Casting control device, mold width determination method, and mold width determination program

Abstract

To provide a casting control device, a mold width determination method, and a mold width determination program, with a mold width determination function for determining a plate width of a cast slab with high precision.SOLUTION: A casting control device 1 includes: an information acquisition section 23 which acquires at least one of casting speed information indicating a casting speed of a continuously cast slab 201 through a mold 104 whose width can be changed, pressure information indicating the pressure at which the continuously cast slab 201 is lightly depressed, and aspect ratio information indicating a ratio between a desired plate width and a desired plate thickness of the continuously cast slab 201; a mold width determination section 24 which determines a width of the mold 104 based on the information acquired by the information acquisition section 23 and the desired plate width of the continuously cast slab 201; and a mold width information output section 25 which outputs mold width information indicating the width of the mold 104 determined by the mold width determination section 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a casting control device having a mold width determination function for determining the width of a continuous casting mold, a mold width determination method, and a mold width determination program. [Background technology]

[0002] A slab width control method is known that can set an optimal mold width corresponding to the width of the slab formed by continuous casting in a continuous casting machine having a mold with a variable width (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the slab width control method described in Patent Document 1, the width and inclination of the end pieces of the mold are determined from the target width of the slab and a coefficient determined by the type of steel to be cast and the casting speed, and the determined width and inclination of the end pieces of the mold are set in the mold. In the slab width control method described in Patent Document 1, the width and inclination of the end pieces determined using the casting speed are set in the mold, making it possible to control the slab width with high precision, reducing the amount of slab that undergoes additional treatment such as width cutting, and improving work efficiency and yield. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3425259 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to further improve the operational efficiency and yield of continuous casting, a technique for determining the width of a cast slab with higher accuracy is desired.

[0005] The present invention is devised to solve such problems, and aims to provide a casting control device, a mold width determination method, and a mold width determination program having a mold width determination function that can determine the plate width of the cast slab with high precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention, which solves the above problems, is summarized as follows: a casting control device, a mold width determination method, and a mold width determination program. (1) an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of casting speed information indicating the casting speed of a slab that is continuously cast through a width-variable mold, pressure information indicating the pressure when the continuously cast slab is soft reduced, and aspect ratio information indicating the ratio between the desired plate width and the desired plate thickness of the slab that is continuously cast; a mold width determination unit that determines a width of the mold based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit and a desired width of the slab to be continuously cast; A mold width information output unit that outputs mold width information indicating the width of the mold determined by the mold width determination unit; A casting control device comprising: (2) The casting control device according to (1), wherein the information acquisition unit acquires casting speed information and pressure information. (3) The casting control device according to (1), wherein the information acquisition unit acquires casting speed information and aspect ratio information. (4) The casting control device according to (1), wherein the information acquisition unit acquires casting speed information, pressure information, and aspect ratio information. (5) The casting control device according to any one of (2) to (4), wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires water injection amount information indicating an amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting. (6) The mold width determination unit determines the width of the mold using the width W of the continuously cast slab, the casting speed Vc corresponding to the casting speed information, the water injection amount Vw corresponding to the water injection amount information, the pressure P corresponding to the pressure information, and the ratio W / T corresponding to the aspect ratio information, and the following formula (1) represented by coefficients A0, A1, A2, A3, and A4. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A2* VW + A3* P + A4* W / T) (1) The casting control device according to (5). (7) acquiring at least one of casting speed information indicating the casting speed of a slab continuously cast through a width-variable mold, pressure information indicating the pressure when soft reducing the continuously cast slab, and aspect ratio information indicating the ratio between a desired plate width and a desired plate thickness of the slab continuously cast; determining a width of the mold based on casting speed information, at least one of pressure information and aspect ratio information, and a desired width of a slab to be continuously cast; outputting mold width information indicating the determined width of the mold; A method for determining a mold width, comprising: (8) The mold width determination method according to (7), wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires water injection amount information indicating an amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting. (9) acquiring at least one of casting speed information indicating the casting speed of a slab continuously cast through a width-variable mold, pressure information indicating the pressure when soft reducing the continuously cast slab, and aspect ratio information indicating the ratio between a desired plate width and a desired plate thickness of the slab continuously cast; determining a width of the mold based on casting speed information, at least one of pressure information and aspect ratio information, and a desired width of a slab to be continuously cast; outputting mold width information indicating the determined width of the mold; A mold width determination program that causes a computer to execute a process. (10) The mold width determination program according to (9), wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires water injection amount information indicating an amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting. Effect of the Invention

