Endless Rolling Mill Heating Layout for Temperature-Stable Merchant Products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rolling plants for merchant products face significant material loss and increased production costs due to excessive cutting operations, temperature drops during high-speed rolling, and uneven cooling, leading to defects and inefficiencies in producing consistent lengths of finished products.
Innovation Solution
A process and apparatus that utilize first heating means exclusively arranged between pairs of consecutive rolling stand groups to maintain the temperature of long casting products above 800°C, allowing for endless or semi-endless rolling modes, minimizing cutting operations, and optimizing energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-speed rolling is performed to maintain product temperature above 800°C, then rolling productivity is improved, but temperature drop during rolling causes quality deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The heating means are positioned to preheat the product before it enters the rolling stands, ensuring that the product reaches the required temperature above 800°C before and during rolling operations, thus preventing temperature drop while maintaining high rolling speed
Solution Approach 2:
The heating means operate continuously during the rolling process to maintain constant temperature control, ensuring uninterrupted thermal treatment throughout the high-speed rolling operation from entry to exit of the rolling mill
2Manufacturing precision
If cutting operations are performed to manage product length, then product shape control is improved, but material loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the continuous casting machine's inherent length control capabilities and the rolling mill's continuous operation to naturally produce products of desired lengths without requiring additional cutting operations, allowing the process to self-regulate product length through coordinated casting and rolling speeds
3Temperature
If multiple heating means are distributed throughout the rolling mill, then temperature control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating function is extracted and concentrated into a single dedicated heating means positioned at the entry region of the rolling mill, eliminating the need for multiple distributed heating devices while maintaining effective temperature control through targeted heating at the critical entry point
4Use of energy by moving object
If billets are cooled between casting and rolling, then energy consumption is reduced, but rolling quality deteriorates due to temperature drop
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous heating action from the casting machine through the rolling mill without interruption or cooling intervals, ensuring the product remains at optimal temperature throughout the entire process, thereby guaranteeing rolling quality while managing energy consumption through efficient continuous heating rather than intermittent high-energy heating
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces material loss, lowers production costs, and enables the production of high-quality metallurgical products with consistent lengths and improved mechanical properties by maintaining optimal temperature control throughout the rolling process.
Implementation Method 1
said long casting product is heated by first heating means exclusively arranged between one pair of consecutive rolling stand groups
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing metallurgical products, in particular at least of the merchant type,in which there are provided the steps of:a) producing a long casting product by means of a continuous casting machine;b) rolling said long casting product by means of a rolling mill comprising a plurality of rolling stand groups;wherein during step b), said long casting product is heated by first heating means exclusively arranged between one pair of consecutive rolling stand groups;wherein said first heating means are the only heating means between the rolling stand groups of the rolling mill; and an apparatus adapted to perform the aforesaid process.