Abstract: A method and apparatus for semi-horizontal continuous casting is disclosed employing an essentially horizontally extending continuous casting mold provided at its upper side or top wall with a mold inlet opening for the infeed of the metal to be cast, especially steel. At least one strand guide arrangement serves to guide at least one continuously cast strand which is fed laterally out of the continuous casting mold. The strand guide arrangement for each stand possesses two strand guide tracks or paths curved in opposite direction, the center of curvature of the first curved guide track or path, viewed in the direction of travel of the cast strand, being located below its related path of travel, and the center of curvature of the second curved guide track or path being located above its related path of travel.

Abstract: Hot, elongated metallic products are delivered to a horizontal roller table and then transferred to one side of the latter transverse to the longitudinal dimensions of the products. The transfer arrangement for the products includes several pairs of I-beams which stretch from one side of the roller table to the other and are upwardly inclined in the direction of transfer. The I-beams of each pair are spaced from one another, and a wheeled carriage is located in the gap between the I-beams of each pair. The wheels of the carriages are situated between the flanges of the respective I-beams. The carriages are aligned with one another in the longitudinal direction of the products and are driven in synchronism. This permits each product in the path of the carriages to be engaged by all of the carriages simultaneously. As the carriages travel in the transfer direction, the carriages sequentially lift the products from the roller table along a direction which is inclined to the horizontal.

Abstract: A continuous casting mold assembly has a pair of end plates which are releasably clamped between a pair of side plates and cooperate with the same to define an open-ended mold cavity. A single tie-rod at either end of the pair of side plates spans the side plates and provides a clamping function and an alignment function. Clamping is accomplished by clamping nuts on the tie-rods and the torque required to turn the nuts is maintained at a low value by means of thrust bearings. Alignment is achieved via tongues on the tie-rods which contact the side plate to be located at the neutral axis of the continuous casting apparatus. The tongues cooperate with locator heads on the respective tie-rods to define a predetermined distance of such magnitude that the side plate contacted by the tongues lies at the neutral axis when the locator heads abut fixed reference elements on the mold table. The invention provides simplification and increased operational reliability.

Abstract: A continuous casting machine for billets and blooms has a curved mold which is followed by a curved cooling zone and a straightener. A dummy bar for the casting machine has a length at least equal to the distance between the mold and the straightener. The dummy bar has a rigid portion and a flexible portion which are pivotally connected with one another. The rigid portion, which is curved and has a radius equal to the casting radius, includes a dummy bar head. The flexible portion is made up essentially of pivotally connected, curved links having radii equal to the casting radius. The flexible portion is designed such that it can assume radii equal to or less than the casting radius. When the dummy bar is in position for casting, the flexible portion assumes the casting radius and the dummy bar conforms to the curvature of the casting machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for the continuous casting of hollow metal shapes includes a cooled, open-ended mold having a cooled mandrel positioned centrally of the mold cavity. The inner surface of the mold and outer surface of the mandrel together define a casting space. Molten metal is teemed into this space and solidifies adjacent the inner surface of the mold and the outer surface of the mandrel. In this manner, a body consisting of a molten mass confined between a pair of solidified skins is formed. The body is continuously withdrawn from the mold thereby generating a continuous strand which is hollow due to the presence of the mandrel in the mold. The outer surface of the strand is sprayed with coolant outside of the mold so that the molten mass within the strand solidifies progressively. The mandrel is provided with a passage which opens to the hollow center of the strand and a finely divided solid such as sand is fed into the center of the strand via this passage.

Abstract: A detector for monitoring the bath level in an oscillatory continuous casting mold oscillates with the latter. The detector generates signals indicative of the bath level and a control unit interprets the signals and initiates adjustment of the bath level if this is outside of prescribed limits. Since the detector oscillates with the mold, and thus relative to the bath, the distance between the detector and the surface of the bath changes continuously even if the bath level remains constant. Inasmuch as the detector cannot distinguish between its own movement and that of the bath level, the oscillation of the detector results in the supply of misinformation to the control unit. In order to correct for the oscillation of the detector, a limit switch is connected with the detector or the control unit and is arranged to be closed by the oscillator at a predetermined point of its stroke. Thus, the detector will always be at the same position when the limit switch is closed.