[0007] A casting control device according to one embodiment can determine the width of a cast strip with high accuracy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of a continuous casting machine according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of the mold shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the casting control device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart of a mold width determination process executed by the casting control device shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1( a ) is a diagram showing the relationship between the casting speed and the width of the slab cast by the continuous casting machine, FIG. 1( b ) is a diagram showing the relationship between the specific water amount in the secondary cooling zone of the continuous casting machine and the width of the slab cast by the continuous casting machine, and FIG. 1( c ) is a diagram showing the relationship between the slab reduction force in the slab reduction device and the width of the slab cast by the continuous casting machine. [Figure 6] FIG. 1( a) is a diagram showing the correlation between the slab width determined by equation (1) shown in Patent Document 1 and the actual measured width of the cast slab, FIG. 1( b) is a diagram showing the correlation between the slab width determined by equation (1) used by the mold width determination unit and the actual measured width of the cast slab, and FIG. 1( c) is a diagram showing the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by an equation obtained by changing the variables included in equation (1) used by the mold width determination unit and the actual measured width of the cast slab. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a cast strip width estimation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] 8 is a flowchart of a slab width estimation process executed by the slab width determination device 2 shown in FIG. 7. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a casting control device having a mold width determination function for determining the width of a continuous casting mold, a mold width determination method, and a mold width determination program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0010] (Configuration and Functions of the Casting Control Device According to the Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that shows a schematic diagram of a continuous casting machine having a casting control device according to an embodiment.

[0011] The continuous casting machine 100 has a ladle 101, a tundish 102, a submerged nozzle 103, a mold 104, a secondary cooling zone 105, a slab reduction device 106, a slab cutting device 107, a table roll 108, a casting speed sensor 109, and a casting control device 1.

[0012] The ladle 101 is a movable vessel for supplying the molten steel 200 to the tundish 102, and moves above the tundish 102 to supply the molten steel 200 filled in the ladle 101 to the tundish 102. The tundish 102 is disposed above the mold 104, and stores the molten steel 200 supplied from the ladle 101 and removes inclusions contained in the molten steel 200. The submerged nozzle 103 is a cylindrical member that extends downward from the lower end of the tundish 102 toward the mold 104. The tip of the submerged nozzle 103 is immersed in the molten steel 200 contained inside the mold 104. The submerged nozzle 103 continuously supplies the molten steel 200 from which inclusions have been removed in the tundish 102 to the mold 104.

[0013] FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view of the mold 104, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 2(a).

[0014] The mold 104 has a pair of long side mold plates 141, a pair of short side mold plates 142, and a mold plate drive unit 143. Each of the pair of long side mold plates 141 and the pair of short side mold plates 142 is, for example, a water-cooled copper plate provided with a water passage through which cooling water flows, and has a rectangular cylindrical shape. The pair of short side mold plates 142 have a taper formed on the inner wall to optimally hold the cast piece 201.

[0015] Each of the pair of narrow side mold plates 142 can move in the width direction of the pair of wide side mold plates 141 as indicated by arrows B and C. Each of the pair of narrow side mold plates 142 is moved in the width direction of the pair of wide side mold plates 141 by a mold plate driving unit 143.

