JP7721960B2 - Tundish cleaning device and tundish cleaning method using the same - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a tundish cleaning device for removing clogging materials such as metals that have adhered to the inside of a tundish sleeve, and a tundish cleaning method using the same.

In the casting process using a continuous casting machine, a tundish is used between the ladle and the mold for the purpose of removing inclusions, etc. One type of tundish is equipped with a receiving chamber into which molten metal is poured from the ladle and a tapping chamber from which the molten metal is poured into the mold, and a hollow cylindrical sleeve is provided in a weir separating the receiving chamber from the tapping chamber as a flow path for molten steel to pass through.
In a tundish of this type, continued use causes clogging material such as base metal to adhere to the inner surface of the sleeve, reducing the cross-sectional area of the sleeve. Therefore, in order to reuse the tundish, it is necessary to carry out work to remove the clogging material from inside the sleeve after casting is completed (tundish cleaning work).

A common method for removing blockages from the sleeve is to melt them with a high-temperature combustion burner. Specifically, forward cleaning is performed by injecting a burner flame into the sleeve from one side (the receiving chamber side) of the sleeve, melting the blockages and scattering them to the other side (the outlet side), thereby removing the blockages from the sleeve. If the blockages cannot be completely removed by forward cleaning, a burner is installed on the other side of the sleeve (the outlet chamber side), and a burner flame is injected into the sleeve from the other side of the sleeve, thereby performing reverse cleaning.
However, since the sleeve is usually inclined downward from the receiving chamber to the discharging chamber, there is a problem that blockages tend to remain inside the sleeve during backwashing, which is an upward slope, reducing cleaning efficiency.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-300112

The present invention was made against the background described above, with the objective of providing a tundish cleaning device that can increase the efficiency of removing blockages that have adhered to the inside of a sleeve, and a tundish cleaning method using the same.

The tundish cleaning device of the present invention is a tundish cleaning device for removing clogging materials such as ingots adhered to a hollow cylindrical sleeve that communicates with a molten metal receiving chamber into which molten metal is poured and a molten metal tapping chamber from which the molten metal is poured, and the device is configured as follows:
a tilting device that holds the tundish tiltably, and a burner support member that positions a burner head at a position facing the end opening of the sleeve,
The burner support member is attached so as to be able to follow the tilting of the tundish.

With the tundish cleaning device of the present invention thus defined, when the tundish is tilted using the tilting device, the burner support member follows the tilt of the tundish, so the tundish can be cleaned with the sleeve tilted at any angle. This avoids a decrease in cleaning efficiency due to the sleeve tilting upward during cleaning.

In the present invention, the burner support member can be configured to include a first member extending along the upper surface of the tundish, and a second member connected to one end of the first member, extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the first member, and holding a burner head at its tip.

In addition, the present invention may further include a base frame disposed between the tundish and the first member, the base frame being capable of adjusting the inclination of a lower mounting surface contacting the tundish and an upper mounting surface contacting the first member.
In this way, the angle of the burner flame entering the sleeve can be adjusted to match the inclination angle of the sleeve.

In addition, in the present invention, the first member of the burner support member can be configured to include a support member having a guide rail and fixed to the base frame, and a first member main body that can move longitudinally along the guide rail.
In this way, the position of the burner head can be adjusted in the direction toward or away from the sleeve.

Here, in the present invention, the first member of the burner support member is configured to have a gear provided on the first member body and a rack provided on the support member and meshing with the gear,
The gear rotates while the gear and the rack are meshed with each other, thereby making it possible to move the first member body.

In the present invention, the second member constituting the burner support member can also be connected to a rotatable shaft portion protruding from one end side of the first member, and the length from the connection portion with the first member to the burner head can be adjusted.
In this way, the burner head can be aligned with the end opening of the sleeve by adjusting the rotation angle of the second member and the length to the burner head.

