The present invention relates to a method, system, and apparatus for improving the efficiency of a continuous casting operation, and more particularly, to promoting effective cooling of a casting face of a wall of a continuous casting mold.
Metal products may be formed in a variety of ways; however numerous forming methods first require an ingot, billet, or other cast part that can serve as the raw material from which a metal end product can be manufactured, such as through rolling or machining, for example. One method of manufacturing an ingot or billet is through a semi-continuous casting process known as direct chill casting, whereby a vertically oriented mold cavity is situated above a platform that translates vertically down a casting pit. A starting block may be situated on the platform and form a bottom of the mold cavity, at least initially, to begin the casting process. Molten metal is poured into the mold cavity whereupon the molten metal cools, typically using a cooling fluid. The platform with the starting block thereon may descend into the casting pit at a predefined speed to allow the metal exiting the mold cavity and descending with the starting block to solidify. The platform continues to be lowered as more molten metal enters the mold cavity, and solid metal exits the mold cavity. This continuous casting process allows metal ingots and billets to be formed according to the profile of the mold cavity and having a length limited only by the casting pit depth and the hydraulically actuated platform moving therein. Maintaining a casting surface of mold walls below a temperature above which a casting surface lubricant would burn or evaporate is important to ensure the quality and consistency of the casting.
The present invention relates to method, system, and apparatus for improving the efficiency of a continuous casting operation, and more particularly, to promoting effective cooling of a casting face of a wall of a continuous casting mold. Embodiments described herein employ a graphite casting surface in the form of a graphite liner received at a mold wall substrate. The graphite liner is configured to positively engage the mold wall substrate to ensure maximum contact between a back surface of the graphite liner with the mold wall substrate to maximize heat transfer from the graphite liner through the mold wall substrate, and to a cooling fluid. Embodiments described herein include a continuous casting mold component including: a mold wall substrate defining a groove proximate a bottom of the mold wall substrate; a graphite liner having a bottom edge defining a first angled surface and a top edge defining a second angled surface, where the bottom edge is received into the groove of the mold wall substrate; and a clamping element defining an angled clamping surface attached to the mold wall substrate with at least one fastener, where the bottom angled surface of the graphite liner is driven into the groove defined in the substrate in response to the angled clamping surface of the clamping element engaging the second angled surface of the graphite liner and the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the mold wall substrate.
According to some embodiments, the graphite liner defines a resting state and an installed state, where the graphite liner in the resting state includes a curvature along a back face of the graphite liner between the top edge and the bottom edge, and where the back face is straightened in the installed state in response to the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the mold wall substrate. According to certain embodiments, the curvature of the back face of the graphite liner includes a curvature profile, where in the installed state, a force is applied by the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate in response to the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the mold wall. The curvature profile of some embodiments is configured to concentrate the force applied by the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate in the installed state at a lower third of the graphite liner.
According to certain embodiments, the mold wall substrate further defines a substrate angled surface proximate a top of the mold wall substrate, where the clamping element defines an angled driving surface, where in response to the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the wall substrate, the substrate angled surface cooperates with the angled driving surface to drive the clamping element toward the bottom of the mold wall substrate. The fastener of an example embodiment includes a threaded fastener, where the clamping element defines a slot to receive the threaded fastener, and wherein the threaded fastener is received into a threaded hole of the mold wall substrate. The slot defined in the clamping element, in some embodiments, has a relatively narrow dimension in a direction of an axis along which the mold wall substrate extends, and a relatively long dimension extending in a direction toward the bottom of the mold wall substrate. The clamping element of some embodiments is driven in a direction toward the bottom of the mold wall substrate in response to the threaded fastener being tightened into the threaded hole of the mold wall substrate. The graphite liner of an example embodiment includes a first thickness proximate the top edge of the graphite liner and a second thickness proximate the bottom edge, where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. The graphite liner of some embodiments linearly tapers from the first thickness to the second thickness.