[0016] In the mold 104, the molten steel 200 is cooled to form a slab 201. As the slab 201 moves downward in the mold 104, solidification of the liquid portion 202 inside the slab 201 progresses, and the thickness of the solidified shell 203 on the outer surface gradually increases. The slab 201, including the liquid portion 202 and the solidified shell 203, is pulled out from the lower end of the mold 104.

[0017] The mold plate driving unit 143 has driving equipment such as a motor, and in response to mold width information input from the casting control device 1, moves a pair of short side mold plates 142 to change the width of the mold 104 so that the width of the mold 104 corresponds to the mold width information.

[0018] The secondary cooling zone 105 has multiple pairs of support rolls 151 and multiple cooling water nozzles 152, and is formed below the mold 104, and cools the slab 201 pulled out from the lower end of the mold 104 while transporting it.

[0019] Each of the multiple pairs of support rolls 151 is disposed on both sides of the slab 201 in the thickness direction, and supports and transports the slab 201. The multiple pairs of support rolls 151 include a support roll, a pinch roll, and a segment roll. The support roll is a non-driven roll disposed in the vertical section immediately below the mold 104. The pinch roll is a driven roll rotated by a driving means such as a motor, and is disposed in appropriate positions in the vertical section, curved section, and horizontal section of the secondary cooling zone 105 to pull out the slab 201 from the mold 104. The segment roll is a non-driven roll disposed in the curved section and horizontal section of the secondary cooling zone 105 to support and guide the slab 201.

[0020] The cooling water nozzles 152 are disposed in the gaps between pairs of support rolls 151 that are disposed adjacent to each other in the casting direction in the curved and horizontal parts of the secondary cooling zone 105, and inject cooling water 153 into the slab 201. The amount of cooling water 153 injected from the cooling water nozzles 152 into the slab 201 is controlled by the casting control device 1.

[0021] The casting control device 1 controls at least one of the opening degree of each of the multiple cooling water nozzles 152 and the water pressure of the cooling water 153 supplied to each of the multiple cooling water nozzles 152, thereby controlling the amount of cooling water 153 injected into the cast slab 201.

[0022] The slab reduction device 106 has a plurality of soft reduction rolls 161, is disposed downstream of the horizontal portion of the secondary cooling zone 105, and softly reduces the slab 201 cooled by the secondary cooling zone 105. The slab reduction device 106 is controlled by the casting control device 1 so as to reduce the central region in the thickness direction of the slab 201 with a predetermined pressure in the thickness direction of the slab 201.

[0023] The slab cutting device 107 is located downstream of the slab reduction device 106, and cuts the slab 201 transported through the secondary cooling zone 105 and the slab reduction device 106 to a predetermined length to form a thick slab 204.

[0024] The table roll 108 is a driven roll that is rotated by a driving means such as a motor, and is disposed downstream of the slab cutting device 107 to transport a thick slab 204 to equipment for the next process.

[0025] The casting speed sensor 109 is an electromagnetic or photoelectric rotation detection sensor that detects the rotation speed of the support roll 151 arranged in the horizontal part of the secondary cooling zone 105 and outputs rotation speed information indicating the detected rotation speed to the casting control device 1.

[0026] (Configuration and Functions of the Casting Control Device According to the Embodiment) FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the casting control device 1.

[0027] The casting control device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, an output unit 14, and a processing unit 20. The communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, the input unit 13, the output unit 14, and the processing unit 20 are connected to one another via a bus 15. The casting control device 1 executes a casting control process for controlling the continuous casting machine 100, such as determining the width of the mold 104, using information related to continuous casting including casting speed information input from a casting speed sensor 109. The casting control device 1 may be, for example, a personal computer, or a monitoring control device that monitors and controls the continuous casting machine 100.

[0028] The communication unit 11 has a wired communication interface circuit such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and communicates with the mold 104, the secondary cooling zone 105, the strand reduction device 106, the strand cutting device 107, and the like via control wiring 110.