The tundish cleaning method of the present invention is a cleaning method using the above-mentioned tundish cleaning apparatus,
placing the tundish on a tiltable mounting plate;
a step of disposing the burner support member so that the burner head faces one end opening of the sleeve, and tilting the tundish so that the sleeve is inclined downward from the one end opening toward the other end opening, and melting the clogging material stuck inside the sleeve with a flame from the burner head so that the clogging material flows out of the sleeve and is removed;
The method is characterized by comprising the steps of: positioning the burner support member so that the burner head faces the other end opening of the sleeve; tilting the tundish so that the sleeve slopes downward from the other end opening toward the one end opening; and melting any obstructions remaining in the sleeve with a flame from the burner head and causing them to flow out and be removed from the sleeve.

According to the tundish cleaning method of the present invention, which is defined as described above, cleaning is performed with the burner head facing one end opening of the sleeve (forward cleaning), and cleaning is performed with the burner head facing the other end opening of the sleeve (reverse cleaning). In both cases, cleaning is performed with the sleeve tilted downward, which avoids a decrease in cleaning efficiency caused by the sleeve tilting upward.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an example of a tundish to which a tundish cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached. 2A and 2B are cross-sectional views of the tundish taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and B-B in FIG. 2 is a view showing a burner support member and a base frame that constitute the tundish cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in a separated state. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a connecting portion between a first member and a second member in the burner support member of FIG. 3. FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the burner support member of FIG. 3 . 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 3. 4 is a diagram showing a range within which a lance can be rotated in the burner support member of FIG. 3; FIG. 4A is a diagram showing the base frame of Fig. 3. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the base frame in a state where the inclination of the upper mounting surface is changed. FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the tundish cleaning apparatus of the embodiment is attached to a tundish to be cleaned. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method for cleaning a tundish.

Next, a tundish cleaning device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show an example of a tundish to which the tundish cleaning device according to this embodiment can be attached. Figure 1 is a perspective view, and Figure 2 shows the A-A and B-B cross sections in Figure 1.

The tundish 1 has two spaces: the molten metal receiving chamber 2 and the molten metal tapping chamber 3. The molten metal receiving chamber 2 and the molten metal tapping chamber 3 are separated by a weir 5, and two hollow cylindrical sleeves 6 are embedded in the weir 5 as flow paths connecting the molten metal receiving chamber 2 and the molten metal tapping chamber 3. These two sleeves 6 are arranged parallel to each other. The walls of the sleeves 6 are made of insulating refractory material. As shown in Figure 2(A), these sleeves 6 are inclined downward at an angle θ1 from the molten metal receiving chamber 2 side toward the molten metal tapping chamber 3 side.

In the tundish 1, molten steel M is poured from a ladle (not shown) into the receiving chamber 2 and stored within the tundish 1. The molten steel M then flows out through a hole (not shown) in the bottom of the tapping chamber 3 and is poured into the mold. As the molten steel M passes through the sleeve 6 and moves from the receiving chamber 2 to the tapping chamber 3, impurities such as inclusions in the molten steel M are separated. When a tundish 1 of this type is continuously used, impurities, ingots, etc., solidify and accumulate inside the sleeve 6 as blockages. For this reason, blockages inside the sleeve 6 must be removed periodically before the tundish 1 can be reused.

The tundish cleaning device 10 of one embodiment of the present invention is used to remove blockages stuck inside the sleeve 6, and its main components are a tilting device 80, a burner support member 12, and a base frame 14. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the burner support member 12 and base frame 14 that make up the tundish cleaning device 10 separated from each other. The burner support member 12 is attached to the upper surface 7 of the tundish 1, more specifically, the upper surface 7a of the weir 5, via the base frame 14.

Next, the burner support member 12 will be described. The burner support member 12 comprises a first member 18 that extends left and right in the figure along the top surface 7 of the tundish 1, and a second member 20 that holds a burner head 19 at its tip and extends in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the first member 18.

The second member 20 has a rod-shaped lance 22 that extends vertically while attached to the tundish 1, and the burner head 19 is provided at the tip of the lance 22. As shown in the partially enlarged view of Figure 3, a large-diameter hole 24 for ejecting high-pressure oxygen is formed on the surface of the burner head 19 facing the sleeve 6, and multiple small-diameter flame holes 25 are formed surrounding this hole 24. The fuel gas, oxygen, water, and high-pressure oxygen supplied to the burner head 19 are sent from above the lance 22 to the burner head 19 via a gas pipe 27, an oxygen pipe 28, water supply pipes 29a and 29b, and a high-pressure oxygen pipe 30, respectively.