According to certain embodiments, the first angled surface of the graphite liner is a first chamfer from a back surface of the graphite liner to a casting surface of the graphite liner, and the second angled surface of the graphite liner is a second chamfer from the back surface of the graphite liner to the casting surface. According to some embodiments, the first chamfer forms an angle between the back surface and the first angled surface of between about 20-degrees and 60-degrees, where the second chamfer forms an angle between the back surface and the second angled surface of between about 20-degrees and 60-degrees. The first chamfer of some embodiments forms an angle between the back surface and the first angled surface of about 45-degrees and the second chamfer forms an angle between the back surface and the second angled surface of about 45-degrees. According to certain embodiments, the mold wall substrate defines a convex curvature between the groove of the mold wall substrate and the clamping element, where the graphite liner, in an installed position secured by clamping element to the mold wall substrate forcibly bends about the convex curvature of the mold wall substrate
Embodiments provided herein include a method including: forming a graphite liner for a mold wall substrate, where the graphite liner includes a back surface and a casting surface, where in a resting state, the graphite liner defines a convex curvature along the back surface; installing the graphite liner onto a mold wall substrate, where installing the graphite liner includes: inserting a bottom angled edge of the graphite liner into a groove proximate a bottom of the mold wall substrate; engaging a top angled edge of the graphite liner with a clamping element proximate a top of the mold wall substrate; and clamping the top angled edge of the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate to define an installed state of the graphite liner, where in the installed state the graphite liner defines a flat back surface.
According to an example embodiment, clamping the top angled edge of the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate includes driving the clamping element toward the mold wall substrate, where the clamping element includes an angled clamping surface configured to engage the top angled surface of the graphite liner and to drive the bottom angled edge of the graphite liner into the groove as the clamping element is driven toward the mold wall substrate. Clamping the top angled edge of the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate includes applying a force to the mold wall substrate with the convex curvature of the back surface of the mold wall substrate, where the force is concentrated proximate a bottom third of a height of the graphite liner.
Embodiments provided herein include a continuous casting mold including: a mold wall substrate; a graphite liner defining a resting state and an installed state, the graphite liner having a back surface and a casting surface, where the graphite liner in the resting state includes a curvature between a top edge of the graphite liner and a bottom edge of the graphite liner, where the curvature is convex along the back surface; and attachment means, where the attachment means attaches the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate and flattens the back surface of the graphite liner against the mold wall substrate in the installed state. The attachment means includes a channel for receiving therein the bottom edge of the graphite liner and a clamping element configured to clamp the top edge of the graphite liner against the mold wall substrate. The clamping element includes a first angled surface, where the top edge of the graphite liner includes a second angled surface complementary to the first angled surface, where the first angled surface engages the second angled surface to secure the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate. The continuous casting mold component of an example embodiment further includes a fastener configured to secure the graphite liner to the mold wall substrate.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to an apparatus, system, and method for improving the efficiency of a continuous casting operation, and more particularly, to promoting effective cooling of a casting face of a wall of a continuous casting mold. For a continuous casting operation to function effectively and properly, the walls of a continuous casting mold must enable the cast material to pass through the mold as it begins to cool. The walls of a continuous casting mold can be lubricated to facilitate this. Further, graphite can be used as an inner surface of the walls of a continuous casting mold to promote a smooth flow of the cast through a low-friction surface. According to some embodiments, oil or grease is spread on the graphite inner surface of the walls of a continuous casting mold. The oil or grease is consumed during a casting operation as it migrates to the surface of the graphite facing the casting. It is important that the graphite remains cool and below a working temperature of the lubricant or the lubricant may burn and glaze the surface of the graphite, preventing oil from migrating into or out of the graphite.
A typical direct chill continuous casting mold or direct chill casting mold is water cooled. Water can be used to cool the mold walls through channels that run along the mold walls and conduct cooling water across the backs of the mold walls to draw heat from the mold walls. Conduction of the heat from the mold walls to the cooling water flowing through the channels along the mold walls can be used to help keep the mold side wall and the graphite at a suitable temperature where the lubricant does not risk burning. Embodiments provided herein aid in the conduction of heat from the graphite to the mold wall by pressing the graphite into the mold wall, typically made of aluminum. Greater interface pressure leads to better heat conduction.
Vertical direct chill casting or continuous casting is a process used to produce ingots that may have large cross sections for use in a variety of manufacturing applications. The process of vertical direct chill casting begins with a horizontal table or mold frame containing one or more vertically-oriented mold cavities disposed therein. Each of the mold cavities is initially closed at the bottom with a starting block or starting plug to seal the bottom of the mold cavity. Molten metal is introduced to each mold cavity through a metal distribution system to fill the mold cavities. As the molten metal proximate the bottom of the mold, adjacent to the starting block solidifies, the starting block is moved vertically downward along a linear path. The movement of the starting block may be caused by a hydraulically-lowered platform to which the starting block is attached. The movement of the starting block vertically downward draws the solidified metal from the mold cavity while additional molten metal is introduced into the mold cavities. Once started, this process moves at a relatively steady-state for a semi-continuous casting process that forms a metal ingot having a profile defined by the mold cavity, and a height defined by the depth to which the platform and starting block are moved.
