, by which the thick slabs can be rolled to form the flat rolled product; a thick slab supplying device arranged transversely to the transport direction and positioned between the separating device and the rolling train; and an electric heating device arranged in front of the hot-rolling mill, for a direct hot charging process, said electric heating device allowing at least the thick slabs coming from the continuous casting device arranged in the common transport line to be heated to a hot-rolling temperature.

Claims

1.-16. (canceled)

17. A system (1) for producing a flat rolled product from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs, comprising: at least one continuous casting device (3), by which a flat continually cast product with a thickness of at least 160 mm can be continually cast; a separating device (4), by which the flat continually cast product can be separated into thick slabs, arranged so as to adjoin the at least one continuous casting device (3); a hot-rolling mill (5), by which the thick slabs can be rolled to form the flat rolled product, wherein the hot-rolling mill (5) comprises a pre-rolling train (8) and a finishing rolling train (9), each of which comprises at least one roll stand, and wherein the hot-rolling mill (5) and the at least one continuous casting device (3) are arranged in a common transport line (T1); at least one thick slab supplying device (15) arranged transversely to a transport direction (T1) and positioned between the separating device (4) and the hot-rolling mill (5); and at least one electric heating device arranged in front of the hot-rolling mill (5), for a direct hot charging process (7), the electric heating device allowing at least the thick slabs coming from the continuous casting device (3) arranged in the common transport line to be heated over their entire surface to a hot-rolling temperature.

18. The system (1) as in claim 17, wherein the at least one electric heating device is arranged in front of the pre-rolling train (8) in the transport direction.

19. The system (1) according to claim 17, further comprising at least one electric pre-strip heating device (10) arranged in front of the finishing rolling train (9) in the transport direction.

20. The system (1) according to claim 17, wherein the at least one thick slab supplying device (15) is designed as a transport and heating device, by which transported and/or temporarily stored thick slabs can be heated to the hot-rolling temperature.

21. The system (1) according to claim 20, wherein the at least one thick slab supplying device (15) is arranged between the electric heating device for the direct hot charging process (7) and the pre-rolling train (8).

22. The system (1) according to claim 17, wherein at least one electric thick-slab preheating device (16.1, 16.2) is connected on an inlet side upstream of the at least one thick slab supplying device (15), and wherein the at least one thick slab supplying device (15) is designed as a transport and heating device.

23. The system (1) according to claim 22, wherein at least one electric supplementary thick-slab heating device (17) is connected on an outlet side downstream of the at least one thick slab supplying device (15), and wherein the at least one thick slab supplying device (15) is designed as a transport and heating device.

24. The system (1) according to claim 23, wherein the at least one supplementary electric thick-slab heating device (17) is arranged between the at least one thick slab supplying device (15) and the pre-rolling train (8).

25. The system (1) according to claim 23, further comprising at least one further electric supplementary thick-slab heating device (18), which is connected upstream of the electric thick-slab heating device (17).

26. The system (1) according to claim 17, further comprising a control device(S) with an associated calculation unit (B), wherein the control device(S) is designed to control and/or regulate the system (1) based on a minimized energy consumption and/or a maximum throughput, and/or product properties, and/or product dimensions.

27. The system (1) according to claim 17, wherein the pre-rolling train (8) comprises at least one upsetting device (19) in the transport direction and at least one first and at least one second pre-rolling stand (20, 21).

28. The system (1) according to claim 27, wherein the upsetting device (19) comprises at least one slab upsetting press.

29. A method for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs, comprising: continuously casting a flat continually cast product with a thickness of at least 160 mm and separating the flat continually cast product into thick slabs; heating the thick slabs to a temperature of at least 1000 C. by an electric heating device for a direct hot charging process (7), if the thick slab comes from the continuous casting device (3) arranged in a common transport line (T1); and/or heating the thick slabs to a temperature of at least 1000 C. by at least one supplementary heating device (16.1, 16.2) and/or by a thick slab supplying device (15), if the thick slab is transported transversely from a second transport line (T2) into a first transport line (T1); and hot rolling the thick slabs heated to a hot-rolling temperature to form the flat rolled product, by initially pre-rolling them and subsequently finish-rolling them.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the thick slabs are fed at a temperature of at least 500 C. to the electric heating device for the direct hot charging process (7).