A length adjustment section 32 is provided on the base end of the lance 22, at the location where it connects to the first member 18. The length adjustment section 32 is located between the first member 18 and the lance 22, and engages with a shaft 47 extending from the first member 18 (see Figure 4). As shown in Figure 3, the length adjustment section 32 has a guide rail 34 extending in the vertical direction formed on its side, and an engagement block 35 that engages with the guide rail 34 is attached to the lance 22, allowing the lance 22 to slide vertically relative to the length adjustment section 32 in the figure.

As shown in Figure 4, a shaft 38 connected to an operating handle 37 is provided inside the length adjustment unit 32 and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the lance 22. A male thread 38a is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 38, and a nut 39 with an internal thread formed on the inner peripheral surface is fitted and assembled to this male thread 38a. The nut 39 is fixed integrally to the lance 22, and when the shaft 38 is rotated using the operating handle 37, the nut 39 moves along the axial direction of the shaft 38 due to the screw feed action, resulting in adjustment of the length L from the shaft portion 47 of the first member 18 to the burner head 19.

On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, the first member 18 includes a first member body 42 that holds the second member 20, and a support member 43 that is provided below the first member body 42 and supports the first member body 42 so that it can slide.

The first member body 42 includes two square pipes 45 extending parallel to each other in the left-right direction in the figure, and these square pipes 45 are connected by a base plate 46. The right end of the square pipe 45 is provided with a shaft 47 used to connect to the second member 20 (see Figure 4). The connecting shaft 47 is connected via a worm reducer 50 to a rotating shaft 49 that rotates based on the operation of an operating handle 48 attached to the square pipe 45. By rotating the operating handle 48, the shaft 47 rotates, allowing the second member 20 (length adjustment unit 32 and lance 22) connected to the shaft 47 to rotate around the shaft 47. In this example, based on this mechanism for rotating the second member 20, the burner head 19 at the tip of the lance 22 can be moved around the shaft 47, as shown in Figure 7. This rotational movement of the burner head 19 makes it easier to align the burner head 19 when cleaning two sleeves 6, 6 provided on the tundish 1, as shown in Figure 2 (B).

As shown in Figure 3, a weight 67 is attached to the left end of the square pipe 45, and a ring member 68 for attaching a crane hook is attached to the center of the square pipe 45 in the longitudinal direction.

The support member 43 is a member that is fastened and fixed to the base frame 14. The support member 43 has a guide rail 61 attached to the upper surface (the surface facing the first member main body 42) of the base plate 60. As shown in Figure 6, two guide rails 61 are attached and arranged parallel to each other and extending in the longitudinal direction of the first member main body 42. Meanwhile, an engagement block 51 that engages with the guide rail 61 is attached to the lower surface (the surface facing the guide rail 61) of the base plate 46 on the first member main body 42 side, allowing the first member main body 42 to slide left and right relative to the support member 43 in Figure 3.

As shown in Figure 6, a shaft 54 extends downward from the first member body 42, with a gear 55 attached to its tip. Meanwhile, a rack 62 that meshes with the gear 55 is attached to the support member 43. The shaft 54 is connected via a worm reducer 59 to a rotating shaft 58 that rotates based on operation of an operating handle 57 attached to the square pipe 45. By rotating the operating handle 57, the gear 55 rotates with the gear 55 and rack 62 meshing with each other, allowing the first member body 42 to move relative to the support member 43 (i.e., relative to the base frame 14).

Next, the base frame 14 will be described. The base frame 14 is a member disposed between the tundish 1 and the first member 18 of the burner support member 12, and as shown in Figure 3, two receiving members 71, 72 are disposed on the upper surface of the base plate 70. The receiving members 71, 72 are disposed spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and the support member 43 of the burner support member 12 can be accommodated in the recess formed by these receiving members 71, 72. The support member 43 is then fixed to the receiving members 71, 72 by fastening members 73, etc.

