The present invention provides a titanium slab for hot rolling which can be fed into a general purpose hot-rolling mill for producing strip coil, without passage through a breakdown process such as blooming or a straightening process, and can further suppress surface defect occurrence of the hot-rolled strip coil, and a method of producing and a method of rolling the same, characterized in that in the cast titanium slab an angle θ formed by the crystal growth direction (solidification direction) from the surface layer toward the interior and a direction parallel to the slab casting direction (longitudinal direction) is 45 to 90°, and moreover, there is a surface layer structure of 10 mm or greater whose θ is 70 to 90°, and further characterized in that a crystal grain layer of 10 mm or greater is formed whose C-axis direction inclination of a titanium α phase is, as viewed from the side of the slab to be hot rolled, in the range of 35 to 90° from the normal direction of the surface to be hot rolled. The titanium slab concerned is produced using an electron beam melting furnace by casting at an extraction rate of 1.0 cm/min or greater.

The present invention provides a titanium slab for hot rolling which can be fed into a general purpose hot-rolling mill for producing strip coil, without passage through a breakdown process such as blooming or a straightening process, and can further suppress surface defect occurrence of the hot-rolled strip coil, and a method of producing and a method of rolling the same, characterized in that in the cast titanium slab an angle θ formed by the crystal growth direction (solidification direction) from the surface layer toward the interior and a direction parallel to the slab casting direction (longitudinal direction) is 45 to 90°, and moreover, there is a surface layer structure of 10 mm or greater whose θ is 70 to 90°, and further characterized in that a crystal grain layer of 10 mm or greater is formed whose C-axis direction inclination of a titanium α phase is, as viewed from the side of the slab to be hot rolled, in the range of 35 to 90° from the normal direction of the surface to be hot rolled. The titanium slab concerned is produced using an electron beam melting furnace by casting at an extraction rate of 1.0 cm/min or greater.

An arrangement for controlling flow speed in a mold for continuous casting of metal includes: at least two first front cores with associated first magnetic coils arranged on one side of the mold; at least two second front cores with associated second magnetic coils arranged on an opposite side of the mold in substantial alignment with the first front cores; an external magnetic loop connecting the second front cores to the first front cores, to allow a one-directional magnetic flux to pass through the mold from the first front cores to the second front cores or vice versa; and a control interface enabling independent control of two subsets of the first magnetic coils.

An arrangement for controlling flow speed in a mold for continuous casting of metal includes: at least two first front cores with associated first magnetic coils arranged on one side of the mold; at least two second front cores with associated second magnetic coils arranged on an opposite side of the mold in substantial alignment with the first front cores; an external magnetic loop connecting the second front cores to the first front cores, to allow a one-directional magnetic flux to pass through the mold from the first front cores to the second front cores or vice versa; and a control interface enabling independent control of two subsets of the first magnetic coils.

A method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composites is provided. Particularly, the method uses a stir casting process during a melting and casting process and reduces a contact angle of carbon against aluminum by inputting carbon fibers while supplying a current to liquid aluminum to induce the carbon fibers to be spontaneously and uniformly distributed in the liquid aluminum and inhibits a formation of an aluminum carbide (Al.sub.4C.sub.3) phase on an interface between the aluminum and the carbon fiber, thereby manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composites having excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical characteristics.

A method for manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composites is provided. Particularly, the method uses a stir casting process during a melting and casting process and reduces a contact angle of carbon against aluminum by inputting carbon fibers while supplying a current to liquid aluminum to induce the carbon fibers to be spontaneously and uniformly distributed in the liquid aluminum and inhibits a formation of an aluminum carbide (Al.sub.4C.sub.3) phase on an interface between the aluminum and the carbon fiber, thereby manufacturing carbon fiber reinforced aluminum composites having excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical characteristics.

A control method for a continuous casting machine, includes: estimating, by on-line real-time system, a flow state of molten steel in a mold by using an operation condition of a continuous casting machine and temperature data on the molten steel in the mold; calculating, by on-line real-time system, a molten steel flow index based on the estimated flow state of the molten steel, the molten steel flow index being a factor of mixing of an impurity into a casting inside the mold; and controlling the operation condition of the continuous casting machine such that the calculated molten steel flow index is within an appropriate range.

A control method for a continuous casting machine, includes: estimating, by on-line real-time system, a flow state of molten steel in a mold by using an operation condition of a continuous casting machine and temperature data on the molten steel in the mold; calculating, by on-line real-time system, a molten steel flow index based on the estimated flow state of the molten steel, the molten steel flow index being a factor of mixing of an impurity into a casting inside the mold; and controlling the operation condition of the continuous casting machine such that the calculated molten steel flow index is within an appropriate range.

By setting an electric resistance of a trough to a value larger than an electric resistance of a molten metal stored in a storage space, in a non-driving state, a current is caused to flow along a first current path from one side wall of the pair of side walls to another side wall through the bottom wall, and in a driving state, a current is caused to flow through a second current path from the one side wall through a middle part of the first current path and bypass to the molten metal, and return to the first current path, and in the driving state, in the molten metal, causing the magnetic force lines running vertically and the current running horizontally to cross each other to generate a Lorentz force, and by the Lorentz force, driving and carrying the molten metal in the trough.

By setting an electric resistance of a trough to a value larger than an electric resistance of a molten metal stored in a storage space, in a non-driving state, a current is caused to flow along a first current path from one side wall of the pair of side walls to another side wall through the bottom wall, and in a driving state, a current is caused to flow through a second current path from the one side wall through a middle part of the first current path and bypass to the molten metal, and return to the first current path, and in the driving state, in the molten metal, causing the magnetic force lines running vertically and the current running horizontally to cross each other to generate a Lorentz force, and by the Lorentz force, driving and carrying the molten metal in the trough.