During the casting process, the mold itself is cooled to encourage solidification of the metal prior to the metal exiting the mold cavity as the starting block is advanced downwardly, and a cooling fluid is introduced to the surface of the metal proximate the exit of the mold cavity as the metal is cast to draw heat from the cast metal ingot and to solidify the molten metal within the now-solidified shell of the ingot. As the starting block is advanced downward, the cooling fluid may be sprayed directly on the ingot to cool the surface and to draw heat from within the core of the ingot.
The direct chill casting process enables ingots to be cast of a wide variety of sizes and lengths, along with varying profile shapes. While rectangular ingots are most common, other profile shapes are possible. Circular profile billets benefit from a uniform shape, where the distance from the external surface around the billet to the core is equivalent around the perimeter. However, rectangular ingots lack this uniformity of surface-to-core depth and thus have additional challenges to consider during the direct chill casting process.
A direct chill casting mold to produce an ingot with a rectangular profile does not have a perfectly rectangular mold cavity due to the deformation of the ingot as it cools after leaving the mold cavity. The portion of the ingot exiting the mold cavity as the platform and the starting block descend retains a molten or at least partially molten core inside the solidified shell. As the core cools and solidifies, the external profile of the ingot changes such that the mold cavity profile, while it defines the shape of the final, cooled ingot, does not have a shape or profile that is identical to the final, cooled ingot.
While direct chill casting molds have been designed and developed to generate an ingot having substantially flat sides on its rectangular profile for the ingot portion produced during a steady-state portion of the casting process, the start-up process of direct chill casting includes challenges that distinguish the start-up casting phase process and the initial portion of the ingot formed during the start-up casting phase process from the steady-state phase of the casting process and the portion of the ingot formed during steady-state casting.
During the start-up phase of direct chill casting, high thermal gradients induce thermal stresses that cause deformation of the ingot in manners that are distinct from those experienced during the steady-state phase of casting. Due to the changes in thermal gradients and stresses experienced in the start-up phase versus the steady-state phase of casting, a constant-profile mold cavity results in a non-uniform profile of the ingot portion cast during the start-up phase, also known as the butt, and the ingot cast during the steady-state casting phase. As the portion produced during steady-state casting forms the majority of the ingot, the mold profile may be designed such that the opposed sides and ends of an ingot are substantially flat. This may result in a butt of the ingot formed during the start-up phase lacking substantially flat sides, as illustrated in the cast ingot cross-section of
The deformation 170 of the ingot portion produced during the start-up phase may not be usable depending upon the end-use of the ingot, such that the portion of the ingot formed during the start-up period may be sacrificial (i.e., cut from the ingot and repurposed/re-cast). This sacrificial butt portion of the ingot may be substantial in size, particularly in direct chill casting molds that have relatively large profiles, and while the butt may be re-cast so the material is not lost, the lost time, reheating/re-melting costs and labor associated with the lost portion of the ingot, and the reduced maximum size potential of an ingot result in losses in efficiency of the direct chill casting process. Similar issues may exist at the end of a casting in forming the “head” of the ingot or billet, where casting ceases to be steady-state and may require specific control parameters to maximize the useable portion of the ingot and reduce waste.
To solve or improve upon the issues described above, a direct chill casting mold can employ flexible opposing side walls that may be dynamically moved during the casting process to eliminate the butt swell of conventional direct chill ingot casting molds to reduce waste and to improve the efficiency with which ingots are cast. Direct chill casting molds as described herein may include an opposed pair of casting surfaces on side walls of the mold that are flexible allowing them to change shape while the mold is casting an ingot. Each of the opposed side walls may include two or more contact portions or force receiving elements, each configured to receive a force that causes the opposed side walls of the mold to move dynamically and change shape during the casting process. The forces applied to the two or more contact regions may be independent and may include forces in opposing directions, as described further below. The contact regions may optionally be repositionable along the length of the opposing side walls to enable greater control over the shape of the side wall resulting from the forces applied.