As shown in Figure 8(A), in this example, a wedge member 75A is placed between the receiving member 71 and the base plate 70, and the inclination of the bottom surface 76 of the recess that receives the support member 43 (relative to the base plate 70) is adjusted to correspond to the inclination θ1 of the sleeve 6 formed in the tundish 1. Furthermore, in this example, as shown in Figure 8(B), it is also possible to change the inclination of the bottom surface 76 of the recess to θ2 by placing a wedge member 75B between the receiving member 71 and the base plate 70 and a wedge member 75C between the receiving member 72 and the base plate 70.

In this example, the base frame 14 is fixed to the tundish 1 with bolts. As a result, the base frame 14 is integrally attached to the upper surface 7 of the tundish 1, and the burner support member 12 is attached to the upper surface 7 of the tundish 1 via the base frame 14. Therefore, when the tundish 1 tilts, the burner support member 12, including the burner head 19, tilts along with the tundish 1.

Next, a method for cleaning a tundish using the tundish cleaning device 10 will be described.
9 is a diagram showing a state in which the tundish cleaning device 10 is attached to the tundish 1 to be cleaned. In the figure, the tilting device 80 includes a mounting plate 81 on which the tundish 1 is mounted, a pair of support shafts 82 that support the mounting plate 81 so that the mounting plate 81 can tilt, and a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the support shafts 82.

When cleaning the tundish, first, the tundish 1 is placed on a placing plate 81 as shown in FIG.
Next, the base frame 14 is attached to the upper surface 7 of the tundish 1 placed on the mounting plate 81, and the burner support member 12 is attached via the base frame 14. At this time, the burner support member 12 is attached so that the lance 22 faces the molten metal receiving chamber 2. Then, the position is adjusted so that the burner head 19 at the tip of the lance 22 faces the end opening of the sleeve 6 on the molten metal receiving chamber 2 side.

Next, as shown in Figure 10 (I), the tundish 1 is tilted together with the mounting plate 81. Specifically, the tundish 1 is tilted at a predetermined downward angle from the end opening of the sleeve 6 on the molten metal receiving chamber 2 side toward the end opening on the molten metal discharging chamber 3 side. In this state, a flame from the burner head 19 is blown into the sleeve 6 for forward cleaning, melting any blockages 9 (see Figure 9) that have adhered to the sleeve 6 and causing them to flow out and be removed from the sleeve.

Next, the burner support member 12 is temporarily removed from the base frame 14, and the burner support member 12 is attached to the base frame 14 so that the lance 22 is positioned on the tapping chamber 3 side. The burner head 19 at the tip of the lance 22 is then adjusted so that it faces the end opening of the sleeve 6 on the tapping chamber 3 side.

Next, as shown in Figure 10 (II), the tundish 1 is tilted together with the mounting plate 81. Specifically, the tundish 1 is tilted so that it forms a predetermined downward inclination angle from the end opening of the sleeve 6 on the side of the discharge chamber 3 toward the end opening on the side of the receiving chamber 2. In this state, reverse cleaning is performed by blowing flames from the burner head 19 into the sleeve 6, thereby melting any blockages 9 that were not completely removed by the forward cleaning, and allowing them to flow out of the sleeve and be removed.

As described above, with the tundish cleaning apparatus 10 of this embodiment, when the tundish 1 is tilted using the tilting device 80, the burner support member 12 follows the tilting of the tundish 1, so the tundish 1 can be cleaned with the sleeve 6 to be cleaned tilted at any angle. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in cleaning efficiency due to the sleeve 6 to be cleaned being tilted upward during cleaning.

The tundish cleaning device 10 of this embodiment is provided with a base stand 14 between the tundish 1 and the first member 18 that allows the inclination of the lower mounting surface 77 that contacts the tundish 1 and the upper mounting surface 76 that contacts the first member 18 to be adjusted, so that the angle of the burner flame blowing into the sleeve 6 can be adjusted to match the inclination angle θ1 of the sleeve 6.

