Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CONTINUOUS CASTING MACHINE WITH A CONTINUOUS CASTING
DIE FOR CASTING LIQUID METALS, PARTICULARLY STEEL
MATERIALS
The invention is directed to a continuous casting machine with a
continuous casting die for casting liquid metals, particularly steel
materials, with
broad-side plates which form the casting mold and between which are arranged
at both sides narrow-side plates which can be adjusted to form the continuous
casting width so that the shrinkage of the cast strand is taken into account
and at
which two piston-cylinder units, which are spaced apart vertically, are
provided
as actuators and support bearings whose position is measured by field
measurement devices, with the measurement data being conveyed in a BUS line
as BUS signals by fieldbus modules and stored in a control of the continuous
casting machine and are fed back to the actuators as control signals after
processing.
A continuous casting machine of the type mentioned above is known from
WO 01/94052 A1, which describes a continuous casting machine for localized
casting. data processing of_the measurement data obtained at a_continuous
casting
die by sensors. The processing of the casting data is carried out in a process
computer of the control system of the continuous casting installation.
Localized
reception of measurement data increases the efficiency of the measuring path
and
simplifies the measuring devices in that the measurement data and control data
are collected directly on the continuous casting die in cooled fieldbus
modules,
transferred as BUS signals in a BUS line, and stored and/or processed at least
in
the control system of the continuous casting installation.
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In order to adjust a piston rod that is articulated at the narrow-side plate
or
to adjust a hydraulic cylinder, different signals which occur and must be
converted in the vicinity of the hydraulic cylinder must be electrically
connected
to a regulating circuit. The valve stand which is required for adjusting the
hydraulic components is generally arranged at the shop framework in the area
of
the casting platform or below the latter (on so-called solid ground). The
control
equipment is usually installed in the area of the casting platform in the
control
room. It is important that there is a separation for the field devices in the
area of
the continuous casting die because the continuous casting die must be
dismantled
and reassembled quickly. Therefore, the measurement data can be supplied to
the control circuit in the control cabin by the field measurement devices only
from the continuous casting die or from the valve stand. The distance to the
control circuit in the control cabin is still very great and data from four
position
transmitters, four regulating valves in four synchronous serial interfaces and
twelve analog signals must be processed for each continuous casting die.
It is the object of the invention to acquire the measurement data in the area
of the continuous casting die in cooled field devices and to process this data
locally.
According to the invention, the above-stated object is achieved by
connecting the respective hydraulic cylinder of the piston-cylinder units to a
valve stand which is arranged in the area of the continuous casting die or the
continuous casting control and which has a stationary terminal box for the
measurement signal lines and control signal lines, and by connecting the
terminal
box to an axis regulator from which the fieldbus module supplies signals to a
memory-progratntnable control. In this way, cabling is advantageously reduced
and the distances between the component assemblies are shorted. But the chief
advantage consists in the axis regulators. The axis regulators are circuits
which
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are based on special microprocessors and are used for controlling servo-axes.
The standard software in the movement control adds a real-time control for the
axis adjustment. For example, the movement control includes interfaces for:
- machine transducers or incremental position transducers,
- digital or analog inputs or outputs,
- a PROFIBUS,
- a network.
The movement control used for the application comprises a remote control
and a data display device. The application software is standard and is stored
in a
retrievable memory. The movement control is capable of controlling a plurality
of axes (hydraulic piston-cylinder units). On the basis of a graphic menu, the
movement control is adapted to the type of axis and to the type of position
feedback by parameters. Programming is not necessary. The movement control
receives the required reference values and starting movement via the fieldbus
line connection and feeds them back to the master system with the position and
a
status reading. Further advantages consist in that the transmission of data
between the memory-programmable control and the axis regulator is non-critical
with respect to time and is reliable.
Application software modules can be standardized. The cost of material,
installation costs and the time spent on placing cable can be reduced.
Susceptibility to electrical interference is reduced. IViaintenance costs are
likewise reduced. The time required for assembly and operation startup is
reduced.
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Assembly and maintenance of the electronics are simplified in that the
memory-programmable control is connected to the fieldbus module by means of
a detachable plug-in connection with a corresponding quantity of contacts.
According to another embodiment, the same advantages are achieved in
that position transmitters which are integrated in the hydraulic cylinders are
connected to the valve stand at the shop framework by the plug-in connection.
Assemblies located in the vicinity of the heating zone are protected
according to further features in that the interior of the terminal boxes in
the area
of the continuous casting die is cooled.
