Method for cooling a continuously cast strand

• US 3,935,896 A
• Filed: 02/28/1974
• Issued: 02/03/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SMS Concast Inc.
• Original Assignee: Concast Incorporated
• Inventors: Helms, Jimmy L., Tegtmeier, Richard J., Backhaus, Karl L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Annear, R. Spencer
• Application Number:
  US05/447,006
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 164/89, 164/283 R, 164/283 S
• US Class Current: 164/486
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/046 Outlets formed, e.g. cut, in the circumference of tubular or spherical elements
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/267 the liquid or other fluent material being deflected in determined directions
• CPC Class Codes: B22D 11/1246 Nozzles; Spray heads

Abstract

A method of cooling a continuously cast strand, particularly a steel strand, in a secondary cooling zone of a continuous casting plant wherein a spray nozzle disposed at the region of at least two consecutively spaced guiding means produces a spray pattern of liquid coolant, typically water, which impinges the surface of the cast strand with a substantially uniform distribution of the coolant and a substantially uniform impingement force at least over the major portion of the transverse width dimension of such cast strand. The invention further contemplates feeding the liquid coolant into the nozzle so as to flow initially essentially in the axial extent thereof and then to depart therefrom in a direction extending transversely with respect thereto to form such spray pattern of liquid coolant.

Claims

1. A method of cooling a continuously cast strand, particularly a steel strand, in a secondary cooling zone of a continuous casting plant, comprising the steps of arranging a spray nozzle at the region of at least two consecutively spaced guiding means for guiding the cast strand along a predetermined path of travel, moving the cast strand along said predetermined path of travel defined by said guiding means, feeding coolant into the nozzle to flow initially essentially in the axial extent thereof and then to depart therefrom in a direction extending transversely with respect to the axial flow of the coolant through the nozzle to thereby form a spray pattern of coolant, directing the spray pattern of coolant towards the surface of the cast strand to impinge thereat along an impingement area extending substantially transversely across the surface of the cast strand, producing a distribution of coolant at the impingement area of the strand which is substantially uniform at least over the major portion of the transverse width dimension thereof, said major portion of the transverse width dimension amounting to at least about 60 percent of said transverse width dimension of the strand, and substantially uniformly cooling the cast strand across its transverse width dimension by means of the impinging spray pattern of coolant.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, further including the step of controlling the departure of the spray pattern of coolant from the nozzle to regulate the spray angle thereof.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, including the step of forming a spray pattern having a relatively large width in the direction of the transverse width dimension of the strand and a relatively small and substantially uniform thickness in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strand.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the spray pattern emanating from the nozzle extends over the entire transverse width dimension of the cast strand.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further including the step of producing by means of said spray nozzle a spray pattern having an impingement force at the impingement area of the strand which is substantially constant at least over the major extent of the transverse width dimension thereof.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, including the step of using only a single spray nozzle for cooling each transverse width dimensional extent of the cast strand.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said major portion of the transverse width dimension amounts to at least 70 percent of the transverse width dimension of the strand.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of substantially uniformly cooling the cast strand across its transverse width dimension by means of the impinging spray pattern of coolant includes removing substantially the same quantity of heat over said at least major portion of the transverse width dimension of the strand.

9. A method of cooling a continuously cast strand in a secondary cooling zone of a continuous casting plant, comprising the steps of arranging a spray nozzle at the region of at least two consecutive spaced guiding means for guiding the cast strand along a predetermined path of travel, moving a cast strand along said predetermined path of travel defined by said spaced guiding means, feeding liquid coolant into the spray nozzle, forming from said liquid coolant a spray pattern which emanates from the spray nozzle and impinges the cast strand along an impingement area extending substantially transversely across the surface of the cast strand, and producing a distribution of liquid coolant over the impingement area of the strand which is substantially uniform at least over the major portion of the transverse width of the strand, in order to substantially uniformly cool the strand across its transverse width dimension, said major portion of the transverse width dimension amounting to at least about 60 percent of said transverse width dimension of the strand.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, further including the step of producing by means of the liquid coolant a spray pattern which impinges the impingement area of the surface of the cast strand with an impingement force which is substantially constant at least over the major portion of the transverse width dimension thereof.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, further including the step of delivering the liquid coolant to the spray nozzle so as to initially flow in the axial throughflow direction thereof and thereafter to depart therefrom in a direction transverse thereto.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the departing direction of the liquid coolant from the spray nozzle in the form of a spray pattern is in a direction substantially radially with respect to the axial throughflow direction of the liquid coolant through the spray nozzle.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, including the step of controlling the pressure of the liquid coolant to be in a range between 10 psig to 150 psig.

14. The method as defined in claim 9, including the step of producing a distribution of the liquid coolant which remains substantially uniform across the major extent of the impingement area of the strand throughout a range of spray angles of the spray pattern emanating from the nozzle which is between about 60°

to 120°

.

15. The method as defined in claim 9, especially for cooling cast strands of different rectangular cross-sections, further including the step of utilizing the same spray nozzle for cooling such different cast strands.

16. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the spray pattern extends essentially linearly across the transverse width dimension of the cast strand.

17. The method as defined in claim 9, further including the step of controlling the spray pattern emanating from the spray nozzle to avoid any appreciable impingement with the associated guiding means for the cast strand so as to provide an essentially undisturbed spray pattern which impinges the surface of the cast strand.

18. The method as defined in claim 9, further including the step of controlling the departure of the liquid coolant from the spray nozzle so as to selectively adjust the impingement area thereof at the strand with respect to the transverse width dimension of the strand.

19. The method as defined in claim 9, especially for cooling cast strands of different chemical composition, further including the step of utilizing the same spray nozzle for cooling such different cast strands.

20. The method as defined in claim 9, especially for cooling cast strands of different rectangular cross-sections and different chemical composition, further including the step of utilizing the same spray nozzle for cooling such different cast strands.

21. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein said major portion of the transverse width dimension amounts to at least 70 percent of the transverse width dimension of the strand.

22. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the step of substantially uniformly cooling the cast strand across its transverse width dimension by means of the impinging spray pattern of coolant includes removing substantially the same quantity of heat over said at least major portion of the transverse width dimension of the strand.