A method for operating a casting/rolling system and to a corresponding system for casting and rolling an endless strand material. The casting/rolling system comprises a strand casting machine and a rolling train arranged downstream of the strand casting machine. The method has the following step: controlling the drive for the rollers of the first roller frame of the rolling train by means of a drive control in response to a target value specification of the pass sequence model. Furthermore, the drive of the at least one strand guiding roller is controlled by a strand guiding roller drive control in response to a target value specification of the strand casting machine drive model.

An aftercooler for horizontal continuous casting includes a plurality of aftercooler segments each of which includes a plurality of radially acting aftercooler sections. The radially acting sections each define inner surfaces which combine with, the remaining radially acting aftercooler sections to form an aftercooler passage. The, radially acting sections within each aftercooler segment are banded together by a plurality of resilient encircling bands. The bands draw the radially acting aftercooler sections together to constrain a casting within the casting passage. The plurality of aftercooler segments are provided with a surrounding coolant carrying jacket. A plurality of gas distribution passages are formed in the radially acting aftercooler sections which are provided with a flow of inert gas. The inert gas distributes itself between the surfaces of the casting and the surfaces of the aftercooler passage to prevent oxide formation and to ease the travel of the casting through the, aftercooler.

A crack-free continuous casting mold configured so that occurrence of cracks at a casting billet can be reduced even in a case where a casting speed exceeds 500 mm/min. The continuous casting mold continuously casts a casting billet while cooling molten metal by a cooling device provided at a cooling casting mold. The cooling device includes multiple cooling nozzles configured to release coolant water to the casting billet pulled out of the cooling casting mold to cool the casting billet. Multiple ejection ports of the multiple cooling nozzles are arranged along an outer circumferential direction of a surface of the casting billet. Each ejection port has a short side and a long side, and is configured such that the long side is arranged along an axial direction of the casting billet.

A conveyor furnace system is provided that includes a housing, a conveyor, a vacuum device, and at least one heating element. The housing may have a first end and a second end. The conveyor may be configured to transit one or more component molds from the first end to the second end. The vacuum device may be configured to selectively produce a below atmospheric pressure within the housing. The at least one heating element may be disposed in the housing, and has a first end disposed adjacent the first end of the housing and a second end adjacent the second end of the housing. The at least one heating element is configured to provide a vertically tapered heating exposure in a direction from the first end of the housing to the second end of the housing.

An apparatus for the automatic startup of a continuous casting line, including a vessel which is connected to a tip by means of a gate, the tip feeding a casting housing. The apparatus includes a laser device which measures the level of the metal within the vessel, a level control device, which adjusts the introduction of liquid metal into the vessel, a gate actuator to control the gate for providing a barrier between the vessel and the tip, a transducer for the temperature of the metal inside the vessel, and a PLC which receives data from the temperature transducer and from the laser device to control the level control device and the gate actuator, so as to adjust the vessel metal level to ensure a correct and continuous flow of metal toward the casting cylinders, to avoid poor diffusion of the metal inside the tip.

A method and apparatus for continuous Near Net Shape casting of a liquid metal (10) into a metal strip are described. The method comprises transferring the liquid metal in a velocity adjusted manner from a headbox (50) a chilled substrate (36), via a meniscus gap (69). The headbox (50) comprising a slot nozzle (68) defined in a bottom portion (66) for the headbox (50) above (36) onto the chilled substrate. The slot nozzle (68) defining a smooth elongated cavity with a slot width (67) and the slot length (65) of the metal strip (34). It has been surprisingly found that the generation of some turbulence at the outlet of the apparatus described herein promotes stable Near Net Shape Continuous Casting. The present method and apparatus increase the level of turbulence in the liquid metal of the outlet nozzle upstream of the chilled substrate (36) to minimize premature metal freezing. In a particularly preferred embodiment the slot nozzle is adjustable.

A pivotable tundish (1) for continuous casting a metal alloy. The tundish includes a body (3) with a first chamber (5), a second chamber (7), a first passage (12) between the first chamber and the second chamber, and a second passage (16) between the second chamber and a mold (9). The first chamber is adapted to receive and hold a base metal constituting the base for forming the metal alloy by addition of alloying elements. The metal alloy is fed from the second chamber to the mold through the second passage. The second chamber further includes a first portion (30) and a second portion (32), and a third passage (36) between the first portion and the second portion. In the casting state the metal alloy is formed while casting by adding the alloying elements to the second portion of the second chamber.

A continuously operating casting and rolling system with a strip tension control includes a casting unit having a melt-containing feed vessel with a horizontal casting channel and a discharge region in the form of a casting nozzle, and a primary cooling zone with two guide rolls and a circulating cooled casting strip and at least one downstream rolling unit having at least two drivable rollers. In order to minimize the tension on the cast strip, the casting unit and the subsequent rolling unit are mechanically decoupled, wherein for the decoupling at least one driver unit having at least two drivable rollers for driving the strip is arranged between the casting belt and the rolling unit.