Generally, for purposes of cooling, either air or cooling water which is
tapped off from the continuous casting die is used as coolant.
In a further development, the BUS line, fieldbus module and measurement
signal lines and control signal lines are physically formed by light
waveguides or
wireless transmission or infrared technology.
Embodiment examples of the invention are shown in the drawings and
described more fully below.
Figure 1 shows a side view of a continuous casting machine of any type,
including the shop framework;
Figure 2 shows a vertical cross section through a continuous casting die
with iiarrow-side plate adjusting device; and
Figure 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the continuous casting die
Nvith circuits.
The continuous casting machine 1 according to Figure 1 has a supporting
roll stand 2. The casting strand 7 of liquid steel material 3 which flows from
a
casting ladle 4 through a tundish 5 and a continuous casting die 6 and which
is
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cooled on the outside is supported and further cooled in the supporting roll
stand
2. The supporting roll stand 2 comprises a plurality of roll segments 8, often
up
to fifteen roll segments 8, the first roll segment 8a being enclosed by a
steam
chamber 9. The continuous casting die 6 is located in front of the steam
chamber
9. The casting mold 10 of the continuous casting die 6 according to Figure 2
comprises two broad-side plates 11 which are located opposite one another at a
distance corresponding to the thickness of the strand 7 to be cast. Narrow-
side
plates 13 which are adjustable for forming the casting strand width 12 while
taking into account the shrinkage of the casting strand 7 are arranged on both
sides between the broad-side plates 11 and, for example, two parallel
fastening
blocks 14 which are spaced apart vertically are provided at the narrow-side
plates 13. The adjusting devices 15 having hydraulic piston-cylinder units 16
are
arranged between the fastening blocks 14 on both sides. The fastening blocks
14
comprise springs 17 within a clamping block 18 and are supported on arms 19
carried by a supporting frame 20. The piston-cylinder unit 16 is an actuator
and
a support bearing simultaneously. The position of the tivo piston-cylinder
units
16 with their hydraulic cylinders 16a is determined by field measurement
devices
21 which comprise, for example, integrated position transmitters 21 a,
synchronization devices for the left side or right side, for top or bottom,
for the
status of the sensors, a die code, maintenance cycles, and the like. The
measurement data obtained are transferred by the respective fieldbus modules
22
in a BUS line 22a as BUS signals, conducted in a contin??ous casting control
23
of the continuous casting machine 1 through a valve stand 24- with a
stationary
terminal box 25, stored and, after being processed, fed back to the actuators,
i.e.,
for example, the hydraulic cylinders 16a, as control sianals. The control is
located in a control room 26 of a control cabin which is fixedly connected to
the
shop framework 27.
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The hydraulic cylinders 16a are connected to the valve stand 24 in the
vicinity of the continuous casting die 6 or the continuous casting control 23.
The
valve stand 24 can also be located in the vicinity of the control room 26
(Fig. 1).
The valve stand 24 contains the ternninal box 25 to which the measurement
signal lines and control signal lines 28 are fed. The measurement signal lines
and control signal lines 28 are provided with plug-in connections 29. The
signals arriving from the valve stand 24 are processed in a connected axis
regulator 30 and conveyed by the fieldbus module 22 to a memory-
programmable control 31 located in the control room 26.
The circuit blocks are shown once again in a simplified manner in Figure
3 for a modified embodiment form of the actuators and support bearings
(hydraulic cylinders 16a). The separating line 32 expresses the proximity of
the
valve stand 24 and terminal box 25 to the axis regulator 30. The measurement
data obtained from the hydraulic cylinders 16a are conducted via the plug-in
connections 29 into the axis regulator 30 and via the fieldbus module 22 to
the
memory-programmable control 31, no longer far away, in the control room 26.
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List of Reference Numerals
1 continuous casting machine
2 supporting roll stand
3 steel material
4 casting ladle
tundish
6 continuous casting die
7 casting strand
8 roll segments
8a first roll segment
9 steaiu chamber
casting mold of the continuous casting die
11 broad-side plate
12 casting strand width
13 narrow-side plate
14 fastening block
adjusting device
16 piston-cylinder unit
16a hydraulic cylinder
17 springs
18 clamping block
19 arir:
supporting frame
21 field measurement device
21a integrated position sensor
22 fieldbus module
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22a BUS line
23 continuous casting control
24 valve stand
25 terminal box
26 control room
27 shop framework
28 measurement signal line and control signal line
29 plug-in connection
30 axis regulator
31 memory-programmable control
32 separating line
