An induction coil assembly associated with controlling the flow of molten material used in casting or deposition of precious and/or non-precious metals on a substrate is disclosed. The assembly comprises one or more induction coils associated with induction melting of electrically conductive material by applying a predetermined current value. The assembly further comprises a crucible comprising the electrically conductive material in which an electromagnetic field is generated therein by the predetermined current value applied to the induction coils. The electromagnetic field associated with the electrically conductive material is modulated; and is used to generate smaller units of the electrically conductive material by interrupting velocity of a flow of the material in order to produce grains or apply layers on the substrate. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.

A defect detection and remediation system can be used to detect and remediate sub-surface defects within a cast metal during the continuous casting stage. The system can include a detection device having one or more detection units to detect a defect within the cast metal using ultrasonic waves and a remediation device having one or more remediation units to remediate the defect detected by the detection device in a target area of the cast metal containing the detected defect.

The invention relates to a method for producing foundry ingots (1) from metal, in particular from steel, having a cross-sectional area of more than 0.1 m.sup.2, wherein liquid metal (2) is discharged into an ingot mold (15) open at the bottom either directly form a casting ladle (11) or via a tundish (12), and wherein, by a drawing piston (28), which is vertically movable in the direction of a longitudinal axis (5) of the foundry ingot (1) and on which the foundry ingot (1) is at least indirectly arranged, the at least partially solidified foundry ingot (1) is drawn from the ingot mold (15) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (5).

A continuous steel casting method includes producing a strand. The producing of the strand includes pouring molten steel into a mold of a continuous casting machine and withdrawing a solidified shell from the mold, the solidified shell being a solidified portion of the molten steel. The method includes applying a static magnetic field to at least a portion of a region of the strand, the strand being in the continuous casting machine, the region being a region where a solid fraction fs at a thickness-wise middle position of the strand is in a given range, the static magnetic field having a magnetic field strength of greater than or equal to 0.15 T and being in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the strand is withdrawn, the static magnetic field being applied at an application time ratio of greater than or equal to 10%.

An apparatus for continuous casting of molten material includes an elongate tube of electrically conductive material having an inner and an outer wall defining a molding cavity therein, the inner and outer walls having a first end having an inlet for receiving the molten material and a second end having an outlet for removing a solidifying billet formed from the molten material; an electrical coil with inner and outer surfaces, the electrical coil arranged to surround the outer wall of the elongate tube; and an annular channel defined by the outer wall of the elongate tube and the inner surface of the electrical coil. When pulsating current passes through the electrical coil, a counter current is induced in the elongate mold causing a repelling force between the electrical coil and the elongate mold, thereby causing inward radial flexure of the elongate mold.

This mold equipment is mold equipment provided with a mold, an electromagnetic brake device, and a control device. An immersion nozzle is provided with a pair of discharge holes of molten metal, the electromagnetic brake device is provided with an iron core including a pair of teeth and coils wound around the respective teeth, the coils on one side are connected in series in a first circuit, the coils on the other side are connected in series in a second circuit, and the control device is able to independently control voltage and current applied to each of the first and second circuits for each circuit, detects a drift of a discharge flow between the pair of discharge holes on the basis of the voltage applied to the coils in the first circuit and the voltage applied to the coils in the second circuit, and controls the current flowing through the first circuit and the current flowing through the second circuit on the basis of a detection result.

The invention relates to a method for producing foundry ingots (1) from metal, in particular from steel, having a cross-sectional area of more than 0.1 m.sup.2, wherein liquid metal (2) is discharged into an ingot mold (15) open at the bottom either directly form a casting ladle (11) or via a tundish (12), and wherein, by a drawing piston (28), which is vertically movable in the direction of a longitudinal axis (5) of the foundry ingot (1) and on which the foundry ingot (1) is at least indirectly arranged, the at least partially solidified foundry ingot (1) is drawn from the ingot mold (15) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (5).

A continuous casting mold according to the present invention has plural separate portions filled with a metal of low thermal conductivity formed by filling a metal having a thermal conductivity of 30% or less of that of copper into circular concave grooves having a diameter of 2 to 20 mm which are formed in the region of the inner wall surface of the copper mold from an arbitrary position higher than a meniscus to a position 20 mm or more lower than the meniscus, in which the filling thickness of the metal in the portions filled with the metal of low thermal conductivity is equal to or less than the depth of the circular concave grooves and satisfies the relationship with the diameter of the portions filled with the metal of low thermal conductivity expressed by expression (1) below:
0.5Hd(1).

An electromagnetic brake system for a metal-making process. The electromagnetic brake system includes a two-level magnetic structure, in particular an upper magnetic core structure configured to be mounted to an upper portion of a mold and a lower magnetic core structure configured to be mounted to a lower portion of a mold. Lateral coils on the upper magnetic structure are configured to be controlled to generate a first magnetic field in a first field direction and inner coils are configured to be controlled to generate a second magnetic field in a second field direction, simultaneously with the first magnetic field. The lower magnetic core structure has lower coils which are configured to be controlled to generate a third magnetic field in the first direction simultaneously as the lateral coils and the inner coils generate their fields.

An electromagnetic brake system for a metal-making process. The electromagnetic brake system includes a two-level magnetic structure, in particular an upper magnetic core structure configured to be mounted to an upper portion of a mold and a lower magnetic core structure configured to be mounted to a lower portion of a mold. Lateral coils on the upper magnetic structure are configured to be controlled to generate a first magnetic field in a first field direction and inner coils are configured to be controlled to generate a second magnetic field in a second field direction, simultaneously with the first magnetic field. The lower magnetic core structure has lower coils which are configured to be controlled to generate a third magnetic field in the first direction simultaneously as the lateral coils and the inner coils generate their fields.