Continuous Thin Strip Casting With In-Line Heating for Thickness Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing continuous casting and rolling processes for thin strips face challenges such as uneven thickness, rolling-induced cracks, and poor surface quality, which affect the mechanical properties and aesthetics of the finished product.
Innovation Solution
The process involves continuous casting, followed by in-line heating of the casting blank to ensure uniform temperature distribution, and then rough rolling, induction heating, finish rolling, laminar cooling, high-speed shearing, and coiling. This approach ensures that the wide surfaces, narrow surfaces, and corners of the casting blank are heated simultaneously, optimizing the surface temperature for subsequent rolling processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional casting and rolling process is used (casting blank is casted first, cooled, then heated in heating furnace and rolled), then the process is simple and energy consumption is low, but the production efficiency is low and metal yield is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the casting and rolling processes into a continuous operation where the casting blank is directly fed from the continuous caster to the rolling mill without interruption. The casting blank is heated in-line during transport and rolled immediately upon exiting the caster, eliminating the need for separate cooling and heating stages. This integration dramatically improves production efficiency while maintaining process simplicity through automated continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary heating to the casting blank while it is still in transit from the caster to the rolling mill. By heating the blank in-line during transport rather than after cooling, the process prepares the material for rolling in advance, eliminating waiting time and enabling continuous production without sacrificing energy efficiency.
2Productivity
If CSP or ISP process is used (cutting casting blank before finish rolling and entering finish rolling machine in groups), then the process can be industrialized, but continuous casting and rolling without intermittent connection is not realized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous casting and rolling by eliminating all intermittent cutting and grouping operations. The casting blank is produced continuously by the caster, heated in-line during transport, and fed continuously into the rolling mill. This unbroken workflow maintains process continuity throughout the entire production line, enabling true continuous manufacturing without the interruptions inherent in batch processing methods.
3Manufacturing precision
If ESP process is used (shearing process moved to before coiling, realizing intermittent connection), then continuous casting and rolling is partially achieved, but iron oxide skin press-in, rolling warping, and uneven thickness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the iron oxide skin from the casting blank surface before the rolling process begins, rather than attempting to address it during or after rolling. This preliminary cleaning prevents the oxide skin from being pressed into the material during rolling, eliminating press-in defects and associated surface quality issues while ensuring thickness uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potentially harmful iron oxide skin into a removable surface layer that can be cleaned before rolling. By addressing the oxide skin issue proactively through pre-rolling cleaning, the process transforms what would be a harmful contaminant into a controlled preprocessing step, eliminating defects without compromising the rolling process.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If mechanical cleaning process is added (heating iron oxide skin to molten state and removing with water), then surface quality is improved, but thickness uniformity and crack reduction need further improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the heating parameters to precisely control the temperature distribution throughout the casting blank. By adjusting heating intensity and duration, the process achieves uniform temperature that prevents both insufficient heating (which would cause thickness variation) and excessive heating (which would cause warping and cracks). This parameter optimization simultaneously improves thickness uniformity while maintaining surface quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies differential heating to different regions of the casting blank, with enhanced heating at the edges and corners compared to the center. This local quality approach ensures uniform temperature distribution throughout the cross-section of the blank, preventing warping and thickness variation while maintaining effective oxide skin removal on the surface.
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 improves the uniformity of finished thin strips, reduces the out-of-tolerance percentage, enhances thickness stability, and decreases rolling-induced cracks, thereby improving the quality and reducing defects in the final product.
Implementation Method 1
the process involves continuous casting, followed by in-line heating of the casting blank to ensure uniform temperature distribution
Implementation Method 2
rough rolling, induction heating, finish rolling
Implementation Method 3
laminar cooling
Data Source
AI summary
A process for thin strip production integrates continuous casting and rolling, with steps including continuous casting, rough rolling, induction heating, finish rolling, laminar cooling, high-speed shearing, and coiling. A key feature is the in-line heating between casting and rough rolling, where wide surfaces, narrow surfaces, and corners of the casting blank are heated simultaneously. This process improves rough rolling efficiency, enhances uniformity and thickness stability of thin strips, reduces out-of-tolerance rates, and minimizes rolling-induced cracks.