Hot Strip Rolling Line Layout for Thin and Conventional Slabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing apparatuses for hot strip production are bulky, costly, and difficult to adapt to existing plants, and they struggle to produce uniform and homogeneous strip with varying slab thicknesses, particularly for materials like alloy steels and stainless steels.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that aligns a casting machine, heating device, roughing unit, and finishing unit along a common working axis, with a lateral feed line for conventional slabs, allowing a single roughing unit to handle both thin and conventional slabs through one-directional and two-directional rolling configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If an auxiliary rolling line is added to handle conventional slabs, then the productivity and efficiency of the plant is improved, but the device complexity and bulk increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The rolling line is designed with reversible roughing stands that can perform both one-directional rolling for thin slabs and two-directional rolling for conventional slabs. This multi-functionality allows a single rolling line to handle both slab types, eliminating the need for an auxiliary rolling line while maintaining high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The roughing stands are equipped with reversible rolling capability that can dynamically switch between one-directional and two-directional rolling modes. This dynamic adaptability allows the same equipment to optimize its operation for different slab types, improving productivity without adding permanent auxiliary structures
2Productivity
If an auxiliary rolling line is added to handle conventional slabs, then the productivity is improved, but the investment and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By designing the rolling line with universal roughing stands that can process both thin and conventional slabs, the plant avoids the need for duplicate equipment. This reduces capital investment while maintaining the ability to handle diverse slab types with high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The functionality of handling both thin slabs and conventional slabs is merged into a single rolling line through the reversible roughing stands. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate auxiliary rolling lines, reducing both investment and maintenance costs while preserving productivity
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional slabs are fed to a rolling line designed for thin slabs, then the adaptability is improved, but the manufacturing precision of the strip deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The roughing stands can dynamically switch between one-directional rolling mode for thin slabs and two-directional rolling mode for conventional slabs. This dynamic configuration adjustment ensures that each slab type receives the appropriate rolling treatment, maintaining manufacturing precision while improving adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling parameters such as rolling direction, number of passes, and stand configuration can be changed based on the slab type. For conventional slabs, the system employs two-directional rolling with adjusted parameters to achieve uniform dimensional quality, whereas thin slabs use one-directional rolling with different parameters
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 configuration reduces complexity and bulk, lowers investment and maintenance costs, and enables production of uniform and homogeneous strip with improved flexibility for various steel types, while being easily applicable to existing continuous casting plants.
Implementation Method 1
a heating device (16) configured to maintain the temperature of and/or heat the thin slab
Implementation Method 2
at least one roughing unit (19) configured to rough at least the thin slab
Implementation Method 3
a rolling line (49) located downstream and aligned with the casting line (11) and with a plurality of roughing stands (31) and finishing stands (29) disposed in sequence and in which the thin slab is progressively reduced in thickness
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
An apparatus for the hot production of strip (N) comprises a casting machine (11) configured to cast a thin slab (TS), a heating device (16) configured to maintain the temperature of and/or heat said thin slab (TS), at least one roughing unit (19) and a finishing unit (20) configured to obtain a strip (N), and wherein said casting machine (11), said heating device (16), said roughing unit (19), and said finishing unit (20) are disposed aligned along a common working axis (Z).