[0029] The storage unit 12 includes at least one of a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic tape device, a magnetic disk device, and an optical disk device. The storage unit 12 stores an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, data, and the like used in the processing in the processing unit 20. For example, the storage unit 12 stores a mold width determination program and the like for causing the processing unit 20 to execute a mold width determination process for determining the width of the mold 104 using information related to continuous casting including casting speed information input from the casting speed sensor 109. The mold width determination program may be installed in the storage unit 12 from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. The storage unit 12 also stores various data used in the mold width determination process.

[0030] For example, the memory unit 12 stores a casting speed table 121 indicating the correlation between the rotational speed detected by the casting speed sensor 109 and the casting speed of the slab 201. The casting speed table 121 stores a plurality of rotational speeds [rpm] in association with a rotational speed [m / s].

[0031] The memory unit 12 also stores water injection amount information 122, pressure information 123, and aspect ratio information 124. The water injection amount information 122 indicates an indicated water amount, which is an amount of cooling water 153 injected per unit length, such as 1 m, in the casting direction of the slab 201 per unit time, such as 1 minute. The pressure information 123 indicates the pressure when softly reducing the continuously cast slab, and indicates, for example, the pressure that is the rolling force of the delivery rolls that start the soft reduction zone. The aspect ratio information 124 indicates a ratio between a desired width and a desired thickness of the slab 201 to be continuously cast. The aspect ratio information 124 is input by an operator via the input unit 13.

[0032] The input unit 13 may be any device capable of inputting data, such as a touch panel or a keyboard. An operator can use the input unit 13 to input letters, numbers, symbols, and the like. When the input unit 13 is operated by the operator, it generates a signal corresponding to the operation. The generated signal is then supplied to the processing unit 20 as an instruction from the operator.

[0033] The output unit 14 may be any device capable of displaying video, images, etc., such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The output unit 14 displays video corresponding to video data supplied from the processing unit 20, images corresponding to image data, etc. The output unit 14 may also be an output device that prints video, images, characters, etc. on a display medium such as paper.

[0034] The processing unit 20 has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processing unit 20 centrally controls the overall operation of the casting control device 1, and is, for example, a CPU. The processing unit 20 executes processing based on programs (driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, etc.) stored in the storage unit 12. The processing unit 20 can also execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel.

[0035] The processing unit 20 has a water volume control unit 21, a reduction control unit 22, an information acquisition unit 23, a mold width determination unit 24, and a mold width information output unit 25. Each of these units is a functional module realized by a program executed by a processor included in the processing unit 20. Alternatively, each of these units may be implemented in the casting control device 1 as firmware.

[0036] The water quantity control unit 21 controls the amount of cooling water 153 injected from the multiple cooling water nozzles 152 into the slab 201 in response to a water quantity instruction input by an operator via the input unit 13. The water quantity instruction includes an instruction water quantity, which is the amount of cooling water 153 injected per unit time per unit length in the casting direction of the slab 201. In response to the input of the water quantity instruction, the water quantity control unit 21 controls the opening degree of the cooling water nozzles 152 and the water pressure of the cooling water 153 so that the instruction water quantity is injected into the slab 201. The water quantity control unit 21 stores in the memory unit 12 injected water quantity information 122 indicating the instruction water quantity, which is the amount of cooling water 153 injected per unit time per unit length in the casting direction of the slab 201.

[0037] The reduction control unit 22 controls the pressure applied by the slab reduction device 106 to reduce the slab 201 in response to a reduction instruction input by an operator via the input unit 13. The reduction instruction includes a pressure to be applied when softly reducing the continuously cast slab. In response to the input of the reduction instruction, the reduction control unit 22 controls the slab reduction device 106 so that a predetermined pressure is applied to the slab 201. The reduction control unit 22 stores in the memory unit 12 pressure information 123 indicating the pressure to be applied when softly reducing the continuously cast slab.

