Abstract: A mold for hot-top vertical continuous casting of metals includes a feed head (8) made of a thermally insulating refractory material which surmounts a cooled copper crystallizer (9) and is internally aligned with a cooled copper element (14) of the cooled copper crystallizer (9) in order to define a calibrating passage for the cast metal. The copper element (14) is formed by an assembly of plates, some of which, termed “large walls”, are each held against a reinforcing backplate (16) to which it is rigidly fastened by a clamp (22), the shape of which is elongate in the width direction of the large wall and which goes over the top of the large wall and its associated backplate.

Abstract: In this type of mold, a feed head (23) made of thermally insulating refractory fits on top of the cooled copper crystallizer (7) being internally aligned with it in order to define a passage for the cast metal, with interposition between the two of an insert (24) made of dense refractory having mechanical strength properties. This insert (24) consists of bars, each bar (29) being formed by a rigid assembly of aligned and juxtaposed contiguous elements (30) kept clamped against each other by a clamp incorporated into the bar, such as a cross-tie (31) associated with compression pads (33), and positioning and aligning the bar on the crystallizer (7) are provided and consist of a battery of spring pushers (38), which battery is associated with a positioning stop (39) on the crystallizer against which the bar (29) presses.

Abstract: The continuous casting installation includes an ingot mould the walls (1) of which are formed by cooled metal walls (2) surmounted by a hot-top element (3) made of a heat insulating material. Holes for injecting a gas under pressure, such as a slot (10), lead into the ingot mould at least at the interface between the hot-top element and the metal wall. The insulation includes means (13 to 17), connected to the said holes, for supplying a gas or a gaseous mix with a thermal expansion capacity adjustable according to the composition of the cast metal alloy and the casting conditions. The adjustment of the thermal expansion capacity of the injected gas enables the adjustment of the heat flux density extracted from the cast metal in the zone where it starts to solidify.

Abstract: The mold includes a cooled copper body 4 on top of which sits a refractory feed head 9 which itself consists of two separate components--a thermally insulating upper bush 16 and a bottom annulus 17 made of a stronger and more compact refractory which is surrounded by a crimping ring 18 narrower than the annulus, so that an edge of the annulus extends beyond each side of the ring. As the lower inner edge of the bottom annulus becomes worn due to an erosive flow of molten metal, the working life of the annulus may be extended in two ways. First, the annulus may be removed between casting operations and its bottom surface may be faced. Second, after the facing operations have rendered the bottom surface flush with the crimping ring 18, the annulus may then be inverted so that the lower inner edge is replaced with the upper inner edge.

Abstract: This mold consists of a cooled mold body (1), made of copper or a copper alloy, on which sits a refractory feed head (2) and a purge slit (8) is made at the interface between said mold body and said feed head, via which a stream of a waste inert gas is injected around the internal perimeter of the mold. The slit is supplied via a plenum chamber (13) made within the mold, the plenum chamber being itself supplied with gas via inlets (12) which connect it to a pressurized-gas supply (20). The injection slit (8) is segmented around the mold perimeter with the aid of separating means (21) which also segment the plenum chamber into compartments (13', 13", etc.) which are juxtaposed around the perimeter of the mold so that an inlet (12) runs out into each compartment thus formed.

Abstract: A continuous casting mold for metals is provided that is formed of an assembly of four metallic plates (13, 14) which plates have channels in their respective interiors. The channels are vertically oriented and serve to pass a fluid which is being circulated for the purpose of cooling. Two or more of said plates (13, 14) each have one or more horizontal channels (6a, 6b) in the upper part of the plate, which channels serve for circulation of cooling fluid and are independent of the aforesaid vertical channels, wherewith the said vertical channels are terminated at a level below said upper part of the plate.

Abstract: The mold comprises a tubular metal component (4), made of copper or a copper alloy, cooled by water circulation against its external wall and intended to ensure that the cast metal undergoes peripheral solidification on contact with its internal wall, and an uncooled feed head (9) made of a thermally insulating refractory, intended to contain cast metal in the liquid state and sitting on top of the cooled metal component (4) and defining with it a continuous sizing passage for the cast metal. A horizontal metal annulus (16) cooled by internal circulation is added between the feed head (9) and the tubular component (4) and aligned with the internal wall of the latter.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is a method of lubricating a mold (1) for the continuous casting of a metal product (16), of the type including a vigorously-cooled vertically-oscillating metal tubular element (2) defining a passage (4) for the cast metal and intended to cause, in contact with its wall (3) in said passage, the solidification of said metal product, in which a lubricant in the liquid state is injected through said metal tubular element toward said metal product being solidified, wherein said injection is carried out at points distributed annularly at a single level of said tubular element, said level lying at a distance greater than 20 cm from the lowest level at which solidification of said product is able to be initiated, and in that the flow rate of said lubricant is sufficient to cause a fraction of said lubricant to rise up along said wall to the level at which solidification of said product is effectively initiated.

Abstract: Process for secondary cooling of a metal product continuously cast on a machine in which secondary cooling is divided into n staggered independent zones, within which the flow of cooling fluid varies according to the speed of the product. An undesired change in the surface temperature of the product at a point HD of the metallurgical length of the machine, such as the straightening point, due to a foreseen or foreseeable variation starting at the time t.sub.vo, in the casting speed, is compensated for by anticipation. A determination is made, by means of the casting speed, of the time t.sub.o at which commences, at the upper part of the ingot mold, the portion of product which, at the time tvo, will reach the point HD; a further determination is made of the times t.sub.1, . . . , t.sub.1, . . . , t.sub.n at which the portion commencing at t.sub.o will emerge from the zones 1, . . . . i. . . . ,n of the secondary cooling; and, from the time t.sub.

Abstract: Energetic cooling of the product is performed during continuous casting when, at the core, the product is in a phase of pasty solidification so that the differential thermal contraction between the mushy core and the already completely solidified outer shell produces a squeezing effect of the core by the shell. To this end, means for cooling the product are arranged on the casting machine at the end section of the metallurgical length. The process makes it possible to reduce, and even to avoid, the formation of inner cracks during cooling of the cast product which would lead to the presence of segregated areas in the axial zone. It is applied advantageously to the casting of steels reputed to be difficult to cast continuously, such as steels with a long solidification range whose carbon content is from 0.25 to 1.5%.

Abstract: According to the invention, molten metal 3 is poured into a continuous-casting ingot mold and the thickness of the product 1 emerging from the ingot mold is reduced using a device for reducing the thickness 20, while the core 5 of said product has still not solidified.The thickness of the product 1 is reduced only in a central zone, excluding the solidified edges of the product, using means for reducing the thickness such as rolls 22 whose working length is less than the width of the large faces 11 of the ingot mold.Means 8 are provided downstream of the rolls 22 in order to crop the edges 7' of the product in the manufacture of thin slabs 9.