Abstract: Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.

Abstract: An “in-line” device to continuously remove dissolved gasses from liquid metal is described. The device described herein may contain an apparatus to create a partial vacuum, one or more ultrasonic vibrators below the surface of the liquid metal to evolve gas bubbles within the metal, and a high-frequency vibrating metal plate which the fluid must pass over at a low depth. The device may be used to create high quality metals, including aluminum and aluminum alloy for a number of demanding applications such as pharmaceutical, semiconductor, foil, and aerospace applications including Aluminum-Lithium alloys.

Abstract: Direct chill casting that allows for the continuous or serial introduction of an inert fluid into the coolant stream during casting while allowing for stoppage of the coolant flow and introduction of only inert fluid as the coolant in the event of a “bleed out” or “run out”.

Abstract: Steam exhaust ports are located around a perimeter of a direct chill casting pit, at various locations from below the top of the pit to the pit bottom to rapidly remove steam from the casting pit with addition of dry excess air. Gas introduction ports are also located around a perimeter of the casting pit and configured to introduce an inert gas into the casting pit interior.

Abstract: An embodiment includes a casting mold. The casting mold may include a mold body having a direction surface and a coolant box coupled to the mold body. The casting mold further may include a coolant ring having a regulation surface where the coolant ring may be coupled to the coolant box so as to bring the regulation surface and the direction surface together to form a nozzle. The casting mold further may include a mold starting head.

Abstract: An embodiment includes a casting mold. The casting mold may include a mold body having a direction surface and a coolant box coupled to the mold body. The casting mold further may include a coolant ring having a regulation surface where the coolant ring may be coupled to the coolant box so as to bring the regulation surface and the direction surface together to form a nozzle. The casting mold further may include a mold starting head.

Abstract: An embodiment includes a casting mold. The casting mold may include a mold body having a direction surface and a coolant box coupled to the mold body. The casting mold further may include a coolant ring having a regulation surface where the coolant ring may be coupled to the coolant box so as to bring the regulation surface and the direction surface together to form a nozzle. The casting mold further may include a mold starting head.

Abstract: A molten metal casting annulus comprising an insert support and cooling frame and a multiplicity of graphite casting annulus insert components supported entirely without clamping on said insert support and cooling frame and a method manufacturing the same are disclosed.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a molten metal casting annulus that includes an insert support and cooling frame configured and constructed to define a plane and an annular face generally perpendicular to the plane. The plane and annular face define an enclosed planar annular space. The frame further defines an annular groove adjacent the annular face and a multiplicity of insert components supported on the insert support and cooling frame. The insert components are fitted edge to edge around the casting annulus to define the annulus. The insert components further include a lip snugly fitted in the annular groove. The method includes chilling the graphite casting annulus insert components before inserting the lip of the respective insert components into the annular groove in the frame and allowing the insert components to warm and thermally expand to lock the lip in position in the groove.

Abstract: An improved molten aluminum refining apparatus in which the refining gas passageway is defined by a helical groove in the rotor shaft and sleeve for heating gas by contact with the sleeve as it flows toward the rotor to generally the temperature of the melt; which comprises a stator surrounding the sleeve and occupying a portion of the surface of the molten aluminum, and wherein the vessel comprises side walls that diverge upwardly at an angle of from about 5 degrees to about 16 degrees for permitting the gas bubbles to expand without substantial coalescence as the bubbles move upwardly in the melt reducing the metallostatic pressure on the respective bubbles.

Abstract: A molten metal casting annulus comprising an insert support and cooling frame and a multiplicity of graphite casting annulus insert components supported entirely without clamping on said inset support and cooling frame and a method manufacturing the same are disclosed.