31. The method according to claim 29, wherein the pre-rolled flat rolled product is heated to a temperature of at least 950 C. by an electric pre-strip heating device (10) before it is finish-rolled into the flat rolled product.

32. The method according to claim 29, wherein the heating and/or the hot rolling are controlled by a control unit(S) in such a manner that a minimum energy consumption and/or a maximum throughput determined by a calculation unit (B), and/or a product property, and/or a product dimension is achieved.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs,

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs,

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs,

[0049] FIG. 4 shows a fourth embodiment of the system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs,

[0050] FIG. 5 shows a fifth embodiment of the system for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs, and

[0051] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of a pre-rolling train.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a system 1 for producing rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs. The system 1 comprises a continuous casting device 3 arranged in a transport line T, which in the present case is configured to continually cast a continually cast product with a thickness in the range from 200 to 250 mm. The resulting continually cast product (not shown) is then immediately separated into individual thick slabs by means of a separating device 4, for example a pendulum shear or a continually cast product burning device, and fed directly to a hot-rolling mill 5 while using the casting heat, where it is initially pre-rolled and subsequently finish-rolled.

[0053] For this purpose, the system 1 has a roller table 6 in the first transport line T, which extends through the system 1. The roller table 6 can be covered segment-by-segment with a plurality of active or passive thermal insulation hoods 22, two of which are shown purely by way of example in the present embodiment. In this manner, the energy and temperature losses of the thick slabs on the transport route to hot-rolling mill 5 can be kept to a minimum.

[0054] Despite the thermal shielding, the thick slabs usually cool down to an average temperature of 800 to 900 C. on the transport route to hot-rolling mill 5. It is therefore provided that the thick slabs are heated over their entire surface to a hot-rolling temperature of 1100 to 1300 C. in the transport direction in front of the hot-rolling mill 5 by means of an electric heating device for the direct hot charging process 7. The electric heating device 7 is designed as a longitudinal field inductor in the present exemplary embodiment and thus enables the cooled thick slab to be heated to the specific hot-rolling temperature for a short time.

[0055] Furthermore, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises a control device S, which includes a calculation unit B. This can determine those operating settings that minimize energy consumption. Thereby, the control device S is connected to the system 1 by means of signals and undertakes the necessary settings for the system 1 to produce the thick slab. In a similar manner, the operating settings can be optimized additionally and/or alternatively according to maximum throughput and/or product properties and/or product dimensions.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the system 1 for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs. In contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the system 1 additionally comprises an electric pre-strip heating device 10 between a pre-rolling train 8 and a finishing rolling train 9 of the hot-rolling mill 5. The electric pre-strip heating device 10 is also designed as a longitudinal field inductor/inductor combination in such a manner that the pre-rolled flat rolled products can be heated over their entire surface. By means of the electric pre-strip heating device 10, the pre-rolled flat rolled products, which leave the pre-rolling train 8 at a temperature of less than 1100 C., are heated to a temperature of 950 to 1100 C., which is specifically predetermined for the finish rolling process, in a particularly energy-efficient manner.

[0057] FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the system 1 for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs. In addition to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the system 1 comprises a second transport line T2 arranged parallel to the first transport line T1 and comprising a second roller table 6.2, a second continuous casting device 11, which is also configured to continually cast a continually cast product with a thickness in the range from 200 to 250 mm, along with a second separating device 12. The second separating device 12 can also take the form of a pendulum shear or a continually cast product burning device. The second roller table 6.2 can also be covered segment-by-segment with a plurality of active or passive thermal insulation hoods 22.

[0058] The thick slabs produced in this line can be temporarily stored and cooled in a slab store 13 arranged so as to directly adjoin the second separating device 12. Furthermore, the individual thick slabs can be temporarily stored in a soaking pit 14 with lower temperature losses.

[0059] As can also be seen from the representation in FIG. 3, the system 1 in this embodiment also comprises a thick slab supplying device 15, which is designed as a gas-operated transport and heating device. Thereby, the thick slab supplying device 15 is arranged between the electric heating device for the direct hot charging process 7 and the pre-rolling train 8 and transverse to the transport direction.

