Vertical Continuous Casting Machine for Blooms; A New Opportunity for the ASEAN Market?

摘要

In order to achieve a higher steelmaking productivity and product yield while retaining world leading product quality across a wide range of engineered steel, TimkenSteel decided to install a vertical continuous casting machine (VCCM) in the premises of their Faircrest steel plant (Canton - OH, USA). The caster has been designed, supplied and commissioned by SMS-Concast (part of SMS Group) and put in operation in the last quarter of 2014. The TimkenSteel quality and size program required a unique custom designed caster. The special design incorporates a large (460x610mm) and a medium section (280x430) and features a special tundish design, a new designed vertical roll layout with CONCOR rolls and advanced technological packages, such as echanical soft reduction, bloom quenching, M-EMS, advanced stopper rod controls, hydraulic oscillator, on-line solidification model, and on-line breakout prevention system. The vertical nature of this caster required tailored engineering solutions for the bloom elevator, dummy bar car, and bloom inclined car. Capacity and utilization requirements necessitate numerous operational modes, such as dual casting, link casting, and a top/bottom feeding dummy bar, to ensure a high utilization and capacity of the caster as well as a highly flexible production. L1 and L2 automation complete the caster scope of supply in order to achieve a reliable and controlled process. TimkenSteel and SMS Concast worked in close cooperation throughout the project to satisfy the design, operational, safety, and constructions challenges to ensure the highest surface and internal quality required by a demanding product mix. Special design solutions and initial results after CCM commissioning are presented in this publication.