Method, system and apparatus for continually synchronizing travelling movement of two revolving edge dams in a continuous casting machine

• Main Authors: Kandev, Nedeltcho P, Allyn, Jerome B, Boozan, Dean A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.05.2002

The present invention is in the field of continuous casting of molten metal and relates to continually synchronizing the travelling movement of two revolving edge dam chains during casting in a twin belt, continuous casting machine. More particularly the invention relates to continual synchronization of travelling movement of two revolving edge dam chains having lug-molding pockets for casting aligned projecting lugs on opposite edges of a continuously cast metal slab, shown as a stream of copper anodes having opposite pairs of aligned lugs maintained in suitable alignment on their side edges. Method, system and apparatus for controllably heating copper alloy dam blocks in revolving edge dam chains in twinbelt continuous casters by induction heating of thermally-sprayed ferromagnetic layers bonded in shallow depressions in such blocks. High thermal conductivity of such blocks advantageously quickly conducts inductive heat from ferromagnetic layers into the blocks. For casting a slab of electrolytic anodes having aligned opposed protruding lugs, such chains include uniformly spaced lug-molding pocket blocks. Periodic induction heating of ferromagnetic layers on dam blocks of one chain or the other keeps pocket blocks aligned as revolving chains travel downstream along opposite sides of moving mold casting regions. Directly induction heating copper alloy dam blocks is very impractical. Therefore, ferromagnetic layers are thermally sprayed into depressions in blocks prior to assembling such chains. Pancake-type induction heaters inductively heat ferromagnetic layers of revolving dam blocks as they return toward a caster's entrance.