A continuous casting mold including a water-cooled copper mold having a mold copper plate including an inner wall surface, recessed portions disposed partially or entirely in a region of the inner wall surface of the water-cooled copper mold from at least a position located at a meniscus to a position located 20 mm lower than the meniscus, and material-filled layers disposed in the recessed portions with a metal or nonmetal having a thermal conductivity different from that of the mold copper plate of the water-cooled copper mold. A shape of each of the recessed portions at a surface of the mold copper plate includes a curved surface.

Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

A casting mold material of the present invention includes, as a composition: 0.3 mass % to less than 0.5 mass % of Cr, 0.01 mass % to 0.15 mass % of Zr, and a balance consisting of Cu and inevitable impurities, and the casting mold material has acicular precipitates or plate-like precipitates containing Cr.

A casting mold material of the present invention includes, as a composition: 0.3 mass % to less than 0.5 mass % of Cr, 0.01 mass % to 0.15 mass % of Zr, and a balance consisting of Cu and inevitable impurities, and the casting mold material has acicular precipitates or plate-like precipitates containing Cr.

The present invention relates to a method, system, and apparatus for improving the efficiency of a continuous casting operation. A continuous casting mold component described herein includes: a mold wall substrate defining a groove proximate a bottom of the mold wall substrate; a graphite liner having a bottom edge defining a first angled surface and a top edge defining a second angled surface, where the bottom edge is received into the groove of the mold wall substrate; and a clamping element defining an angled clamping surface attached to the mold wall substrate with at least one fastener, where the bottom angled surface of the graphite liner is driven into the groove defined in the substrate in response to the angled clamping surface of the clamping element engaging the second angled surface of the graphite liner and the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the mold wall substrate.

Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy product including the steps of: creating a bath of liquid metal in an aluminum-copper-lithium alloy, casting said alloy by vertical semi-continuous casting so as to obtain a plate with thickness T and width W such that, during solidification, the hydrogen content of said liquid metal bath (1) is lower than 0.4 ml/100 g, the oxygen content above the liquid surface (14, 15) is less than 0.5% by volume.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy product including the steps of: creating a bath of liquid metal in an aluminum-copper-lithium alloy, casting said alloy by vertical semi-continuous casting so as to obtain a plate with thickness T and width W such that, during solidification, the hydrogen content of said liquid metal bath (1) is lower than 0.4 ml/100 g, the oxygen content above the liquid surface (14, 15) is less than 0.5% by volume.