Abstract: An automatic casting process of a continuous casting machine includes a mold filling mode and a continuous casting mode. The continuous casting machine includes a metallurgical vessel having a discharge opening, a stopper for opening and closing to an affective flow rate of a molten metal from the discharge opening, and a control device for controlling the opening and closing of the stopper. The mold filling mode of the automatic casting process entails repeatedly opening and closing the stopper to discharge the molten metal into a continuous casting mold having an extracting end sealed by a starting head. The opening and closing of the stopper during the mold filling mode is effected at predetermined time intervals and at predetermined stopper positions which are preprogrammed in the control device.

Abstract: A flow starting tube for initiating the discharge flow of molten material in a vessel through a bottom discharge opening thereof extends upwardly from a lower end fitted to the discharge opening to thereby block access of the molten material to the discharge opening. The flow starting tube has a configuration such that it is broken away at a predetermined breaking position when the level of molten material in the vessel reaches a suitable level. Such breaking away at the predetermined breaking position is achieved under the influence of the molten material burning through the flow starting tube at the predetermined breaking position and/or the influence of the buoyancy in the molten material of a portion of the flow starting tube above the predetermined breaking position.

Abstract: In a method to determine disturbances when pouring molten metal from a container having an outlet channel, vibrations generated by the molten metal flowing from the container are measured at parts of the outlet and deviations from a desired vibrational characteristic are determined. From these vibrations disturbances such as blockages in the outlet channel, vortexes and, above all, the outflow of slag can be detected. With this method the reliability of the pouring process can be significantly increased.

Abstract: For the automatic casting start-up of a strand in continuous casting installations, a programmed start-of-casting curve is started with a slightly throttled sliding gate valve and each partial real time of the rising actual metal level is compared with the corresponding partial characteristic time during time ranges stored for each of the partial characteristic times wherein each of the individual ranges corresponding to a flow position of the valve, and the flow position of the time range into which the measured partial real time falls is set automatically. In this way, a preassigned start-of-casting curve can be optimally reproduced.