Method and device for the continuous creation of a bainite structure in a carbon steel, particularly in a strip steel

1. A method for the continuous creation of a bainite structure in a carbon steel, the carbon steel being a strip steel, the method comprising the steps of:

austenitizing of the carbon steel at a temperature above an austenitizing temperature of the carbon steel;

introduction of the austenitized carbon steel into a bath having a quenching agent for cooling the carbon steel to a temperature lower than the austenitizing temperature, the quenching agent contacting the austenitized carbon steel in the bath for as long as until a proportion of the bainite structure of the total structure of the carbon steel has formed, the carbon steel reaching the conversion temperature for bainite in the bath;

discharging the carbon steel from the bath and removing residues of the quenching agent from a surface of the carbon steel when the carbon steel exits the bath, the residues being removed from the carbon steel via action of a gas;

subsequently, bringing the carbon steel into an isothermal tempering station, the isothermal tempering station having the conversion temperature of bainite so that the carbon steel is held at the conversion temperature of bainite, and remaining structure components of the carbon steel are converted into bainite in the isothermal tempering station, the conversion of the remaining structure components occurring without any deflection of the carbon steel when passing through the isothermal tempering station, the carbon steel remaining in the isothermal tempering station for as long as until the bainite structure has formed completely within the carbon steel; and

then, cooling the carbon steel.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein an action time of the bath having the quenching agent on the structure of the carbon steel is selected to be as long as until essentially half of the bainite structure of the carbon steel has formed in the bath having the quenching agent.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein transition from the bath having the quenching agent to the isothermal tempering station essentially takes place without any temperature change of the carbon steel, with continuing formation of the bainite structure.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the action of the gas for removal of residues of the quenching agent from the surface of the carbon steel is carried out via blowing-off of the quenching agent from the carbon steel.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the blowing-off of the quenching agent takes place under a protective gas atmosphere.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein a temperature of the gas is adjusted in such a manner that a change in the temperature of the carbon steel during ongoing creation of the bainite structure is avoided.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the temperature of the gas is regulated in such a manner that conversion heat in the carbon steel occurring upon the exit of the carbon steel from the bath having the quenching agent is carried away by the gas, and the temperature of the carbon steel is held essentially constant at the conversion temperature for bainite.

8. The method according to claim 4 , wherein no deflection of the carbon steel is carried out in a region of the blowing-off of the quenching agent.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a length of isothermal temperature management in the isothermal tempering station is set up as a function of pass-through speed of the carbon steel, in such a manner that a complete bainite structure can form in the carbon steel within the isothermal tempering station.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling of the carbon steel after the bainite formation has been entirely completed occurs as the carbon steel runs through a cooling device.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the carbon steel is cooled in the cooling device to a temperature that prevents oxidation or color changes in the surface of the carbon steel.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the cooling device is operated under a protective gas atmosphere in order to prevent oxidation or color changes of the surface of the carbon steel.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the cooling device is operated under air, in order to produce a surface change in the form of bluing of the carbon steel.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the carbon steel exits from the cooling device at an exit temperature of essentially 100° C. or less.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a metal bath is used as the quenching agent.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein a salt/lead/bismuth bath is used as the metal bath.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the austenitizing of the carbon steel occurs in an austenitizing station after the carbon steel enters the austenitizing station; and

further comprising the step of:

passing the carbon steel through a warming bath before the carbon steel enters the austenitizing station.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the warming bath is the bath having the quenching agent; and

wherein the bath having the quenching agent can be kept at the conversion temperature for the bainite formation of the carbon steel in that after the austenitizing, the austenitized carbon steel in the bath gives off, during cooling in the bath, quenching heat to the carbon steel in the bath that has not yet entered the austenitizing station.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the austenitizing of the carbon steel occurs in an austenitizing station after the carbon steel enters the austenitizing station; and

wherein the carbon steel is guided, in a region of the austenitizing of the carbon steel, in such a manner that the carbon steel entering the austenitizing station is also warmed by heat radiation of the austenitized carbon steel, the austenitized carbon steel being on a run-out side of the austenitizing station, the austenitized carbon steel having the austenitizing temperature.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the heat radiation heats the carbon steel entering the austenitizing station substantially uniformly and brings about stationary tempering conditions during the austenitizing, as well as homogenization of the austenite structure of the carbon steel.

21. The method according to claim 19 , wherein a dwell time of the carbon steel in the austenitizing station, under an influence of the heat radiation, is selected to be so long that a homogeneous austenite structure forms in the carbon steel.

22. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the austenitizing of the carbon steel occurs in an austenitizing station after the carbon steel enters the austenitizing station; and

wherein the carbon steel is inductively heated in the austenitizing station.