Abstract: A holding furnace for molten metal comprises an inner vessel formed of flat, rigid, heat-resistant panels. The panels are held in sealing engagement with one another at abutting edge surfaces by the action of inwardly directed pressure applied to the panels by an integrally cast refractory outer vessel through the intermediary of a resilient layer of heat-resistant fibrous material. The pressure is applied as a result of the shrinking that the casting compound undergoes during the setting. When the inner vessel is being made, the panels, to which the resilient layer has initially been applied, are held together by the action of a reduced pressure in the inner vessel as the latter is positioned in a furnace casing interiorly lined with a mineral wool insulation. The inner vessel then is cast around with a refractory casting compound for forming the outer vessel.

Abstract: A holding furnace for molten metal comprises an inner vessel formed of flat, rigid, heat-resistant panels. The panels are held in sealing engagement with one another at abutting edge surfaces by the action of inwardly directed pressure applied to the panels by an integrally cast refractory outer vessel through the intermediary of a resilient layer of heat-resistant fibrous material. The pressure is applied as a result of the shrinking that the casting compound undergoes during the setting. When the inner vessel is being made, the panels, to which the resilient layer has initially been applied, are held together by the action of a reduced pressure in the inner vessel as the latter is positioned in a furnace casing interiorly lined with a mineral wool insulation. The inner vessel then is cast around with a refractory casting compound for forming the outer vessel.