Horizontal Casting Machine
The majority of continuous casting installations in use today operate in
the horizontal mode. The reason for this is mainly logistic, based on ease
of product handling and to some extent safety in operation. There are, of
course, inherent problems applying horizontal as opposed to vertical casting
mainly related to gravity-induced directional cooling; however, in most
cases these difficulties can be accommodated.
Principal of Horizontal continuous casting
Concept consists of channel-type induction furnace and holding furnace,
together with graphite die and cooler assembly and runout track with
withdrawal machine and cut-off device. Molten metal flows from the
melting-furnace to a holding or casting furnace which, acts as a reservoir
of molten metal maintaining the required casting temperature.
TThe furnaces for melting and for casting are lined with refractory
high-alumina fire bricks with similar ramming mix for the inductors. The
melting takes place under a reducing atmosphere with a floating charcoal
cover ensuring on copper and copper alloys low level of oxygen in the final
product. Under the prevailing reducing conditions the service life of the
refractory is generally extremely good.
Water-cooled graphite dies are attached to the holding crucible. During the
continuous casting operation metal flows into the graphite casting die where
it solidifies. The solidified strands are intermittently withdrawn in a
'pull-pause' sequence by means of withdrawal equipment. After leaving the
graphite die, which is housed within the primary cooler. the cast strands
pass through a secondary cooler in the form of a water 'sparge' which
removes the surplus heat contained in the solidified billet. Water 'sparge
cooling' beyond the exit of the die is much more thermal efficient than
using a graphite water-cooled sleev.e cooler.
The majority of continuous casting installations in use today operate in
the horizontal mode. The reason for this is mainly logistic, based on ease
of product handling and to some extent safety in operation. There are, of
course, inherent problems applying horizontal as opposed to vertical casting
mainly related to gravity-induced directional cooling; however, in most
cases these difficulties can be accommodated.
