A system for the continuous casting and subsequent flat rolling of a steel strip with an austenitic and/or ferritic microstructure and a thickness of less than 1.0 mm comprises a casting device with which a raw steel strip with a thickness in the range of 1.50 to 4.0 mm can be continuously cast. At least one hot rolling stand is coupled to the casting device, with which the raw steel strip can be roughed into the steel strip immediately after the casting process while still in the austenitic and/or ferritic microstructure range. At least one rolling module is arranged immediately after the hot rolling stand coupled to the casting device. The rolling module includes, in this order, a cooling device, a heating device and a hot rolling stand with which the roughed steel strip can be hot-rolled in the austenitic and/or ferritic microstructure range to specifications into the steel strip.

A system and method for continuous casting. The system includes a melt chamber, a withdrawal chamber, and a secondary chamber therebetween. The melt chamber can maintain a melting pressure and the withdrawal chamber can attain atmospheric pressure. The secondary chamber can include regions that can be adjusted to different pressures. During continuous casting operations, the first region adjacent to the melt chamber can be adjusted to a pressure that is at least slightly greater than the melting pressure; the pressure in subsequent regions can be sequentially decreased and then sequentially increased. The pressure in the final region can be at least slightly greater than atmospheric pressure. The differential pressures can form a dynamic airlock between the melt chamber and the withdrawal chamber, which can prevent infiltration of the melt chamber by non-inert gas in the atmosphere, and thus can prevent contamination of reactive materials in the melt chamber.

A metal delivery nozzle for a twin roll caster adapted to extend along and above a pair of casting rolls has a main portion with one or two refractory pieces with outlets adapted to deliver molten metal to a casting pool supported by the casting rolls during casting; refractory delivery end portions separately supported adapted to move relative to the main portion at each end portion of the metal delivery nozzle, each refractory delivery end portion having a reservoir portion with passages there through adapted to deliver molten metal to the casting pool adjacent the side dams and the end portions of the casting rolls; and a mechanism connected to each refractory delivery end portion adapted to move said refractory delivery end portion relative to the main portion as casting proceeds to maintain desired distance between the refractory delivery end portions and the side dams.

A strand guide device serves to deflect a freshly cast strand, typically made of metal, into the horizontal. During the deflection, the cast strand passes through a cooling chamber 1 inside the strand guide device 2, in which it is sprayed with a coolant 33, with the formation of steam 5. The steam forms at least a steam-air mixture 5 with sucked-in secondary air, which is sucked out of the cooling chamber by a suction device 20. In order to reduce the pollutant content of the sucked-in and sucked-off steam-air mixture 5 and its emission into the environment, pollutants, primarily dust, located in the steam-air mixture 5 are depleted by a separator 6, 6.

A device and a method for producing a continuous strip-shaped composite material. For this purpose, a base material, which is produced using at least one casting machine as a continuous strand, in particular made of steel, and providing at least one cladding material, which is unwound in the form of at least one metal strip by a coil unwinding unit are provided. Subsequently, a slab which has formed by solidification from the strand produced by the casting machine and the metal strip unwound by the coil unwinding unit, in the hot state are brought together, wherein the materials, which are moved in the direction toward one another, formed from the slab and the unwound metal strip are hot rolled, so that a single continuous strip-shaped composite material is thus produced by roll cladding. The base material is continuously cast in the vertical direction in the casting direction.

An apparatus (100) and method for the production of elongated metal products such as bars, rods or the like: A rolling mill (10) with at least one rolling stand (5); a casting station (20) with at least a first casting line (2a) and at least a second casting line (2b), each line (2a, 2b) being operable to produce respective elongated intermediate products (b2a, b2b), such as billets; wherein at least the first casting line (2a) is directly aligned with the rolling mill (10), the first casting line (2a) being configured to feed the rolling mill (10) with a fully continuous casting strand or with cast elongated intermediate products; and the second casting line (2b) is not aligned with the rolling mill (10). A bidirectional transfer device (30) for transferring elongated intermediate products (b2b) of the second casting line (2b) alternatively in a first direction from the second casting line (2b) to the first casting line (2a) to align the elongated intermediate product (b2b) with the rolling mill (10) or in a second direction from the at least second casting line (2b) to a cooling bed (40).

A combined casting and rolling installation and to a method for operating the combined casting and rolling installation. The combined casting and rolling installation comprises a rough-rolling mill train, a discharging device, a first transporting device, a quenching device, and at least one severing device. The rough-rolling mill train is configured to roll a continuously cast hot billet to form a rough-rolled strip. The discharging device is downstream of the rough-rolling mill train with respect to a conveying direction of the rough-rolled strip. The severing device is between the rough-rolling mill train and the discharging device and cuts up a first sub-portion of the rough-rolled strip into a rough-rolled strip piece. The discharging device discharges the rough-rolled strip piece. The first transporting device connects the severing device to the quenching device and transports the rough-rolled strip piece to the quenching device, which is configured to quench the rough-rolled strip piece.

A metal delivery nozzle for a twin roll caster adapted to extend along and above a pair of casting rolls has a main portion with one or two refractory pieces with outlets adapted to deliver molten metal to a casting pool supported by the casting rolls during casting; refractory delivery end portions separately supported adapted to move relative to the main portion at each end portion of the metal delivery nozzle, each refractory delivery end portion having a reservoir portion with passages there through adapted to deliver molten metal to the casting pool adjacent the side dams and the end portions of the casting rolls; and a mechanism connected to each refractory delivery end portion adapted to move said refractory delivery end portion relative to the main portion as casting proceeds to maintain desired distance between the refractory delivery end portions and the side dams.

Plant for the production of metal products comprising: a main rolling line configured to roll thin slabs; a main casting line of thin slabs associated downstream to a heating and/or maintenance furnace to heat and/or maintain the cast thin slabs at a uniform temperature, the main casting line being positioned upstream of and aligned with said main rolling line, the main rolling line being configured to roll the thin slabs arriving at least from the heating and/or maintenance furnace; an auxiliary rolling line provided with at least one rolling unit configured to roll conventional slabs and obtain thin slabs, and with a transfer unit positioned downstream of the rolling unit and configured to transfer the thin slabs rolled by the latter to the heating and/or maintenance furnace.

A plant to produce metal products, and a corresponding management method, where the plant includes a production line which includes a plurality of operating units, each provided with respective hydraulic circuits, selected from a melting unit, a casting unit, a rolling unit and a cooling treatment apparatus, and a water supply unit having a tank for the water connected to each of the hydraulic circuits and a plurality of water feed devices configured to feed water from the tank to respective hydraulic circuits.