Abstract: A continuous casting installation has a curved secondary cooling zone in which a partially solidified, continuously cast strand originally having a generally vertical orientation is turned towards the horizontal while being cooled. Spray nozzles are provided for spraying the upper and lower surfaces of the strand, as well as the sides of the strand, with cooling fluid during passage of the strand through the curved cooling zone. The spray nozzles for cooling the sides of the strand have slot-like openings which curve in the same direction as the curved cooling zone. These spray nozzles thus produce curved spray patterns. This makes it possible to reduce the number of spray nozzles required to cool the strand in the curved cooling zone thereby simplifying spray nozzle alignment problems. Furthermore, by appropriate selection of the radius of curvature of the slot-like openings, the spray nozzles for the sides of the strand may be positioned farther away from the strand than previously.

Abstract: A mold assembly for continuous casting has a plurality of open-ended molds. The mold assembly further has a cooling member which is common to all of the molds and cooperates with each mold to define one or more cooling passages therewith. The cooling member, which is provided with one or more pairs of coolant inlet and outlet bores, is in the form of a cooling jacket or in the form of a back-up plate depending upon whether the molds are tube molds or plate molds. The mold assembly is rotatably mounted on a mold table having a casting location at which a mold is positioned during a casting operation. A coolant supply and coolant discharge conduit are arranged in the mold table adjacent the casting location. In operation, one of the molds of the assembly is positioned at the casting location with the remaining molds being in standby positions. At least one pair of the coolant inlet and outlet bores in the cooling member is aligned with the coolant supply and discharge conduits in the mold table.

Abstract: A continuous casting installation has a generally vertical open-ended mold supported on a casting platform, a flexible dummy bar for sealing the lower end of the mold prior to the start of a cast, a curved guide below the casting platform for the strand formed in the mold and a mechanism for handling the dummy bar. This mechanism includes a carriage which is provided with a semi-circular, downwardly concave roller bed having a length at least equal to that of the dummy bar. The carriage is located on the casting platform and is movable between the mold and a location above that at which the dummy bar emerges from the strand guide. A rotatably driven, telescopic arm on the carriage pivots on the axis of the semi-circular roller bed. The arm is capable of engaging the dummy bar. In operation, the carriage is positioned above the location at which the dummy bar emerges from the strand guide.

Abstract: A dummy or starter bar for starting a strand in a continuous casting installation having an open-ended mold is provided with a head which is receivable in the mold. The dummy bar head has a peripheral surface which faces the inner surface of the mold. The dummy bar head further has an end face at least part of which is inclined with respect to the peripheral surface. The end face is directed towards the inlet end of the mold. The dummy bar head is provided with a dovetail-like recess which opens to the inclined part of the end face. The recess enables the strand to become coupled to the dummy bar head and is arranged so that coupling occurs in a manner which permits the strand and the dummy bar head to become detached by relative movement thereof in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the strand.

Abstract: A roll segment for supporting and guiding continuously cast metal strands fed therethrough, said segment comprising opposing rolls for contacting the opposite sides of a continuously cast metal strand cast through a mold and passed from said mold between said rolls. First support means for supporting the roll in contact with one of said opposite sides of said strand, second support means for supporting the roll in contact with the other of said opposite sides of said strand. Linkage means at the opposite ends of said rolls interconnect said first and second support means and maintain said rolls in substantially parallel alignment at the opposite sides of said strand.

Abstract: In a continuous casting plant having a ladle shop and a separate casting shop, each served by a separate traveling crane, means for supporting one or more ladles are located in the ladle shop and means for supporting one or more molds are located in the casting shop. A tundish is positioned to extend across the space between the two shops with one end of the tundish located below a ladle to receive molten metal therefrom, and with the other end located above the mold to discharge molten metal into the mold. One or more tundishes are mounted on pivoted carriers on which the tundishes may be moved selectively from casting position to a position in the casting shop where they may be removed from the carriers for repair and reconditioning, and on which tundishes may be moved to preheating and prefill positions.

Abstract: A method of cooling a continuously cast strand, particularly a steel strand, in a secondary cooling zone of a continuous casting plant wherein a spray nozzle disposed at the region of at least two consecutively spaced guiding means produces a spray pattern of liquid coolant, typically water, which impinges the surface of the cast strand with a substantially uniform distribution of the coolant and a substantially uniform impingement force at least over the major portion of the transverse width dimension of such cast strand. The invention further contemplates feeding the liquid coolant into the nozzle so as to flow initially essentially in the axial extent thereof and then to depart therefrom in a direction extending transversely with respect thereto to form such spray pattern of liquid coolant.