Various mechanisms can be employed to impart the curvature to the side wall assemblies of the direct chill casting mold. However, in practice, direct chill casting molds are often arranged in a set of direct chill casting molds positioned adjacent to one another above a casting pit. The size of the casting pit and the frame above the casting pit supporting the direct chill casting molds limits the number of direct chill casting molds that can be used during a single casting operation. Positioning the direct chill casting molds as close to one another as feasible improves the capacity of the casting pit and system and thereby the overall efficiency of a casting operation.
As described above, a graphite casting surface in the form of a graphite liner may be used as a casting surface for molten aluminum. A lubricant, such as an oil or grease, spread on the surface of the graphite soaks into the porous graphite. During the casting process, the oil or grease is consumed as it migrates from the interior of the graphite liner to the casting surface where it is carried away or burned by the casting. It is important for the graphite to stay cool relative to the casting in order to stay below a working temperature of the lubricant. If the graphite liner becomes too hot, the lubricant may burn and glaze the surface of the graphite, preventing oil from migrating in or out of the graphite.
During the casting process, as material exits the mold cavity in response to the starter block 157 advancing downwardly as shown in
The casting surface 211 is the surface of a graphite liner 300 that is engaged with the mold side wall 210. The graphite liner 300 provides a porous, lubricating casting surface of the side wall facing the cavity of the mold. This porous, lubricating surface (casting surface 211) promotes smooth flow of the casting as it exits the mold cavity. The graphite material of the graphite liner can permit flow of lubricant through the graphite liner 270, such as from fluid chamber 261, or the graphite material can have a lubricant applied to the casting surface 211 before a casting operation where the lubricant absorbs into the graphite liner.
As noted above, embodiments may include any number of cooling fluid chambers, where each cooling fluid chamber may feed one or more sets of orifices for providing cooling fluid to the cast part as it exits the mold. As shown in
According to the illustrated embodiment, fluid chamber 255 may be in fluid communication with cooling orifices 264, which may each be arranged at a first angle with respect to the side wall 210, as shown by arrow 265 indicating the direction of fluid exiting the first plurality of cooling orifices 264. The second plurality of cooling orifices 266 may be arranged to direct cooling fluid at a different angle as shown by arrow 267. However, the second plurality of cooling orifices may be in fluid communication with cooling fluid chamber 250 rather than chamber 255. In order to supply cooling fluid from the cooling fluid chamber 250 to the plurality of orifices 266, a channel 270 may be machined or otherwise formed into the back face of the side wall 210. A channel 270 may be present for each of the second set of cooling orifices 266, or alternatively, channels 270 may exist at a plurality of locations along the length of the side wall 211 in cooperation with a channel closer to the second set of cooling orifices 266 extending longitudinally along the side wall 210 in a manifold arrangement.
According to the illustrated embodiment, the cooling fluid flow through each of the first plurality of orifices 264 and the second plurality of orifices 266 may be independently fed by a respective cooling fluid chamber 250, 255. This configuration enables a cooling profile to be generated according to the type of material being cast with the appropriate flow rates and spray patterns from the respective set of cooling orifices.
In addition to providing cooling fluid to the orifices 264, 266, the cooling fluid chambers 250 and 255 provide a cooling effect on the side wall 210 itself and to the graphite liner 300 and casting surface 211 thereof. Cooling fluid chambers 250 and 255 are arranged in a manner that facilitates heat extraction from the back face of the side wall 210 into the cooling fluid. This side wall cooling effect further reduces the temperature of the graphite liner 300 and casting surface 211 of the side wall 210 to avoid overheating the lubricating fluid which can result in premature evaporation or burning of the lubricating fluid. Cooling of the side wall 210 using cooling fluid chambers 250 and 255 further reduces the likelihood and degree to which lubricating fluid would burn or evaporate as it flows down along the casting surface 211 with the cast material. Heat from a casting is drawn through the casting face of the graphite liner 300, through the mold wall, and carried away through cooling fluid in the cooling fluid chambers. Thus, it is important to maximize heat transfer between components to maximize the cooling effect on the graphite liner.
