CASTING METHOD AND CASTING SYSTEM FOR ALUMINIUM OR ALUMINIUM ALLOYS

PROCEDE DE COULEE ET APPAREIL DE COULEE POUR L'ALUMINIUM ET/OU LES ALLIAGES D'ALUMINIUM

English Abstract

In a casting method, or a casting system for aluminum, or aluminum alloys, aluminum melt is filled into a plurality of pans (15, 15'). Said pans (15, 15 ') are used for treatment, if needed, and delivered to a casting station (20), in which they are subsequently emptied, and the melt is casted into semi-finished products. At least two filled pans (15, 15') are provided in order to ensure a continuous casting operation in the casting station (20), the melt of at least one of which is drained into a mutual inflow channel (27).

French Abstract

La présente invention concerne un procédé de coulée et/ou un appareil de coulée pour l'aluminium et/ou les alliages d'aluminium, permettant de verser la masse fondue d'aluminium est versée dans un certain nombre de poches de coulée (15, 15'). Un traitement est effectué dans tous les cas dans ces poches de coulée (15, 15') et ladite masse fondue est amenée à un poste de coulée (20), dans lequel elle est alors vidée et ainsi coulée pour former des produits semi-finis. Afin de garantir un processus de coulée continu, au moins deux poches de coulée remplies (15, 15') sont mises à disposition au poste de coulée (20), la masse fondue étant vidée respectivement de l'une d'entre elles dans un canal d'amenée (27) commun.

Claims

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CLAIMS
1. A casting method for aluminium or aluminium alloys wherein aluminium melt
is
filled into a plurality of ladles (15, 15'), if necessary is treated in the
latter, and is
delivered to a casting station (20) in which the ladles (15, 15') are emptied,
and the melt
is cast into semi-finished products, characterised in that in order to ensure
a continuous
casting operation at least two filled ladles (15, 15') can be provided at the
casting station
(20), the melt of one of which respectively is emptied into a mutual inflow
channel (27).
2. The casting method according to Claim 1, characterised in that the
consecutive
emptying of the ladles (15, 15') provided takes place with controllable
opening of their
slide closures (25).
3. The casting method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the
treatment
of the aluminium melt takes place in the ladle (15') or ladles provided at the
casting
station (20) and not yet subjected to emptying.
4. The casting method according to Claim 3, characterised in that alloy
additions
are added to the aluminium melt in the ladle (15') or ladles provided at the
casting
station (20) and not yet subjected to emptying, or cleaning and homogenisation
and if
necessary temperature regulation is implemented.
5. The casting method according to Claim 4, characterised in that a fan wheel
for
injecting argon or nitrogen can be immersed into the ladle (15') or ladles
provided at the
casting station (20) and not yet subjected to emptying for the combined
elimination of
hydrogen, homogenisation and if necessary heat regulation, it also being
possible to
additionally mix small quantities of chlorine into the cleaning gas in order
to eliminate
any alkaline traces of contamination.

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6. A casting system for implementation of the method according to Claim 1,
with a
plurality of ladles (15, 15') which can be filled with the aluminium melt at a
first filling
station (11) and which can be conveyed to a casting station (20) and can be
emptied at
the latter by opening their slide opening (25), means being provided for any
treatment of
the aluminium melt before casting, characterised in that at least two filled
ladles (15, 15')
can be positioned at the casting station (20), one of which can respectively
be emptied
into a mutual inflow channel (27).
7. The casting system according to Claim 6, characterised in that the means
for any
treatment of the aluminium melt are assigned to the ladles (15, 15') that can
be
positioned at the casting station (20).
8. The casting system according to Claim 6 or 7, characterised in that rails
or
cranes are provided for conveying the ladles (15, 15') from the filling
station (11) to the
casting station (20).