[0038] (Mold width determination process by the casting control device according to the embodiment) Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a mold width determination process executed by the casting control device 1. The mold width determination process shown in Fig. 4 is executed in response to a change in the width of a cast strip 201 to be produced while a continuous casting process is being performed in the continuous casting machine 100. The mold width determination process shown in Fig. 4 is executed mainly by the processing unit 20 in cooperation with each element of the casting control device 1, based on a program previously stored in the storage unit 12.

[0039] First, the information acquiring unit 23 acquires casting speed information indicating the casting speed of the slab 201 continuously cast through the mold 104 (S101). The information acquiring unit 23 acquires rotational speed information indicating the rotational speed detected by the casting speed sensor 109. The information acquiring unit 23 refers to the casting speed table 121 to acquire casting speed information indicating the casting speed associated with the rotational speed corresponding to the rotational speed information acquired from the casting speed sensor 109.

[0040] Next, the information acquiring unit 23 acquires pouring amount information indicating the amount of cooling water 153 poured into the slab 201 during continuous casting (S102). The information acquiring unit 23 acquires the pouring amount information 122 stored in the memory unit 12 as pouring amount information indicating the amount of cooling water 153 poured into the slab 201 during continuous casting.

[0041] Next, the information acquiring unit 23 acquires pressure information indicating the pressure for reducing the continuously cast slab 201 (S103). The information acquiring unit 23 acquires the pressure information 123 stored in the memory unit 12 as pressure information indicating the pressure for reducing the continuously cast slab 201.

[0042] Next, the information acquiring unit 23 acquires aspect ratio information indicating the ratio between the desired width and the desired thickness of the slab 201 to be continuously cast (S104). The information acquiring unit 23 acquires the aspect ratio information 124 stored in the memory unit 12 as aspect ratio information indicating the ratio between the desired width and the desired thickness of the slab 201 to be continuously cast.

[0043] Next, the mold width determination unit 24 determines the width of the mold 104 from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 23 and the desired width of the slab 201 to be produced by continuous casting (S105). The width of the mold 104 determined by the mold width determination unit 24 is, for example, the width of the outlet side of the mold 104. The mold width determination unit 24 determines the width of the mold 104 using the following formula (1). W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A2* V W+ A3* P + A4* W / T) (1)

[0044] In formula (1), the width W is the desired width of the slab 201 to be produced by continuous casting, the casting speed Vc is the casting speed corresponding to the casting speed information acquired in the process of S101, the amount of injected water Vw is the amount of water corresponding to the amount of injected water information acquired in the process of S102, the pressure P is the pressure corresponding to the pressure information acquired in the process of S103, the ratio W / T is the ratio corresponding to the aspect ratio information acquired in the process of S104, and the coefficients A0, A1, A2, A3, and A4 are given constants.

[0045] Then, the mold width information output unit 25 outputs mold width information indicating the width of the mold 104 determined by the mold width determination unit 24 in the processing of S105 to the mold plate driving unit 143 of the mold 104 (S106). In response to the input of the mold width information, the mold plate driving unit 143 moves the pair of narrow side mold plates 142 so that the width of the mold 104 becomes a width corresponding to the mold width information.

[0046] (Modification of the casting control device according to the embodiment) In the casting control device 1, the mold width determination unit 24 determines the width of the mold from the casting speed information determined from the casting speed table 121, and the water injection amount information 122, the pressure information 123, and the aspect ratio information 124 stored in the memory unit 12. However, in the casting control device according to the embodiment, the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the casting speed information determined from the casting speed table 121, and at least one of the water injection amount information 122, the pressure information 123, and the aspect ratio information 124.

