Abstract: The invention relates to a process and an apparatus for casting in a pit, without risk of explosion, of aluminum and its alloys, particularly with lithium.It comprises placing an elastic shield (3) around the cast product in order to stop the cooling water and any liquid metal outpouring, the water and metal being collected by flowing over the shield, into inclined channels (5 to 14), where the water forms a film and the metal is stopped in portionwise manner by strips (19) located at appropriate distances within the channels.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a process for vertical continuous casting at speeds which are close to a meter per minute. The process is characterized in that the use of a top feeder head and an electromagnetic field are combined and that, by controlling the position in respect of height of the top feeder head and the cooling system relative to the field generating means, the distances between certain parameters such as the solidification front and the base plane of the top feeder head are maintained constant in the course of the casting operation. This process makes it possible to cast aluminium and alloys thereof in the form of billets or plates, the smallest dimension of which does not exceed 150 mm and which have a surface that does not require any scalping treatment.