Continuous Casting Machine With a Continuous Casting Die for Casting Liquid Metals, Particularly Steel Materials

Abstract

A continuous casting machine (1) for steel materials has a continuous casting die (6) with a casting mold (10) formed of broad-side plates (11) and narrow-side plates (13) and at which piston-cylinder units (16) are provided as actuators and support bearings. The position of the piston-cylinder units (16) is measured by field measurement devices (21), the measurement data are stored in a control (23) of the continuous casting machine (1) via fieldbus modules (22) as BUS signals and, after being processed, are fed back to the actuators as control signals. In order to acquire and process the measurement data locally at the continuous casting die (6), it is proposed that a respective hydraulic cylinder (16a) is connected to a valve stand (24) with a stationary terminal box (25) for the measurement signal lines and control signal lines (28) and that the terminal box (25) is connected to an axis regulator (30) from which the fieldbus module (22) supplies the signals to a memory-programmable control (31).

Description

The invention is directed to a continuous casting machine with a continuous casting die for casting liquid metals, particularly steel materials, with broad-side plates which form the casting mold and between which are arranged at both sides narrow-side plates which can be adjusted to form the continuous casting width so that the shrinkage of the cast strand is taken into account and at which two piston-cylinder units, which are spaced apart vertically, are provided as actuators and support bearings whose position is measured by field measurement devices, with the measurement data being conveyed in a BUS line as BUS signals by fieldbus modules and stored in a control of the continuous casting machine and are fed back to the actuators as control signals after processing.

A continuous casting machine of the type mentioned above is known from WO 01/94052 A1, which describes a continuous casting machine for localized casting data processing of the measurement data obtained at a continuous casting die by sensors. The processing of the casting data is carried out in a process computer of the control system of the continuous casting installation. Localized reception of measurement data increases the efficiency of the measuring path and simplifies the measuring devices in that the measurement data and control data are collected directly on the continuous casting die in cooled fieldbus modules, transferred as BUS signals in a BUS line, and stored and/or processed at least in the control system of the continuous casting installation.

In order to adjust a piston rod that is articulated at the narrow-side plate or to adjust a hydraulic cylinder, different signals which occur and must be converted in the vicinity of the hydraulic cylinder must be electrically connected to a regulating circuit. The valve stand which is required for adjusting the hydraulic components is generally arranged at the shop framework in the area of the casting platform or below the latter (on so-called solid ground). The control equipment is usually installed in the area of the casting platform in the control room. It is important that there is a separation for the field devices in the area of the continuous casting die because the continuous casting die must be dismantled and reassembled quickly. Therefore, the measurement data can be supplied to the control circuit in the control cabin by the field measurement devices only from the continuous casting die or from the valve stand. The distance to the control circuit in the control cabin is still very great and data from four position transmitters, four regulating valves in four synchronous serial interfaces and twelve analog signals must be processed for each continuous casting die.

It is the object of the invention to acquire the measurement data in the area of the continuous casting die in cooled field devices and to process this data locally.

According to the invention, the above-stated object is achieved by connecting the respective hydraulic cylinder of the piston-cylinder units to a valve stand which is arranged in the area of the continuous casting die or the continuous casting control and which has a stationary terminal box for the measurement signal lines and control signal lines, and by connecting the terminal box to an axis regulator from which the fieldbus module supplies signals to a memory-programmable control. In this way, cabling is advantageously reduced and the distances between the component assemblies are shorted. But the chief advantage consists in the axis regulators. The axis regulators are circuits which are based on special microprocessors and are used for controlling servo-axes. The standard software in the movement control adds a real-time control for the axis adjustment. For example, the movement control includes interfaces for:

machine transducers or incremental position transducers,

digital or analog inputs or outputs,

a PROFIBUS,

a network.

The movement control used for the application comprises a remote control and a data display device. The application software is standard and is stored in a retrievable memory. The movement control is capable of controlling a plurality of axes (hydraulic piston-cylinder units). On the basis of a graphic menu, the movement control is adapted to the type of axis and to the type of position feedback by parameters. Programming is not necessary. The movement control receives the required reference values and starting movement via the fieldbus line connection and feeds them back to the master system with the position and a status reading. Further advantages consist in that the transmission of data between the memory-programmable control and the axis regulator is non-critical with respect to time and is reliable.

Application software modules can be standardized. The cost of material, installation costs and the time spent on placing cable can be reduced. Susceptibility to electrical interference is reduced. Maintenance costs are likewise reduced. The time required for assembly and operation startup is reduced.

Assembly and maintenance of the electronics are simplified in that the memory-programmable control is connected to the fieldbus module by means of a detachable plug-in connection with a corresponding quantity of contacts.

According to another embodiment, the same advantages are achieved in that position transmitters which are integrated in the hydraulic cylinders are connected to the valve stand at the shop framework by the plug-in connection.

Assemblies located in the vicinity of the heating zone are protected according to further features in that the interior of the terminal boxes in the area of the continuous casting die is cooled.

Generally, for purposes of cooling, either air or cooling water which is tapped off from the continuous casting die is used as coolant.

In a further development, the BUS line, fieldbus module and measurement signal lines and control signal lines are physically formed by light waveguides or wireless transmission or infrared technology.

Embodiment examples of the invention are shown in the drawings and described more fully below.

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a continuous casting machine of any type, including the shop framework;

FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross section through a continuous casting die with narrow-side plate adjusting device; and

FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the continuous casting die with circuits.

The continuous casting machine 1 according to FIG. 1 has a supporting roll stand 2. The casting strand 7 of liquid steel material 3 which flows from a casting ladle 4 through a tundish 5 and a continuous casting die 6 and which is cooled on the outside is supported and further cooled in the supporting roll stand 2. The supporting roll stand 2 comprises a plurality of roll segments 8, often up to fifteen roll segments 8, the first roll segment 8a being enclosed by a steam chamber 9. The continuous casting die 6 is located in front of the steam chamber 9. The casting mold 10 of the continuous casting die 6 according to FIG. 2 comprises two broad-side plates 11 which are located opposite one another at a distance corresponding to the thickness of the strand 7 to be cast. Narrow-side plates 13 which are adjustable for forming the casting strand width 12 while taking into account the shrinkage of the casting strand 7 are arranged on both sides between the broad-side plates 11 and, for example, two parallel fastening blocks 14 which are spaced apart vertically are provided at the narrow-side plates 13. The adjusting devices 15 having hydraulic piston-cylinder units 16 are arranged between the fastening blocks 14 on both sides. The fastening blocks 14 comprise springs 17 within a clamping block 18 and are supported on arms 19 carried by a supporting frame 20. The piston-cylinder unit 16 is an actuator and a support bearing simultaneously. The position of the two piston-cylinder units 16 with their hydraulic cylinders 16a is determined by field measurement devices 21 which comprise, for example, integrated position transmitters 21a, synchronization devices for the left side or right side, for top or bottom, for the status of the sensors, a die code, maintenance cycles, and the like. The measurement data obtained are transferred by the respective fieldbus modules 22 in a BUS line 22a as BUS signals, conducted in a continuous casting control 23 of the continuous casting machine 1 through a valve stand 24 with a stationary terminal box 25, stored and, after being processed, fed back to the actuators, i.e., for example, the hydraulic cylinders 16a, as control signals. The control is located in a control room 26 of a control cabin which is fixedly connected to the shop framework 27.

The hydraulic cylinders 16a are connected to the valve stand 24 in the vicinity of the continuous casting die 6 or the continuous casting control 23. The valve stand 24 can also be located in the vicinity of the control room 26 (FIG. 1). The valve stand 24 contains the terminal box 25 to which the measurement signal lines and control signal lines 28 are fed. The measurement signal lines and control signal lines 28 are provided with plug-in connections 29. The signals arriving from the valve stand 24 are processed in a connected axis regulator 30 and conveyed by the fieldbus module 22 to a memory-programmable control 31 located in the control room 26.

The circuit blocks are shown once again in a simplified manner in FIG. 3 for a modified embodiment form of the actuators and support bearings (hydraulic cylinders 16a). The separating line 32 expresses the proximity of the valve stand 24 and terminal box 25 to the axis regulator 30. The measurement data obtained from the hydraulic cylinders 16a are conducted via the plug-in connections 29 into the axis regulator 30 and via the fieldbus module 22 to the memory-programmable control 31, no longer far away, in the control room 26.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

• 1 continuous casting machine
• 2 supporting roll stand
• 3 steel material
• 4 casting ladle
• 5 tundish
• 6 continuous casting die
• 7 casting strand
• 8 roll segments
• 8 a first roll segment
• 9 steam chamber
• 10 casting mold of the continuous casting die
• 11 broad-side plate
• 12 casting strand width
• 13 narrow-side plate
• 14 fastening block
• 15 adjusting device
• 16 piston-cylinder unit
• 16 a a hydraulic cylinder
• 17 springs
• 18 clamping block
• 19 arm
• 20 supporting frame
• 21 field measurement device
• 21 a integrated position sensor
• 22 fieldbus module
• 22 a BUS line
• 23 continuous casting control
• 24 valve stand
• 25 terminal box
• 26 control room
• 27 shop framework
• 28 measurement signal line and control signal line
• 29 plug-in connection
• 30 axis regulator
• 31 memory-programmable control
• 32 separating line

Claims

1. A continuous casting machine (1), comprising a continuous casting die (6) for casting liquid metals, particularly steel materials, with broad-side plates (11) forming the casting mold (10), narrow-side plates (13) which are adjustable for forming the casting strand width (12) while taking into account the shrinkage of the casting strand (7) and are arranged on both sides between the broad-side plates (11); and two piston-cylinder units (16), which are spaced apart vertically, provided at the narrow-side plates (13) as actuators and support bearings, the position of the piston-cylinder units (16) being measured by field measurement devices (21), the measurement data being transferred via fieldbus modules (22) in a BUS line (22a) as BUS signals and stored in a control (23) of the continuous casting machine (1) and, after being processed, fed back to the actuators as control signals, characterized in that the hydraulic cylinder (16a) of the piston-cylinder units (16) is connected in each instance to a valve stand (24) which is arranged in the area of the continuous casting die (6) or the continuous casting control (23) and which has a stationary terminal box (25) for the measurement signal lines and control signal lines (28), and in that the terminal box (25) is connected to an axis regulator (30) from which the fieldbus module (22) supplies the signals to a memory-programmable control (31).

2. A continuous casting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the memory-programmable control (31) is connected to the fieldbus module (22) by means of a detachable plug-in connection (29) with a corresponding quantity of contacts.

3. A continuous casting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that position transmitters (21a) which are integrated in the hydraulic cylinders (16a), are connected to the valve stand (24) at the shop framework (27) by the plug-in connection (29).

4. A continuous casting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the interior of the terminal boxes (25) in the area of the continuous casting die (6) is cooled.

5. A continuous casting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that either air or cooling water which is tapped off from the continuous casting die (6), is used as coolant.

6. A continuous casting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the BUS line (22a), the fieldbus module (22) and the measurement signal lines and control signal lines (28) are physically formed by light waveguides or wireless transmission or infrared technology.