[0047] For example, in the casting control device of the embodiment, the information acquisition unit may acquire casting speed information and water injection amount information, and the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the casting speed information and water injection amount information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0048] In addition, in the casting control device according to the embodiment, the information acquisition unit may acquire casting speed information and pressure information, and the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the casting speed information and pressure information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0049] In addition, in the casting control device of the embodiment, the information acquisition unit may acquire casting speed information and aspect ratio information, and the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the casting speed information and aspect ratio information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0050] In the casting control device according to the embodiment, the information acquisition unit acquires casting speed information, pouring water amount information, and pressure information, and the mold width determination unit determines the casting speed information, pouring water amount information, and pressure information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Pressure Information The width of the template may be determined from

[0051] In the casting control device according to the embodiment, the information acquisition unit acquires casting speed information, water injection amount information, and aspect ratio information, and the mold width determination unit determines the casting speed information, water injection amount information, and aspect ratio information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Aspect Ratio Information The width of the template may be determined from

[0052] In addition, in the casting control device of the embodiment, the information acquisition unit may acquire casting speed information, pressure information and aspect ratio information, and the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the casting speed information, pressure information and aspect ratio information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0053] In addition, in the casting control device of the embodiment, the information acquisition unit may acquire casting speed information, water injection amount information, pressure information and aspect ratio information, and the mold width determination unit may determine the width of the mold from the four pieces of information acquired by the information acquisition unit.

[0054] In addition, the casting control device 1 determines the width of the mold, but the casting control device according to the embodiment may determine parameters related to the taper in addition to the width of the mold, as in Patent Document 1, and control the mold 104 based on the determined parameters.

[0055] (Functions and Effects of the Casting Control Device According to the Embodiment) The casting control device of the embodiment determines the width of the mold based on the casting speed as well as the amount of cooling water injected, the pressure during soft reduction, and the ratio of the width and thickness of the strand to be produced, so that it can determine the width of the strand with higher accuracy than conventional techniques that determine the width of the mold based only on the casting speed.

[0056] 5(a) is a diagram showing the relationship between the casting speed and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100, and FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing the relationship between the specific water amount in the secondary cooling zone 105 of the continuous casting machine 100 and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100. FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing the relationship between the slab reduction force in the slab reduction device 106 and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100. In FIG. 5(a), the horizontal axis shows the casting speed, in FIG. 5(b), the horizontal axis shows the specific water amount in the secondary cooling of the continuous casting machine 100, and in FIG. 5(c), the horizontal axis shows the slab reduction force in the slab reduction device 106. In addition, in FIG. 5(a), 5(b), and 5(c), the vertical axis shows the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 5(a), there is a correlation between the casting speed and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100, in that the faster the casting speed, the thicker the width of the slab 201. As shown in Fig. 5(b), there is a correlation between the specific water amount in the secondary cooling and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100, in that the wider the width of the slab 201 is, as with the relationship between the casting speed and the width of the slab 201. As shown in Fig. 5(c), there is a correlation between the slab reduction force and the width of the slab 201 cast by the continuous casting machine 100, in that the wider the width of the slab 201 is, as with the relationship between the casting speed and the width of the slab 201.

[0058] The casting control device according to the embodiment can control the width of the cast slab with high precision based on the knowledge that the width of the cast slab 201 can be estimated from the width of the mold based on the specific water amount, the slab reduction force, and the ratio of the width and thickness of the slab 201, as well as the casting speed.

[0059] FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing the correlation between the slab width determined by the formula (1) shown in Patent Document 1 and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing the correlation between the slab width determined by the formula (1) used by the mold width determination unit 24 and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. FIG. 6(c) is a diagram showing the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by the formula in which the variables adopted among the variables included in the formula (1) used by the mold width determination unit 24 are changed and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. In FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the horizontal axis shows the predicted width determined by the formula, and the vertical axis shows the actual measured value of the width of the slab cast with the corresponding mold width.

