Abstract: The invention concerns a tundish for continuous casting in a steel mill, equipped with at least one tube changer (18). The changer has a frame (20) mounted under the tundish (2), at least one fixed plate (8) and a tube (28), having a plate (30) at its upper part, means (36) for applying the plate (30) of the tube (28) against the fixed plate (8), their surface in contact forming a junction plane (34). The junction plane (34) is inclined at a nonzero angle &agr; with respect to the horizontal. The new tube (28) passes from the introduction position to the casting position and the worm tube from the casting position to the evacuation position by a sliding movement on the junction plane (34), following a trajectory at least partially nonrectilinear, the combination of the angle of inclination &agr; of the junction plane, dimensions of the tubes (30) and the trajectories of these latter being such that the tubes (30) avoid the casting mold (42) during a tube change.

Abstract: A submerged guide member for guiding a strip of metal in a molten metal coating bath in the form of a roller or fixed guide consisting of sintered, fused or vitreous silica or a mixture of at least 80% by weight of fused or vitreous silica and up to 20% by weight of one or more members of the group consisting of refractory earth elements, metal oxides and compounds of oxides, carbides, borides, oxynitrides, SiAlON, thermal decomposition products of carbosilanes, calcia, magnesia, zircon (ZrSiO.sub.4), zirconia, chromia and silicon carbide. The process concerns the deposition of a protective layer of, for example, zinc on a strip of sheet metal by submerging the metal strip in a bath of molten metal or metal alloy, and guiding the strip with one or more submerged rollers or fixed guide members of the fused silica material set forth above.

Abstract: A roller includes a cylinder and at least one ferrule mounted at one end of the cylinder. The cylinder and the ferrule are designed to take up a diametrical play, such as by a conical joint that can include a tie rod or axle. A coil or the like can be provided for holding the cylinder against the bottom of the cone.