[0060] In addition to the thick slab supplying device 15, the system 1 comprises two electric thick slab preheating devices 16.1, 16.2, which are connected upstream of the thick slab supplying device 15 on the inlet side. The two preheating devices 16.1, 16.2 are also designed as longitudinal field inductors/inductor combinations in such a manner that the thick slabs can be heated over their entire surface.

[0061] FIGS. 4 and 5 show two alternative embodiments of the system 1 for producing flat rolled products from thick-cast steel and/or non-iron metal slabs. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the system 1 comprises a sequence of two electric heating devices 7, 17, which are arranged in the transport direction between the slab store 13 and the pre-rolling train 8. In contrast to this, a sequence of three electric heating devices 7, 17, 18 is arranged between the slab store 13 and the pre-rolling train 8 in the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 5. Furthermore, the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 comprises the electric heating devices 16.1, 16.2 arranged in the second transport line T2. This large number of heating devices 7, 16.1, 16.2, 17, 18 makes it possible to design and operate them in a particularly individual and performance-related manner without power losses or an oversized design.

[0062] All heating devices 7, 10, 16.1, 16.2, 17, 18 of the exemplary embodiments are only shown schematically and usually comprise a number of individual inductors, which can be passed through sequentially. Individual switch-on and switch-off, along with an individual power setting, enable a very precise setting of the desired/necessary temperature increase. In addition to inductors designed exclusively as longitudinal field inductors, there are also combination sequences of longitudinal field and transverse field inductors that can be passed through sequentially.

[0063] In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, further thick slabs can also be introduced into the first transport line T1 by the thick slab supplying device 15, namely at a position arranged upstream or downstream of the heating device for the direct hot charging process 7. The fully or partially cooled thick slabs can be fed from a slab store 13 into the thick slab supplying device 15 and simultaneously heated to a hot-rolling temperature and transported.

[0064] In the embodiment according to FIG. 2, further thick slabs can also be introduced into the first transport line T1 by the thick slab supplying device 15, namely at a position arranged in front of the heating device for the direct hot charging process 7. The fully or partially cooled thick slabs can be fed from a slab store 13 or alternatively from a soaking pit 14 into the thick slab supplying device 15 and simultaneously heated to a hot-rolling temperature and transported.

[0065] The arrangement and number of thick slab supplying devices 15 can be varied as required. In a known design, the thick slab supplying device 15 can be an electrically and/or gas-powered continuous and/or walking beam furnace. Alternatively, a heating device belonging to the thick slab supplying device 15 can preheat the thick slab to a slightly higher temperature; the transport itself then takes place without active heat input via a preferably insulated transport aisle or walking beam.

[0066] The thick slab supplying device 15 can be used to heat the thick slabs temporarily stored and cooled in the slab store 13 or the thick slabs temporarily stored and slightly cooled to 200 to 800 C. in the soaking pit 14 to a hot-rolling temperature before they are then fed to the rolling process via the first roller table 6.1.

[0067] FIG. 6 further shows an embodiment of a pre-rolling train 8, which comprises an upsetting device 19 in the transport direction, along with at least a first and preferably a second pre-rolling stand 20, 21, each of which has a horizontal stand and preferably a vertical stand. In order to thereby minimize the energy and/or temperature losses of the thick slabs/the pre-rolled flat rolled product in the pre-rolling train 8, a series of thermal insulation hoods 22 is provided.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0068] 1 System [0069] 3 (First) continuous casting device [0070] 4 (First) separating device/continually cast product shear [0071] 5 Hot-rolling mill [0072] 6.1 First roller table [0073] 6.2 Second roller table [0074] 7 Heating device for the direct hot charging process [0075] 8 Pre-rolling train [0076] 9 Finishing rolling train [0077] 10 Pre-strip heating device [0078] 11 (Second) continuous casting device [0079] 12 Second separating device [0080] 13 Slab store [0081] 14 Soaking pit [0082] 15 Thick slab supplying device [0083] 16.1 Preheating device [0084] 16.2 Preheating device [0085] 17 Supplementary (reheating) heating device [0086] 18 Supplementary (reheating) heating device [0087] 19 Upsetting device [0088] 20 First pre-rolling stand [0089] 21 Second pre-rolling stand [0090] 22 Thermal insulation hoods [0091] T(1) (First) transport line [0092] T(2) (Second) transport line [0093] S Control device [0094] B Calculation unit