[0060] In Fig. 6(c), each of bars 601-608 indicates the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by an equation in which the variables adopted among the variables included in equation (1) are changed, and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. Bar 601 indicates the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by the following equation (2) in which only the casting speed Vc is adopted as a variable among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc) (2)

[0061] Bar 602 indicates the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by the following equation (3), which uses the casting speed Vc and the amount of water injection Vw as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured value of the width of the cast slab. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A2* V W ) (3)

[0062] Bar 603 shows the degree of agreement between the width of the slab determined by the following equation (4), which uses the casting speed Vc and pressure P as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured width of the cast slab. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A3* P) (4)

[0063] Bar 604 shows the degree of agreement between the width of the strand determined by the following equation (5), which employs the casting speed Vc and the ratio W / T as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured width of the cast strand. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A4* W / T) (5)

[0064] Bar 605 indicates the degree of agreement between the slab width determined by the following equation (6) which employs the casting speed Vc, the water injection amount Vw, and the pressure P as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured value of the slab width as cast. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A2* V W + A3* P) (6)

[0065] Bar 606 shows the degree of agreement between the width of the slab determined by the following equation (3), which uses the casting speed Vc, the amount of water injection Vw, and the ratio W / T as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured width of the cast slab. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A2* V W + A4* W / T) (7)

[0066] Bar 607 shows the degree of agreement between the width of the slab determined by the following equation (8), which employs the casting speed Vc, pressure P and ratio W / T as variables among the variables defined in equation (1), and the actual measured width of the cast slab. W mold = W * (A0+ A1* Vc + A3* P + A4* W / T) (8)

[0067] Bar 608 shows the agreement between the strand width determined using equation (1) and the actual measured width of the cast strand.

[0068] As shown in bar 601, the degree of agreement between the slab width predicted using equation (2) with only the casting speed Vc as a variable and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 83.6%. On the other hand, as shown in bar 608, the degree of agreement between the slab width predicted using equation (1) with only the casting speed Vc as a variable and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 93.4% by the casting control device 1. The mold width determination process executed by the casting control device 1 can produce approximately 10% more slabs with a width error within the range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0069] As shown in bar 602, the degree of agreement between the slab width predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (3) with the casting speed Vc and the water injection amount Vw as variables and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 86.2%. The mold width determination process executed using equation (3) can produce approximately 3% more slabs with a width error within the range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0070] As shown in bar 603, the agreement between the slab width predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (4) with the casting speed Vc and pressure P as variables and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 85.1%. The mold width determination process performed using equation (4) can produce approximately 1.5% more slabs with a width error within a range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0071] As shown in bar 604, the agreement between the width of the slab predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (5) with the casting speed Vc and the ratio W / T as variables and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 90.1%. The mold width determination process performed using equation (5) can produce approximately 6.5% more slabs with a width error within the range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0072] As shown in bar 605, the agreement between the slab width predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (6) with the casting speed Vc, water injection amount Vw, and pressure P as variables and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 88.2%. The mold width determination process performed using equation (6) can produce approximately 4.5% more slabs with a width error within a range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0073] As shown in bar 606, the agreement between the width of the slab predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (7) with the casting speed Vc, the water injection amount Vw, and the ratio W / T as variables and the actual measured width of the cast slab is 89.9%. The mold width determination process performed using equation (7) can produce approximately 6.5% more slabs with a width error within a range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0074] As shown in bar 607, the agreement between the width of the slab predicted by the casting control device 1 using equation (8) with the casting speed Vc, pressure P, and ratio W / T as variables and the measured width of the cast slab is 89.9%. The mold width determination process performed using equation (8) can produce about 6.5% more slabs with a width error within the range of ±10 mm than the conventional mold width determination process.

[0075] The above describes a casting control device that determines the width of the mold based on the casting speed Vc, etc. and the desired width of the strand to be produced. However, the present invention may also be a slab width estimation device that estimates the width of the strand based on the casting speed Vc, etc. and the width of the mold.

[0076] (Configuration and Function of Cast Plate Width Estimation Device According to the Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a cast strip width estimation device according to an embodiment.