The graphite liner 300 of example embodiments described herein is removably attached to the mold side wall 210. The graphite liner 300 is, in some embodiments, a consumable part that may require replacement. Further, as the mold side wall 210 is generally aluminum, the graphite liner 300 must be attached or secured to the mold side wall 210. According to the illustrated embodiment of
Attachment of the graphite liner 300 to the mold side wall 210 is not a trivial process, particularly in an embodiment in which the mold side wall is flexed during the casting operation. Heat transfer between the graphite liner and the mold side wall to the cooling fluid of the cooling chambers 250 and 255 is critical to maintain temperatures at the casting face 211 that are below a level which would burn the lubricant.
Graphite is less ductile than aluminum and a relatively thin graphite liner may be used for a greater range of flexibility. However, a thinner graphite liner is more difficult to secure to a mold side wall, particularly using the mechanism described with respect to
A clamping element 420 including a complementary angled element to engage the angled top edge 415 of the graphite liner 400 is secured to the substrate with fastener 425. The fastener may include, for example, a threaded fastener received within a threaded hole of the mold wall substrate 440. The threaded fastener 425 may be secured with a locking feature to reduce the likelihood of the fastener inadvertently loosening. The locking feature may include, for example, thread locking compound or the like. Optionally, the threaded fastener can be engaged with a locking washer, such as a split-lock washer, spring washers (e.g., Belleville washers), or wedge washers, for example. Locking washers can help avoid loosening of the clamping element which can result in reduced contact between the graphite liner 400 and the mold wall substrate 440, thereby reducing heat transfer efficiency.
The clamping element 420 further includes an upper angled face 430 that engages with a complementary substrate angled face 435. As the fastener 425 is tightened driving the clamping element 420 toward the substrate 440, the substrate angled face 435 presses against the upper angled face 430 of the clamping element which drives the clamping element down, toward the graphite liner 400. A slot 427 formed in the clamping element 420 enables some degree of vertical movement of the clamping element relative to the substrate 440. The fastener 425 may include a shoulder fastener where the shoulder rides in the groove 427 as the clamping element 420 is tightened to avoid binding. As the clamping element is driven toward the graphite liner 400, the angled top edge 415 of the graphite liner is engaged and driven downward, driving the angled bottom edge 405 into the groove 410 of the substrate 440 having the complementary angle. This system secures the graphite liner 400 to the substrate 440 and facilitates a thermal interface between the graphite liner 400 and the substrate 440 for transfer of heat from the graphite liner to the substrate of the mold side wall.
The clamping mechanism of the embodiment of
According to another example embodiment described herein, the graphite liner can be shrink fit to the mold wall substrate. According to such an example embodiment, the clamping element 420 can be fixed to the mold wall substrate 440 or part of the mold wall substrate. The mold wall can be heated to expand a distance between the clamping element 440 and the groove 410, whereupon the graphite liner 400 can be slid into engagement with the mold wall substrate, with the top edge 415 and bottom edge 405 received within the groove formed by the clamping element 420 and the groove 410 along the bottom of the mold wall substrate 440. In response to the mold wall substrate cooling, the distance between the clamping element 420 and the groove 410 becomes smaller (due to thermal expansion and contraction), and the graphite liner 400 can become securely grasped and engaged with the mold wall substrate.
While the example embodiment of
The curvature formed in the back face 512 of the graphite liner 500 of
When casting, the lower third of the graphite liner is the location of the mold wall where steady state casting is occurring and therefore the location that the graphite tends to be at a higher temperature. Referring to the graphite liner 500 of
Embodiments described herein promote heat transfer from a graphite liner (or other liner material) from the casting face of the liner through the mold wall substrate to which the graphite liner is attached. Through application of force between the graphite liner and the mold wall substrate as detailed above, improved contact is maintained between the graphite liner and the mold wall substrate, thereby improving the thermal transfer between the liner and the mold wall.
Embodiments described above can be employed on any mold wall whether the mold wall is a side wall or an end wall. Further, embodiments are configured to function with mold walls that are flexible and are flexed to impart a radius to a mold wall. In some embodiments, a conductive material such as a liquid, an adhesive, or gel can be used between the graphite liner and the substrate as noted above. In an example embodiment, a grease may be used between the mold wall substrate and the graphite liner. The grease of an example embodiment can improve contact between the mold wall substrate and the graphite liner. Other materials, such as the aforementioned liquid or gel, or a deformable gasket made of thermally conductive material can be used at the interface between the liner and the mold wall substrate to increase the surface contact of the surfaces at the interface with the interstitial material thereby increasing the area for heat transfer.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.