Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
So
The present invention relates to improvements in a dummy
bar for continuous casting equipments.
The heretofore known dummy bar has a lenyth extending
frorn a mould to cast piece drawing rolls and that having the
shape of a chain or links has been used. Normally the overall
length of the dummy bar is about lOM, and hence a storage havinq
a similar length for the dummy bar is disposed on the outlet
side of the drawing device. Therefore, the dummy bar in the
prior art had the following shortcomings:
(i) After finishment of casting, the dummy bar can be
inserted into the mould again only after the last cast
piece has passed through the dummy bar storage.
(ii) The overall length of the cast piece conveying
equipment is elongated by the length of the dummy bar
storage and hence the cost of the cast piece conveying
equipment is raised.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to
provide a dummy bar device for continuous casting equipments
in which the above~described shortcomings of the dummy bar in
the prior art are eliminated, reinsertion of a dummy bar after
finishment of casting can be achieved quickly and the overal]
length of the cast piece conveying equipment can be shortened.
According to one feature of the present invention, there
is provided a dummy bar device for continuous casting equipments
comprising a short dummy bar body having such cross-section
configuration and siæe that can be inserted from the above into
a mould of the continuous casting equipment, a driving device
disposed at an appropriate position on a frame oE the continuous
-- 1 .
~L2~
casting equipment, a rotary arm having one end coupled to an
output shaft of said driving device so as to be rotationally
driven by the driving device, and a clamping arm pivotably
supported from a bracket on said rotary arm so as to ye rotated
about the pivot point by drive means, said dummy bar body beiny
adapted to be clamped between said rotary arm and a lower end
portion of said clamping arm by energizing said drive means or
to be released from the clamped condition by denergizing said
drive means.
The above-mentioned and other features and objects of the
present invention will become more apparent by reference to
the following description of a preferred embodiment of the
invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
Fig 1 is a side view partly in cross-section of one
preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the state
after commencement of casting,
Fig, 2 is a cross-section view taken along line A-A in
Fig. 1 as viewed in the direction of arrows,
Fig. 3 is a side view partly in cross-section of the same
preferred embodiment showing the state just prior to commence-
ment of casting, and
Fig. 4 is a cross-section view taken along line B-~ in
Fig. 3 as viewed in the direction of arrows.
Now the present invention will be described in greater
detail in connection to the preferred embodiment illustrated
in Figs. 1 to 4.
In Fig. 1, Leference numeral 2 designates a mould in a
continuous casting equipment, numeral designates cast piece
drawing rolls, numeral 8 designates a depression cylinder for
applying a depressing force to a drawing roll I, and it is
similar to the known continuous casting equipment that molten
steel 1 poured into the mou]d 2 from a tandish not shown is
drawn by a dummy bar as it is solidified and is led to the
drawing rolls I. However, a dummy bar device according to the
present invention is constructed as described in the following.
With reference to Fig. 1, reference numeral 3 designates
a dummy bar body of a short block shape, and this dummy bar
body 3 is made of similar material to the dummy bar head in the
prior art and has such cross-section configuration and size
that can be inserted from the above in-to the mould 2. Reference
numeral 5 designates a rotary arm having one end coupled to a
driving device 6 disposed at an appropriate position on a frame
F of the continuous casting equipment, numeral 7 designates
drive means sueh as, for example, a hydraulic cylinder mounted
at an appropriate position in the proximity of the upper end -
of the rotary arm 6, and to the tip end of a rod 7a of the
hydraulic eylinder 7 is coupled an upper end of a elamping arm
9 via a pin. Referenee numeral 10 designates a bracket provided
at an appropriate position on the ro-tary arm 5 as projected
therefrom as shown in Fig. 2, the clamping arm 9 is pivotably
supported from the bracket 10, and the clamping arm 9 is adapted
to be rotated about the pivot point on -the bracket 10 by exten-
sion and contraction of the rod 7a caused by actuation of the
hydraulic cylinder 7. And upon extension ox the rod 7a, the
clamping arm 9 talces the state shown by solid lines in Fig. 2
where the dummy bar body 3 is firmly clamped from its both
sides by the lower end portion of the clampiny arm and the
lower end portion of the rotary arm 5. While, upon contraction
of the rod 7a, the clamping arm 9 takes the state shown by
double-dot chain lines in Fig. 2 where the clamping ox the
dummy bar body 3 can be released. Thus, the aforementioned
dummy bar body 3, the rotary arm 5, the driving device 6, the
drive means 7, the clamping arm 9 and the bracket lO jointly
form a dummy bar device according to the present invention.
The dummy bar device according to one preferred embodiment
of the present invention is constructed as described`above, and
upon drawing a solidified cast piece within the mould 2, at
first the dummy bar body 3 is inserted into the mould 2 from
the above thereof to realize the state shown in Fig. 3, there-
after the rotary arm 5 is rotated in the clockwise direction
by the driving device 6 until the state shown in Fig. 3 is
realized, when the drive means 7 is actuated to Eirmly clamp
the dummy bar body 3 between the lower end portion of the clamp-'''
ing arm 9 and the lower end portion of the rotary arm 5 (See
Fig. 4). Subsequently, after commencement of casting, the
driving device 6 is actuated in the opposite direction to that
described above to ratate the rotary arm 5 in the anticlockwise
direction and thereby draw the cast piece from the mould 2
(See Fig. 1). Meanwhile, when the dummy bar body 3 has reached
the drawing rolls 4, the drive means 7 is actuated in the
opposite direction to that described above to release the
clamping action between the lower end portion of the rotary
arm 5 and the lower end portion of the clamping arm 9, the
ii7~
subsequent drawing operation is continued by means of the
drawing rolls 4, and then the dummy bar body 3 is disconnected
from the cast piece and stored at an appropriate place.
The dummy bar device according to the present invention
has the above-mentioned structural features and operational
functions. Thus, according to the present invention, since
provision is made such that a short dummy bar 3 is inserted
from the above into the mould before commencement of casting,
not only insertion of a dummy bar into a mould after completion
of casting can be carried out quickly, but also a dummy bar
having a long size is not necessitated, accordingly the overall
length of a cast piece conveying equipment can be shortened,
hence saving of an installation cost can be realized an the
space for installation can be reduced. The present invention
can provide the aforementioned practical effects and advantagesO
_ 5