Description

CA 02684354 2009-10-16
Casting Method and Casting System for Aluminium or Aluminium Alloys
The invention relates to a casting method for aluminium or aluminium alloys
according
to the preamble to Claim 1 and to a casting system for implementation of the
method.
It is known from EP-A-1 607 156 to use, instead of so-called in-line casting
with which
the aluminium melt flows from a melting or a heat conservation furnace via a
long
channel to a casting station, and is subjected here to different treatments,
ladles for the
treatment and conveyance of aluminium melt to preferably a number of casting
stations,
and so to separate this process phase temporally from the actual casting
operation.
The ladles filled with melt are conveyed to at least one further stage and
treated here,
and are then delivered to the casting station where they are emptied.
The object which forms the basis of the present invention is to further
improve and
simplify the casting method of the previously specified type as well as a
casting system
for implementation of the method.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a casting method with
the features
of Claim 1 and by a casting system with the features of Claim 6.
Preferred further embodiments of the casting method according to the invention
and of
the casting system according to the invention form the subject matter of the
dependent
claims.
According to the invention, at the casting station at least two filled ladles
can be
provided, a respective one of which is emptied into a mutual inflow channel so
that a
continuous casting operation can be guaranteed. The consecutive emptying of
the
ladles provided can be implemented by opening their slide closures, preferably
in a
controlled manner. The ladles do not have to be conveyed to a further
treatment station
and from there to the casting station, but the treatment of the aluminium melt
can

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advantageously be implemented in the ladle or ladles provided at the casting
station
and not yet subjected to emptying.
In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by means of
the
drawings. These show as follows:
Fig. 1 a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a casting system
according to the invention for aluminium or aluminium alloys;
and
Fig. 2 a top view of the casting system according to Fig. 1.
Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a casting system for aluminium or aluminium
alloys with
which scrap aluminium is introduced as a base material into a melting furnace
10.
However, blocks provided for remelting could also be used as the base
material. The
melt produced in the melting furnace 10 is introduced into a heat conservation
chamber
12 of a filling station 11 from where it is respectively filled into a ladle
15 at regular
intervals with the aid of an immersion pipe 13. The melting furnace 10 can
preferably
be an induction furnace which has, for example, a holding capacity of 1.75 t
and in
which 2 t material per hour can be melted. From the heat conservation chamber
12 with
a holding capacity of 3.5 t ladles with a holding capacity of 2 t can then be
filled, the
other 1.5 t then remaining for further charging in the heat conservation
chamber 12.
It is also possible to supply liquid aluminium to the filling station 11 as
the base material
or to fill it directly into the ladles 15.
The ladles 15 filled in the filling station 11 are preferably conveyed
directly to a casting
station 20, this being for example a continuous casting system, known in its
own right,
with a plurality of moulds 21, and in which the actual casting operation takes
place.
According to the invention at least two filled ladles 15, 15' are respectively
positioned at
the inflow of the casting station 20 (according to the drawing two ladles are
provided), of
which a respective one is emptied into a mutual inflow channel 27 by opening
its slide

CA 02684354 2009-10-16
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closure 25 (Fig. 1). The aluminium melt passes into the individual moulds 21
via the
inflow channel 27.
Any possible treatment of the aluminium melt preferably takes place in the
ladle or
ladles 15, 15' provided at the casting station 20 and which have not yet been
subjected
to emptying. Accordingly, during the casting operation the one ladle 15
containing the
already treated aluminium melt is emptied, while the melt is treated in the
other ladle
15'. This can involve the addition of alloy additions, or cleaning and
homogenisation,
and if necessary temperature regulation. Of course the treatment could already
be
implemented at least partially beforehand, i.e. before positioning the ladle
at the inflow
of the casting station 20 (for example the alloy additions can already be
introduced
before filling into the ladles 15, 15' or an additional treatment station
could be provided).
A fan wheel, for example, for injecting argon or nitrogen can be immersed into
the ladle
15' provided at the casting station and not yet subjected to emptying for the
combined
elimination of hydrogen, homogenisation and if necessary heat regulation, it
also being
possible to additionally mix small quantities of chlorine into the cleaning
gas in order to
eliminate any alkaline traces of contamination.
As soon as the one ladle 15 is emptied (or shortly before), the slide closure
25 of the
other ladle 15' is opened and the casting operation is continuously pursued,
the emptied
ladle 15 being replaced by a new one. Operation of the slide closures 25 is
preferably
controlled.
The conveyance of the ladles 15, 15' from the filling station 11 to the
casting station 20
takes place on rails or by means of incumbent cranes (Fig. 1 only shows a
supporting
frame 29 for the latterly specified version).

Representative Drawing