Method of continuous casting and rolling strip

Claim 1

A method of casting and rolling strip and/or sheet in line comprising the sequential steps of: (a) continuously casting a continuous steel slab less than about 1.5 inches thick which naturally has a columnar grain structure in a caster; (b) passing a leading end of said continuous slab onto an insulated run-out table spaced from said caster to maintain the temperature and minimize the heat loss from the forward section of said continuous slab and to permit equalization of temperature within the forward section of said continuous slab; (c) cutting the forward section from said continuous slab to form an individual slab by a cutter located between said caster and said run-out table; (d) passing the individual slab directly to a hot reversing mill having upstream and downstream coiling furnaces such that the individual slab first passes the hot reversing mill and is subject to an initial reduction in thickness sufficient to break up the columnar structure prior to being coiled as a strip in a coiling furnace; (e) passing the strip back and forth through said hot reversing mill between said upstream coiling furnace and said downstream coiling furnace to produce sheet or strip having an equiaxed grain structure; and (f) concurrently with step (e) repeating steps (a) through (c) to provide another individual slab for rolling, whereby the casting speed is coordinated with the rolling speed to provide a substantially uninterrupted method of casting and rolling.

Claim 2

A method of casting and rolling strip and/or sheet in line comprising the sequential steps of: (a) continuously casting a continuous steel slab less than about 1.5 inches thick which naturally has a columnar grain structure in a caster; (b) passing a leading end of said continuous slab onto an insulated run-out table spaced from said caster to maintain the temperature and minimize the heat loss from the forward section of said continuous slab and to permit equalization of temperature within the forward section of said continuous slab; (c) cutting the forward section from said continuous slab to form an individual slab by a cutter located between said caster and said run-out table; (d) passing the individual slab directly to a hot reversing mill having upstream and downstream coiling furnaces such that the individual slab first passes the hot reversing mill and is subject to an initial reduction in thickness sufficient to break up the columnar structure prior to being coiled as a strip in a coiling furnace; (e) passing the strip back and forth through said hot reversing mill between said upstream coiling furnace and said downstream coiling furnace to produce sheet or strip having an equiaxed grain structure; and (f) concurrently with step (e) repeating steps (a) through (c) to provide another individual slab for rolling, whereby the casting speed is coordinated with the rolling speed to provide a substantially uninterrupted method of casting and rolling.