Claims
- 1. A method of continuously casting steel comprising:
(a) forming a casting pool of molten steel on chilled casting surfaces of at least one casting roll; (b) moving the chilled casting surfaces to produce a cast steel strip moving away from the casting pool; (c) guiding the cast strip through a first enclosure adjacent the casting surfaces, and optionally thereafter through a second enclosure, as the strip moves away from the casting pool; (d) sealing the first enclosure and, if present, the second enclosure against ingress of atmospheric air; and (e) introducing water into at least one of said enclosures in form of fine mist to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the first enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip and the casting surfaces of the casting roll or rolls.
- 2. The method as described in claim 1 where the first and second enclosures are separately sealed and the water is introduced into the first enclosure in form of fine mist to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the first enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip and the casting surfaces of the casting roll or rolls.
- 3. The method as described in claim 1 where water is introduced into the second enclosure in form of fine mist to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the second enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip, and comprising in addition the step of flowing gas with an increased level of hydrogen from the second enclosure to the first enclosure.
- 4. Apparatus for casting steel strip comprising:
(a) a pair of generally horizontal-positioned casting rolls forming a nip therebetween; (b) a metal delivery system to deliver molten steel above the nip between the casting rolls to form a casting pool of molten steel supported on the casting rolls; (c) a cooling system to internally cool the casting rolls; (d) a drive system to counter-rotate the casting rolls in opposite directions; (e) said casting rolls having cooled casting surfaces to produce a cast strip delivered downwardly from the nip; (f) a first enclosure adjacent the casting rolls through which the cast strip passes on a transit path away from the nip; (g) optionally a second enclosure through which the cast strip passes after the cast strip has passed through the first enclosure; (h) enclosure seals sealing the first enclosure and, if present, the second enclosures; and (i) at least one water spray operable to spray water in form of a fine mist into at least one of said enclosures to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the first enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip.
- 5. The apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein the first enclosure and, if present, the second enclosure are separately sealed, and the water spray is capable of spraying water into the first enclosure in form of fine mist to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the first enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip and the casting rolls.
- 6. The apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein the water spray is capable of spraying water into the second enclosure in the form of fine mist to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the second enclosure while tending to avoid liquid water contact with the steel strip, and the first enclosure and the second enclosure are sealed with an interconnecting passageway between the enclosures to allow gas to flow from the second enclosure to the first enclosure to produce an increased level of hydrogen gas within the first enclosure.
- 7. The apparatus as described in claim 4 comprising in addition strip guides to guide the strip delivered downwardly from the nip through a transit path in the first enclosure and through a transit path in the second enclosure, if the second enclosure is present.
- 8. The apparatus as described in claim 6 comprising in addition strip guides to guide the strip delivered downwardly from the nip through a transit path in the first enclosure and through a transit path in the second enclosure, if the second enclosure is present.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
PQ4362 |
Dec 1999 |
AU |
|
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/121,567, filed Apr. 12, 2002, which is a pending continuation-in-part application of International Application PCT/AU00/01478 filed Nov. 30, 2000, which application claims priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application NO. PQ4362, filed Dec. 1, 1999.
Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10121567 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
Child |
10411846 |
Apr 2003 |
US |
Parent |
PCT/AU00/01478 |
Nov 2000 |
US |
Child |
10121567 |
Apr 2002 |
US |