[0077] The strand width estimation device 2 differs from the casting control device 1 in that it has a processing unit 30 instead of the processing unit 20. The processing unit 30 differs from the processing unit 20 in that it has a strand width estimation unit 34 and a strand width information output unit 35 instead of the mold width determination unit 24 and the mold width information output unit 25. The configurations and functions of the components of the strand width estimation device 2 other than the strand width estimation unit 34 and the strand width information output unit 35 are the same as the configurations and functions of the components of the casting control device 1 with the same reference numerals, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0078] (Branch width determination process by the slab width estimation device according to the embodiment) Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a process for estimating the width of a cast piece executed by the apparatus 2 for estimating the width of a cast piece. The process for estimating the width of a cast piece shown in Fig. 8 is executed mainly by the processing unit 30 in cooperation with each element of the apparatus 2 for estimating the width of a cast piece, based on a program stored in advance in the storage unit 12.

[0079] The processes of S201 to S204 are similar to those of S101 to S104, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here. After the process of S204 is completed, the slab width estimation unit 34 estimates the width of the slab 201 produced by continuous casting from the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 23 and the width of the mold 104 (S205). The slab width estimation unit 34 estimates the width of the slab 201 using the above-mentioned formula (1). Then, the slab width information output unit 35 outputs slab width information indicating the width of the slab 201 determined by the slab width estimation unit 34 in the process of S205 (S206). [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Casting control device 2. Cast plate width estimation device 20, 30 Processing section 21 Water volume control section 22 Rolling control section 23 Information Acquisition Department 24 Mold width determination section 25 Mold width information output section 34. Cast Plate Width Estimation Section 35 Cast plate width information output section 100 Continuous Casting Machine 104 Mold 105 Secondary cooling zone 106 Casting reduction device 109 Casting speed sensor

Claims

1. an information acquisition unit that acquires casting speed information indicating a casting speed of a slab that is continuously cast through a mold whose width is variable, and aspect ratio information indicating a ratio between a desired plate width and a desired plate thickness of the slab that is continuously cast; a mold width determination unit that determines a width of the mold based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit and a desired width of a cast strip to be continuously cast; A mold width information output unit that outputs mold width information indicating the width of the mold determined by the mold width determination unit; A casting control device comprising:

2. The casting control device according to claim 1 , wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires pressure information indicating a pressure when soft reduction is applied to a continuously cast slab.

3. The casting control device according to claim 2 , wherein the information acquisition unit further acquires water injection amount information indicating an amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting.

4. The mold width determination unit determines a width W of a continuously cast slab, a casting speed Vc corresponding to the casting speed information, a water injection amount Vw corresponding to the water injection amount information, a pressure P corresponding to the pressure information, and a ratio W / T corresponding to the aspect ratio information and a coefficient A ０ , A １ , A ２ , A ３ and A ４ The width of the template is determined using the following formula (1): W ｍｏｌｄ = W * (A ０ + A １ * Vc + A ２ * V Ｗ + A ３ * P + A ４ * W / T) (1) The casting control device according to claim 3 .

5. Obtaining casting speed information indicating a casting speed of a slab continuously cast through a mold having a variable width, and aspect ratio information indicating a ratio between a desired width and a desired thickness of the slab continuously cast; determining a width of the mold based on the casting speed information, the aspect ratio information, and a desired width of the slab to be continuously cast; outputting mold width information indicating the determined width of the mold; A method for determining a mold width, comprising:

6. Further acquiring water injection amount information indicating the amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting; 6. The mold width determination method according to claim 5, wherein the mold width is determined based on casting speed information, the aspect ratio information, the water injection amount information, and the desired plate width.

7. Obtaining casting speed information indicating a casting speed of a slab continuously cast through a mold having a variable width, and aspect ratio information indicating a ratio between a desired width and a desired thickness of the slab continuously cast; determining a width of the mold based on the casting speed information, the aspect ratio information, and a desired width of the slab to be continuously cast; outputting mold width information indicating the determined mold width; A mold width determination program that causes a computer to execute a process.

8. Further acquiring water injection amount information indicating the amount of cooling water injected into the slab during continuous casting; 8. The mold width determination program according to claim 7, wherein the width of the mold is determined based on casting speed information, the aspect ratio information, the water injection amount information, and the desired plate width.

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