Process and apparatus for the manufacturing of long steel products in a continuous casting plant

Abstract

An apparatus for continuous casting has a withdrawal/straightening unit with pairs of rolls. The spacing distance between two rolls of each pair decrease to create a deformation of a long metal product poured from a mold. A particular deformation is a reduction of the section in one direction, preferably a vertical direction.

1 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A process for manufacturing an elongated metallic product in a continuous casting plant, the process comprising:
 conducting the product to follow along a trajectory with a curvilinear section and a straight section;   deforming the product in a plurality of deformation phases including at least a first deformation phase and a second deformation phase;   each of said deformation phases including a contemporaneous deformation of a perimeter and a transversal section of the product;   implementing the first deformation phase in the curvilinear section and implementing the second deformation phase in the straight section, effecting the first and second deformation phases in an area where liquid metal is still present in the product, and at a location where each deformation of the product provokes an increase of a speed of the product.   
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 15 , which comprises effecting a further deformation of the perimeter and the transversal section of the product in a transition area located between the first deformation and the second deformation. 
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 15 , wherein the deformation phases cause a deformation of the respective section of the product in one direction. 
     
     
         18 . The process according to  claim 17 , wherein the one direction is a vertical direction. 
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 15 , which comprises implementing further deformation phases along the deformation line. 
     
     
         20 . The process according to  claim 15 , which comprises configuring the deformation phases to create a deformation of the respective section of the product in two mutually perpendicular directions. 
     
     
         21 . The process according to  claim 20 , wherein the two mutually perpendicular directions are alternating horizontal and vertical directions. 
     
     
         22 . The process according to  claim 15 , comprising the following steps:
 a) casting an elongated metal product with a square section, and advancing the product along a trajectory including a curvilinear section and a straight section, wherein an extremity of a metallurgical line of the product is upstream and downstream of a transition area located between the curvilinear section and the straight section;   b) deforming the product upstream of the transition area to reduce the section in a first direction, so as to obtain a rectangular section;   c) deforming the product in the transition area to further reduce the section in the first direction, thus obtaining a rectangular section;   d) further deforming the product downstream of the transition area to further reduce the section in the first direction, thus obtaining a rectangular section.   
     
     
         23 . The process according to  claim 22 , which comprises the following steps:
 a1) casting a long metallic product with a mold, the product advancing along a trajectory including a first curvilinear section and a second straight section, the extremities of a metallurgical line of the product are upstream and downstream of a transition area located between the curvilinear section and the straight section;   b1) deforming the product upstream of said transition area to reduce the section in a first direction so as to obtain a rectangular section;   c1) deforming the product upstream of said transition area to reduce the section in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, so as to obtain a square section;   d1) deforming the product in the transition area to further reduce the section in the first direction, thus obtaining a rectangular section;   e1) deforming of the product in the transition area to further reduce the section in the second direction;   f1) deforming the product downstream of the transition area to further reduce the section in the first direction, thus obtaining a rectangular section; and   g1) deforming the product downstream of the transition area, to further reduce the section in the second direction.   
     
     
         24 . The process according to  claim 22 , wherein a reduction of the section in the first direction or in the second direction that is obtained as a whole between the section upstream of the first deformation and the section downstream of a last deformation ranges from 14% to 16.8% relative to an initial dimension. 
     
     
         25 . The process according to  claim 24 , wherein the reduction obtained as a whole is equal to 15.4% of the initial dimension. 
     
     
         26 . The process according to  claim 15 , which comprises advancing the product with an advance speed downstream of an ingot mold amounting to approximately 5 m/min. 
     
     
         27 . The process according to  claim 15 , which comprises implementing the deformations in a withdrawal/straightening unit of the product. 
     
     
         28 . An apparatus for manufacturing an elongated metal product, comprising devices configured for carrying out the process according to  claim 15 . 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus according to  claim 28 , which comprises:
 means for guiding the product along a trajectory including a curvilinear section and a straight section;   a withdrawal/straightening unit containing a plurality of pairs of rolls, including at least a first pair of rolls in the curvilinear section and a second pair of rolls in the straight section;   said first pair of rolls and said second pair of rolls being disposed in an area where liquid metal is still present in the product and at a location where said rolls provoke an increase in a speed of the product.   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus according to  claim 29 , wherein said rolls of said pairs of rolls are disposed at a spacing distance from one another, and said spacing distances between two respective rolls of two consecutive pairs decrease to create a deformation of an elongated metallic product poured from a mold. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus according to  claim 30 , wherein said rolls of said pairs of rolls are disposed to cause a reduction of a section of the product in one direction. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein the one direction is the vertical direction. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus according to  claim 28 , wherein said withdrawal/straightening unit comprises alternating pairs of rolls having mutually perpendicular rotation axes between rolls of adjacent pairs, wherein spacing distances between two rolls of each pair decrease to create a deformation of an elongated metallic product poured from a mold. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus according to  claim 33 , wherein said perpendicular rotation axes are alternating horizontal and vertical axes. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus according to  claim 33 , wherein said rolls are disposed to implement a reduction of the section on two directions, namely, a vertical direction and a horizontal direction.