In the tundish cleaning device 10 of this embodiment, the first member 18 of the burner support member 12 is configured to include a support member 43 equipped with a guide rail 61 and fixed to the base frame 14, and a first member body 42 that is movable longitudinally along the guide rail 61. The first member 18 of the burner support member 12 further includes a gear 55 provided on the first member body 42 and a rack 62 provided on the support member 43 and meshing with the gear 55. The gear 55 rotates while the gear 55 and the rack 62 are meshed with each other, thereby moving the first member body 42 and allowing the position of the burner head 19 to be adjusted toward or away from the sleeve 6.

In the tundish cleaning device 10 of this embodiment, the second member 20 constituting the burner support member 12 is connected to a rotatable shaft portion 47 protruding from one end of the first member 18, and the length from the connection with the first member 18 to the burner head 19 is adjustable. Therefore, by adjusting the rotation angle of the second member 20 and the length to the burner head 19, the burner head 19 can be aligned with the end opening of the sleeve 6.

Furthermore, according to the tundish cleaning method using the tundish cleaning apparatus 10 of this embodiment, both forward cleaning, which is performed with the burner head 19 facing one end opening of the sleeve 6, and reverse cleaning, which is performed with the burner head 19 facing the other end opening of the sleeve 6, are performed with the sleeve 6 inclined downward, thereby avoiding a decrease in cleaning efficiency caused by the sleeve 6 being inclined upward.

The tundish cleaning apparatus and tundish cleaning method of this embodiment have been described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be implemented in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Tundish 2 Receiving chamber 3 Tap chamber 6 Sleeve 9 Blockage 10 Tundish cleaning device 12 Burner support member 14 Base stand 18 First member 19 Burner head 20 Second member 47 Shaft 55 Gear 61 Guide rail 62 Rack 76 Upper mounting surface (bottom surface)
77 Lower mounting surface 80 Tilting device 81 Placement plate M Molten steel

Claims (7)

A tundish cleaning device for removing clogging materials containing base metals that have adhered to a hollow cylindrical sleeve that communicates with a molten metal receiving chamber into which molten metal is poured and a molten metal tapping chamber from which the molten metal is poured, the device comprising :
a tilting device having a mounting plate and tiltably holding the tundish mounted on the mounting plate ;
a base stand attached to an upper surface of the tundish opposite to a surface that contacts the loading plate;
a burner support member that is attached to the upper surface of the tundish via the base frame and that positions a burner head at a position facing the end opening of the sleeve,
In the tundish cleaning device , when the tundish is tilted, the burner support member tilts integrally with the tundish, thereby enabling the burner support member to follow the tilting of the tundish. The burner support member is
a first member extending along an upper surface of the tundish;
2. The tundish cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second member connected to one end of the first member, extending in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the first member, and holding a burner head at a tip end thereof. 3. The tundish cleaning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the base frame is disposed between the tundish and the first member, and an inclination of a lower mounting surface in contact with the tundish and an upper mounting surface in contact with the first member is adjustable . The first member of the burner support member is
a support member provided with a guide rail and fixed to the base frame;
The tundish cleaning apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising: a first member body that is longitudinally movable along the guide rail. The first member of the burner support member is
a gear provided on the first member body;
a rack provided on the support member and meshing with the gear;
The tundish cleaning apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first member body is movable by rotation of the gear in a state in which the gear and the rack are meshed with each other. A tundish cleaning device as described in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the second member constituting the burner support member is connected to a rotatable shaft portion protruding from one end side of the first member, and the length from the connection portion with the first member to the burner head is adjustable. A tundish cleaning method using the tundish cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
placing the tundish on the tiltable loading plate;
a step of disposing the burner support member so that the burner head faces one end opening of the sleeve, and tilting the tundish so that the sleeve is inclined downward from the one end opening toward the other end opening, and melting the clogging material stuck inside the sleeve with a flame from the burner head so that the clogging material flows out of the sleeve and is removed;
a step of disposing the burner support member so that the burner head faces the other end opening of the sleeve, and tilting the tundish so that the sleeve is inclined downward from the other end opening toward the one end opening, and melting the clogging material remaining in the sleeve with a flame from the burner head so that the clogging material flows out of the sleeve and is removed;
A method for cleaning a tundish comprising: