A process for the sand casting of metals and their alloys includes the steps of providing at least a mold equipped with a plurality of cooling nozzles, making a layer of coolant permeable materials covering the nozzles and maintaining the materials at desired temperatures, delivering a molten metal into the mold, supplying predetermined amount of coolant to each nozzles to contact the external surface of the casting at desired rate, time, and duration to achieve an acceptable level of progressive solidification from the distal end of the casting towards the riser until the casting has reached desired temperatures.

A process for the sand casting of metals and their alloys includes the steps of providing at least a mold equipped with a plurality of cooling nozzles, making a layer of coolant permeable materials covering the nozzles and maintaining the materials at desired temperatures, delivering a molten metal into the mold, supplying predetermined amount of coolant to each nozzles to contact the external surface of the casting at desired rate, time, and duration to achieve an acceptable level of progressive solidification from the distal end of the casting towards the riser until the casting has reached desired temperatures.

A method for setting a conicity of a die of a strand casting installation during a casting procedure, including the steps of: measuring temperature values along a centric measuring path running in a casting direction along an adjustably disposed die wall; measuring temperature values along a peripheral measuring path running in a casting direction along the adjustably disposed die wall, wherein the peripheral measuring path runs between the centric measuring path and a lateral periphery of the die wall, and a spacing of the peripheral measuring path from the lateral periphery of the die wall is smaller than a spacing of the centric measuring path from the other lateral periphery of the die wall; determining a centric temperature distribution curve along the centric measuring path from the temperature values measured along the centric measuring path; determining a peripheral temperature distribution curve along the peripheral measuring path from the temperature values measured along the peripheral measuring path; determining a first area under the centric temperature distribution curve, and a second area under the peripheral temperature distribution curve; determining a difference between the second area and the first area; and setting the conicity of the die taking into account the difference.

A strand casting installation in which a conicity of a die is set during a casting procedure by measuring temperature values along a centric measuring path running in a casting direction along an adjustably disposed die wall; measuring temperature values along a peripheral measuring path running in a casting direction along the adjustably disposed die wall, wherein the peripheral measuring path runs between the centric measuring path and a lateral periphery of the die wall, and a spacing of the peripheral measuring path from the lateral periphery of the die wall is smaller than a spacing of the centric measuring path from the other lateral periphery of the die wall; determining a centric temperature distribution curve along the centric measuring path from the temperature values measured along the centric measuring path; determining a peripheral temperature distribution curve along the peripheral measuring path from the temperature values measured along the peripheral measuring path; determining a first area under the centric temperature distribution curve, and a second area under the peripheral temperature distribution curve; determining a difference between the second area and the first area; and setting the conicity of the die taking into account the difference.

A heat transfer coefficient between a solidified shell (2) and a mold (4) sandwiching a mold flux layer (3), and a heat transfer coefficient between a molten steel (1) and the solidified shell (2) are found by solving an inverse problem by using data from thermocouples (6), and a solidified shell thickness and a solidified shell temperature are estimated (solidified state in mold estimation amounts), and further, solidified state in mold evaluation amounts are obtained. It is determined whether a normal casting state or an abnormal casting state by comparing at least one or more kinds of amounts contained in the solidified state in mold estimation amounts and the solidified state in mold evaluation amounts with allowable limit values which are found based on at least one or more kinds of amounts contained in the solidified state in mold estimation amounts and the solidified state in mold evaluation amounts when the abnormal casting occurred in a past and stored in a data storage part.

A heat transfer coefficient between a solidified shell (2) and a mold (4) sandwiching a mold flux layer (3), and a heat transfer coefficient between a molten steel (1) and the solidified shell (2) are found by solving an inverse problem by using data from thermocouples (6), and a solidified shell thickness and a solidified shell temperature are estimated (solidified state in mold estimation amounts), and further, solidified state in mold evaluation amounts are obtained. It is determined whether a normal casting state or an abnormal casting state by comparing at least one or more kinds of amounts contained in the solidified state in mold estimation amounts and the solidified state in mold evaluation amounts with allowable limit values which are found based on at least one or more kinds of amounts contained in the solidified state in mold estimation amounts and the solidified state in mold evaluation amounts when the abnormal casting occurred in a past and stored in a data storage part.

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.

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 for operating a combined casting/rolling installation: A casting machine (4) of the combined installation (2) produces a cast product (40) and a rolling mill (6, 8) of the installation (2) produces a rolled product (42a, 42b) from the cast product (40). The installation (2) has a control device (12) with a measuring unit (14) and a controller (16). The measuring unit (14) detects a rolled-product property, generates a measurement signal dependent on that property and transmits the measurement signal to the controller (16), and the controller (16) uses the measurement signal to generate a control signal for the casting machine (4) based on a control algorithm and transmits the control signal to the casting machine (4) which uses the control signal to set a casting parameter. The detected rolled-product property is a temperature profile of the rolled product (42a, 42b) in the width direction thereof and the casting parameter that is set by the casting machine (4) using the control signal is a cooling parameter of the casting machine (4).

Grain size of a deliverable metal product can be improved by pre-setting recrystallization-suppressing dispersoids during casting. The outer regions of a direct chill cast embryonic ingot can undergo reheating before casting is complete. Through unique wiper placement and/or other reheating techniques, the temperature of the ingot can be permitted to reheat (e.g., up to approximately 410? C. to approximately 420? C.), allowing dispersoids to form. Stirring and/or agitation of the molten sump can facilitate formation of a deeper sump and desirably fine grain size as-cast. The formation of dispersoids during and/or immediately after casting can pin the grain boundaries at the desirably fine grain size, encouraging the same grain sizes even after a later recrystallization and/or solutionizing step.