Claims
- 1. In a continuous caster of the type having a mold assembly followed by a plurality of roll segments and related components for handling and treating a cast strand discharged from beneath the mold, a mold oscillator apparatus comprising:
- a mold oscillator frame including structural legs supporting an upper base frame portion;
- a pair of spaced shafts, each shaft having first and second ends mounted for rotation on the upper base frame portion, the first and second ends having offset cylindrical portions thereon, four bearing blocks joined on the eccentric shafts adjacent the first and second ends thereof and defining eccentrics at said shaft ends;
- a pair of elongated, wide flange beam members having upper and lower flanges interconnected by a web, each beam extending above one of the pair of spaced eccentric shafts and mounted on a lower flange respectively at each end to one of the bearing blocks of the eccentrics;
- said oscillator base frame including a mold table comprising a planar frame-like structure adapted to support the mold thereon, said mold table, rigidly secured to the respective upper flanges of said beam members;
- oscillator drive means for rotating said pair of shafts and said eccentrics at a controlled rate whereby a controlled vertical oscillatory motion is transmitted from said eccentrics through the web portions of said wide flange beams to the mold table and thence to the mold situated thereon.
- 2. The mold oscillator apparatus of claim 1 wherein the mold has a pair of broad face plates which are curved comprising an inner curved face plate and a spaced outer curved face plate adapted to form a curved strand of cast metal and wherein the second ends of the eccentric shafts are positioned beneath an outer end of the mold table and said second ends having a greater offset than said first ends, whereby, said vertical oscillatory motion at said second ends has a greater vertical throw than a vertical throw at said first ends.
- 3. The mold oscillator apparatus of claim 1 wherein the upper base frame portion of the oscillator frame has an open side formed therein to permit easy placement and removal of casting machine components therethrough.
- 4. The mold oscillator apparatus, of claim 1 wherein the oscillator frame includes segment support means thereon adapted to receive and support a first roll segment module therein.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the segment support means includes adjustment means adapted to permit the movable adjustment of the first roll segment module both in a horizontal plane and pivotally about an axis parallel to said horizontal plane.
- 6. In a continuous caster of the type having a mold assembly followed by a plurality of roll segments and related components for handling and treating a cast strand, in combination, a mold oscillator frame and a first adjustable curved roll segment comprising:
- a said mold oscillator frame having spaced-apart structural legs carrying an upper base frame portion positioned beneath and supporting the mold assembly, said oscillator frame also carrying segment support means thereon;
- said first adjustable roll segment comprising a frame element having laterally extending feet on opposed sides thereof and a plurality of spaced roll sets mounted for rotation in said frame element, said feet adapted to be received and locked in said segment support means;
- said segment support means including adjustment means to permit separate horizontal and rotation adjustment of said segment support means and the first roll segment carried therein, whereby said first roll segment is aligned between said mold assembly and a following roll segment.
- 7. The oscillator frame and first roll segment combination of claim 6 wherein the segment support means includes hydraulic clamping means for locking said segment feet therein.
- 8. In a continuous caster of the type having a mold assembly followed by a plurality of roll segments and related components for handling and treating a cast strand, a straightening module comprising:
- a frame means having slots therein to compensate for thermal expansion;
- a plurality of spaced-apart roll sets defining a plurality of strand bending points therealong whereby a cast strand entering said straightening module passes through said roll sets and is bent from a curved to a straight configuration.
- 9. The continuous caster of claim 8, including a starter bar handling and charging module situated downstream from the plurality of roll segments and related components for handling and treating the cast strand, said starter bar handling and charging module comprising structural frame means having a carrier pivotally movable thereon from a first vertical position to a second horizontal position, said carrier adapted to support a starter bar charging car thereon; and
- starter bar decoupling means for releasing a starter bar head from a cast strand.
- 10. The continuous caster of claim 9 including starter bar charging car means associated therewith.
- 11. The continuous caster of claim 10 wherein the charging car means comprises a motorized wheeled device movably mounted on said carrier and having clamping means associated therewith to receive and carry a starter bar after the head thereof is released from a cast strand by said decoupling means and adapted to travel on a horizontal trackway on said casting machine to deliver said starter bar to a mold assembly for commencing a next casting run.
- 12. The continuous caster of claim 11 wherein the charging car means includes a car frame having a pair of fixed arms extending outwardly at opposed ends of said frame and a movable arm pivotally mounted on said frame, for said fixed and movable arms having releasable gripping means and end portions thereof for selectively gripping and releasing said starter bar, whereby, upon first rotation of said movable arm said starter bar is loaded onto said charging car from the casting machine and upon a reverse rotation and a second rotation of said movable arm said starter bar is delivered to said mold assembly.
- 13. In a continuous caster of the type having a mold assembly followed by a plurality of roll segments, motors and related components for handling and treating a cast strand, service module means including a plurality of futility modules and interconnecting modules having pre-wired and pre-piped conduit, fittings and control means for the supply of utility services such as electric, water, hydraulic, air to the roll segments, motors and related components of the casting machine, said service module means constructed in a shippable size and including fitting means for easily interconnecting the modules with other modules and with like fittings associated with the casting machine.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part application of my co-pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 147,222, filed Jan. 22, 1988, now U. S. Pat. No. 4,799,535, which, in turn, is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 036,407, filed Apr. 9, 1987, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (2)
Continuations (1)
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36407 |
Apr 1987 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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147222 |
Jan 1988 |
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