Abstract: Apparatus for heating intermediate ladles or tundishes, for example, in continuous casting processes. The apparatus comprises at least one coil having an iron core, which is disposed adjacent the ladle or tundish. The ladle or tundish and the coils are arranged so as to be movable with respect to each other. The ladle or tundish is adapted to be placed in a heating position adjacent to the coil, which is thus closely connected with the bottom or lower parts or corners of the ladle or tundish, in order primarily to heat the lowermost parts of the melt stored in the tundish.

Abstract: A method for centrifugal casting involves mold rotation below the mean rotation speed during the casting and thereafter periodically varying the mold rotating speed so as to cause stirring throughout the wall thickness of the melt centrifugally held in the mold. This avoids the formation of snakes and blisters in the cast shape.

Abstract: A melt is continuously horizontally cast by causing the melt to flow forwardly while spreading laterally to form a flat product. A magnetic field is directed perpendicularly through the flow where it is thicker so as to form the product with a uniform thickness throughout its width.

Abstract: Ferrous pellets are melted by feeding them to a ferrous melt in the hearth of an electric arc furnace having a centrally positioned arc. The melt is inductively stirred so that the lower portion of the melt flows radially outwardly while its upper portion flows radially inwardly towards the arc so that the pellets and possibly slag are carried towards the arc.

Abstract: Molten steel contained in a solidified steel skin of a continuously cast steel strand, is inductively stirred by inductive stirrers supplied with multi-phase AC having a frequency of from about 2 Hz to about 3 Hz, thereby obtaining an increased field strength or flux density in the molten steel and reducing the currents induced wastefully in the skin of solidified steel.

Abstract: To reduce metal oxides to molten metal, an electrically non-conductive, annular hearth is used, the hearth being radially corrugated to form radial ridges and valleys. A circumferentially continuous coke bed forming a closed electric circuit, is formed on this bed and heated to incandescence by electric current passed through the bed in its circumferential direction, the current being either induced or applied directly. The oxides in particulated form are fed to this bed for reduction to molten metal, the metal collecting in the valleys of the hearth and thereby being prevented from forming a circumferentially continuous melt of higher electrical conductivity than the coke. Particulated coke and oxides can be fed continuously to the bed, the molten metal being then continuously tapped from the valleys of the hearth to thereby prevent the formation of a circumferentially continuous melt.