What is continuous casting equipment

The production process of continuously casting high-temperature molten steel into a slab with a certain cross-sectional shape and a certain size is called continuous steel casting. The equipment required to complete this process is called continuous casting equipment. The electromechanical-hydraulic integration of casting equipment, continuous casting machine body equipment, cutting area equipment, dummy bar collection and conveying equipment constitutes the core equipment of continuous steel casting, which is customarily called continuous casting machine.

Introduction of continuous casting equipment

Continuous casting machine production process. The high-temperature molten steel is continuously poured into one or a group of water-cooled copper molds, and the molten steel gradually solidifies along the periphery of the mold into a billet shell. The billet is pulled out, and the billet is completely solidified by water spray cooling in the secondary cooling zone, and is cut to length by the cutting device according to the requirements of rolling. This process of directly pouring high-temperature molten steel into billets is called continuous casting. Its appearance has fundamentally changed the ingot-rolling process that has dominated for a century. Because it simplifies the production process, improves the production efficiency and metal yield, saves energy consumption, greatly reduces the production cost, and has the advantages of good billet quality and other advantages. In today's steelmaking enterprises, whether it is long-process steelmaking or short-process steelmaking, the equipment of continuous casting machines is almost inevitable.

Continuous casting equipment classification

Continuous casting machines can be classified in many forms. According to the structure and shape, the continuous casting machine can be divided into vertical continuous casting machine, vertical bending continuous casting machine, arc continuous casting machine with straight section, arc continuous casting machine, multi-radius elliptical continuous casting machine and horizontal continuous casting machine machine. With the development of continuous casting technology, the research on wheeled continuous casting machine, especially thin slab continuous casting machine, has been carried out.

If it is distinguished according to the size and shape of the section cast by the continuous casting machine, the continuous casting machine can be divided into slab continuous casting machine, billet continuous casting machine, bloom continuous casting machine, round billet continuous casting machine, special-shaped section Continuous casters and thin slab casters. The billet continuous casting machine also includes the rectangular billet continuous casting machine. Usually, the casting section or the equivalent section area is larger than 200×200mm is called the bloom, and the section or the equivalent section area is less than 160×160mm. , a rectangular blank with a width-thickness ratio greater than 3 is called a slab.

If it is distinguished by the number of strands that can be cast by the continuous casting machine under a common ladle, it can be divided into single-strand, double-strand or multi-strand continuous casting machines.

Continuous casting equipment composition

A general continuous casting machine consists of a molten steel carrying device (ladle, turntable), a tundish and its replacement device, a mold and its vibration device, a second cooling zone clamping roll and a cooling water system, a drawing leveler, a cutting device, Ingot device and other components (below). The tundish plays the role of buffering and purifying molten steel, and the capacity is generally 20% to 40% of the capacity of the molten steel. The mold is the "heart" of the continuous casting machine, which requires good thermal conductivity, structural rigidity, wear resistance, and easy manufacturing and maintenance. . The function of the crystallizer vibration device is to make the crystallizer vibrate periodically to prevent the primary shell and the crystallizer wall from being bonded and broken. The vibration curve generally changes according to a sinusoidal law to reduce impact. Fast and tight fit to ensure the quality and output of the slab. The secondary cooling device is installed at the outlet of the mold, and its function is to accelerate the solidification of the slab and control the temperature of the slab by means of water spray or atomization cooling. The nip rolls and guide rolls support the high-temperature casting billet with liquid core to prevent the bulge from deforming or causing internal cracks. At the same time, the liquid core pressing technology can be carried out in this section to improve the quality and output of the casting billet. The secondary cooling device water is required. The pressure and water volume are adjustable to meet the needs of different steel grades and different pulling speeds. The function of the drawing leveler is to provide the power for drawing the billet, straighten the curved billet, and push the cutting device to move. The billet drawing speed has a great influence on the output and quality of continuous casting. Before casting starts, block the lower mouth of the mold with a dummy head. After the molten steel solidifies, pull the cast slab out of the casting machine, then disengage the dummy head and put the dummy rod into the storage device. The billet cutting equipment cuts the billet in continuous motion into fixed lengths. Commonly used cutting equipment are flame cutters or hydraulic shears and swing shears.