Roller hearth furnace for healing and/or temperature equalisation of steel or steel alloy continuous cast products and arrangement thereof before a hot strip final rolling mill

1. A roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) for heating and/or temperature equalization of continuously cast products ( 2 ), especially those made of steel or steel materials, which are cut to lengths ( 10 ) that fit the furnace and are then conveyed into and out of the furnace through the furnace chamber on rollers ( 13 a ), where a first row ( 13 ) of rollers, which extends in the longitudinal direction ( 12 ) of the furnace ( 1 ) and whose rollers ( 13 a ) have a length that corresponds to the width of the continuously cast product ( 2 ), is arranged on the entry side ( 11 ), where a second row ( 15 ) of rollers is arranged on the discharge side ( 14 ) parallel to the first row ( 13 ), and where between the first and the second rows ( 13 , 15 ) of rollers there is a buffer zone ( 16 ) with lifting elements ( 17 ) for the transverse conveyance of the continuously cast product ( 2 ), wherein the first row ( 13 ) of rollers and/or the second row ( 15 ) of rollers extending in the longitudinal direction ( 12 ) of the furnace ( 1 ) each form a heating zone ( 19 ).

2. A roller hearth furnace in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the buffer zone ( 16 ) is provided with an additional heating zone ( 19 ) that can be turned on.

3. A roller hearth furnace in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the buffer zone is provided with a holding zone.

4. A roller hearth furnace in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the lifting elements ( 17 ) consist of walking beams ( 17 a ).

5. A method for using a roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) in accordance with claim 1 , in the continuous casting of liquid metals into slabs or flat, thin strands ( 3 ), so-called thin slabs, which after heating and/or temperature equalization in the roller hearth furnace ( 1 ), are subjected, among other operations, to rolling into hot strip ( 24 ) in a hot strip finishing train ( 23 ), cooling, and coiling into coils ( 27 ) in a coiling station ( 26 ), wherein in a multiple-strand casting installation ( 29 ), a common roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) or a separate roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) for each strand, each having an entry side ( 11 ) and a parallel discharge side ( 14 ), which consist of parallel rows ( 13 , 15 ) of rollers, and a buffer zone ( 16 ), which lies between them and consists of lifting elements ( 17 ), is provided for the common downstream process route ( 28 ).

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the discharge side ( 14 ) of a common roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) for a twin-strand casting installation ( 29 ) is placed in the line of the downstream process route ( 28 ) in such a way that there is a mirror-image position of two entry sides ( 11 ) with identical rows ( 13 , 13 ) of rollers and a central discharge side ( 14 ) with one row ( 15 ) of rollers.

7. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein a multiple-strand casting installation ( 29 ) with a separate roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) for each strand has a transverse conveyor ( 20 ) that operationally connects both roller hearth furnaces ( 1 , 1 ) after the discharge side ( 14 ) and before the downstream process route ( 28 ).

8. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein in addition to a roller hearth furnace ( 1 ) with an entry side ( 11 ), a discharge side ( 14 ), and a buffer zone ( 16 ) of lifting elements ( 17 ) lying between them, a roller hearth furnace ( 30 ) operating parallel in the longitudinal direction ( 12 ) is used, where the roller hearth furnaces ( 1 , 30 ) are connected to another roller hearth furnace ( 1 ), which is connected to the downstream process route ( 28 ) and has an entry side ( 11 ), a parallel discharge side ( 14 ) and a buffer zone ( 18 ) of lifting elements ( 17 ) arranged between them.

9. A roller hearth furnace in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the buffer zone is provided with a holding zone.