Silicon Steel Hot-Rolled Strip Casting-Rolling Process

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for producing hot-rolled strip for grain-oriented electrical steel are either energy-intensive or result in quality loss, and the annealing furnaces used are not compact, leading to high investment costs.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a casting-rolling composite system where a specific steel alloy is melted, cast into a strand, rolled with high deformation, heated to a final temperature of 1050-1250°C, and then finish-rolled, with controlled cooling to achieve finely dispersed and homogeneously distributed growth inhibitors, allowing for efficient production of high-quality hot strips.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If conventional annealing furnaces are used to heat slabs, then the steel can be processed into grain-oriented electrical steel, but the process becomes very energy-intensive and the furnaces are not compact, increasing investment costs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality of grain-oriented electrical steelVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the temperature parameters and heating method by using a heating device that heats the strip to 1050-1250°C in a controlled manner after rolling, replacing conventional annealing furnaces. This parameter change enables the same metallurgical transformation with reduced energy consumption and more compact equipment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs high-degree deformation rolling (10-50% per pass, total >50%) before the final heating step, preliminarily creating the structural conditions needed for grain-oriented electrical steel. This preliminary action reduces the burden on the subsequent heating step, allowing lower energy input while achieving the desired microstructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If conventional annealing furnaces are used to heat slabs, then the steel can be processed into grain-oriented electrical steel, but the furnaces are not compact, increasing investment costs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvequality of grain-oriented electrical steelVSAvoidcompactness of heating equipment
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the heating method and temperature parameters, using a compact heating device that brings the strip to 1050-1250°C after rolling. This replaces bulky annealing furnaces with more compact equipment while maintaining the necessary thermal treatment for grain-oriented electrical steel production.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs high-degree deformation rolling before the final heating step, preliminarily creating the structural conditions needed for grain-oriented electrical steel. This preliminary action reduces the burden on the subsequent heating step, allowing the use of more compact heating equipment while achieving the desired microstructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If high degrees of deformation (10-50%) are applied during pre-rolling, then growth inhibitors can be finely dispersed, but the process requires intermediate heating to 1260-1400°C followed by hot rolling, increasing energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuniform distribution of growth inhibitorsVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the temperature parameter from the conventional 1260-1400°C intermediate heating to a lower 1050-1250°C final heating after high-degree deformation rolling. This parameter change reduces energy consumption while still achieving fine dispersion of growth inhibitors through the prior high-degree deformation (total >50%).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs high-degree deformation rolling (10-50% per pass, total >50%) as a preliminary action to finely disperse growth inhibitors before the final heating step. This preliminary dispersion action allows the subsequent lower-temperature heating to be effective, reducing overall energy consumption compared to conventional high-temperature intermediate heating.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 method enables the cost-effective production of high-quality hot strips with excellent magnetic, electrical, and geometric properties by ensuring uniform distribution of growth inhibitors, reducing energy consumption and investment costs while maintaining compactness.

Implementation Method 1

heating the intermediate belt in an oven; heating the strip to a final temperature of 1050 to 1250 °C

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

cooling and winding up the strip; cooling and coiling of the strip

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCooling: Cooling

Implementation Method 3

Pre-rolling the descaled slab into an intermediate strip with high degrees of deformation of 10 - 50%; the total degree of deformation of all passes being > 50%

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDeformation: Deformation

Data Source

PatentEP2334830B1Method for producing hot-rolled strip from silicon steel
Publication Date: 2017.04.19 PRIMETALS TECH AUSTRIA GMBH
  • EP2334830B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2334830B1 patent drawing

AI summary

The invention relates to a method and to a device for producing hot-rolled strip from silicon-alloyed steels for further processing into grain-oriented electrical steel strip. The aim of the invention is to create a method and a combined casting/rolling installation (1) with which high-quality hot-rolled strip for further processing into grain-oriented electrical steel strip can be produced at low cost. Said aim is achieved by a method wherein the following method steps are performed on a combined casting/rolling installation in the sequence specified: a) melting a steel having a chemical composition in wt % of Si 2 to 7%, C 0.01 to 0.1%, Mn < 0.3%, Cu 0.1 to 0.7%, Sn < 0.2%, S < 0.05%, Al < 0.09%, Cr < 0.3%, N < 0.02%, P < 0.1%, remainder Fe and impurities; b) casting a strand (3) having a thickness of 25 to 150 mm on a continuous casting installation (2); c) rolling into a strip (4) in up to 4 rolling passes directly after casting the strand, wherein at least in one rolling pass a true strain is > 30% or the total true strain of all passes is > 50%; d) heating the strip to a final temperature of 1050 to 1250 °C, preferably 1100 to 1180 °C; e) finish rolling the strip in a second rolling train (8), then f) cooling and winding the strip.