A hoisting type continuous casting device includes a keeping furnace, a first shape regulating member, an imaging section, an image analysis section, and a casting control section. The keeping furnace keeps a melt. The first shape regulating member is mounted in the vicinity of a molten surface of the melt kept in the keeping furnace and regulates a cross-sectional shape of a casting to be casted by the melt passing therethrough. The imaging section captures an image of the melt that has passed through the first shape regulating member. The image analysis section detects swinging motion in the melt from the image and determines a solidification interface based on presence or absence of the swinging motion. The casting control section changes a casting condition when the solidification interface determined by the image analysis section is not within a predetermined reference range.

A hoisting type continuous casting device includes a keeping furnace, a first shape regulating member, an imaging section, an image analysis section, and a casting control section. The keeping furnace keeps a melt. The first shape regulating member is mounted in the vicinity of a molten surface of the melt kept in the keeping furnace and regulates a cross-sectional shape of a casting to be casted by the melt passing therethrough. The imaging section captures an image of the melt that has passed through the first shape regulating member. The image analysis section detects swinging motion in the melt from the image and determines a solidification interface based on presence or absence of the swinging motion. The casting control section changes a casting condition when the solidification interface determined by the image analysis section is not within a predetermined reference range.

A method and apparatus for measuring quench characteristics of a fluid. The apparatus includes a probe with an energy input device electrically connected to a display unit to monitor temperature, media flow characteristics and media heat transfer characteristics. The method includes continuously measuring thermal energy transfer in a quenching media by measuring the surrounding fluid's heat transfer relative to input probe energy.

An apparatus and a method for controlling a cooling process of casting molds for cosmetic products during passing through a cooling track in an installation are described. The apparatus comprises a means for determining at least one process parameter corresponding to a first casting mold, a means for controlling the passing time of a second casting mold through the cooling track based on the at least one process parameter, and a means for controlling a cooling behavior of the cooling track during passing through of the second casting mold based on the at least one process parameter.

An apparatus and a method for controlling a cooling process of casting molds for cosmetic products during passing through a cooling track in an installation are described. The apparatus comprises a means for determining at least one process parameter corresponding to a first casting mold, a means for controlling the passing time of a second casting mold through the cooling track based on the at least one process parameter, and a means for controlling a cooling behavior of the cooling track during passing through of the second casting mold based on the at least one process parameter.

To provide a continuous casting method according to which a slab difficult for surface cracking to appear can be manufactured, in a first water cooling step, the slab is cooled so that only a surface temperature of corner parts is below Ar.sub.3 point, in a first recuperation step, the slab is recuperated so that the surface temperature of all the slab including the corner parts is no less than the Ar.sub.3 point, in a second water cooing step, the slab is cooled so that the surface temperature of all the slab including the corner parts is below the Ar.sub.3 point, and in a second recuperation step, the slab is recuperated so that the surface temperature of only a portion of the slab other than the corner parts is no less than the Ar.sub.3 point.

An in-mold solidified shell thickness estimation apparatus includes: an input device; a model database configured to store a model formula and a parameter related to a solidification reaction of a molten steel inside a mold of a continuous casting facility; and a heat transfer model calculator configured to estimate an in-mold solidified shell thickness by calculating temperature distributions of the mold and of the molten steel inside the mold by solving a three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer equation. The heat transfer model calculator is configured to correct errors in a temperature of a mold copper plate and in an amount of heat removed from the mold, by correcting an overall heat transfer coefficient between the mold copper plate and the solidified shell.

An aluminum alloy forging formed of an aluminum alloy containing Cu: 0.15% to 1.0%, Mg: 0.6% to 1.35%, Si: 0.95% to 1.45%, Mn: 0.4% to 0.6%, Fe: 0.2% to 0.7%, Cr: 0.05% to 0.35%, Ti: 0.012% to 0.035%, B: 0.0001% to 0.03%, Zn: 0.25% or less, Zr: 0.05% or less (all % given by mass), and a remainder consisting of Al and inevitable impurities, in which a crystal grain diameter where a maximum principal stress is applied is 20 to 40 m. The aluminum alloy forging has a structure in which an average shortest distance from a precipitate having a major axis of 0.1 m or more to a crystal grain boundary in a cross-sectional structure with a visual field area of 8,000 m.sup.2 is in a range of 0.1 m to 2.0 m, and a fatigue life at a load stress of 150 MPa is 610.sup.6.

The invention relates to a method and to a spraying apparatus (10) for the thermal surface treatment of a metal product (1). The metal product (1) is conveyed in a transport direction (T) through a treatment section (12) of a spraying apparatus (10) equipped with cooling nozzles (16) while cooling fluid is discharged through the cooling nozzles (16) of the spraying apparatus (10) onto the surfaces of the metal product (1), wherein the metal product (1) hasviewed in the transport direction (T) of the metal product (1)a front section (4) and a trailing rear section (5). The cooling of the surfaces of the metal product (1) within the spraying apparatus (10) occurs in such a manner that the rear section (5) of the metal product (1) is cooled more significantly than its front section (4). It is thereby achieved that an essentially uniform ferrite content forms in the material of the metal product (1) at a predetermined depth of the same over a longitudinal area extending between the front section (4) and the rear section (5).

A system comprising at least one furnace including a melt containing vessel; an intermediate casting product station coupled to the at least one furnace and operable to receive a molten metal from the at least one furnace, the intermediate casting product station including a casting pit, at least one moveable platen disposed in the casting pit, an array of exhaust ports about at least a top periphery of the casting pit, and an array of gas introduction ports about at least the top periphery of the casting pit; and an inert gas source operable to supply an inert gas to the array of gas introduction ports.