An ingot, having a volume between 0.15 m.sup.3 and 0.80 m.sup.3 and a surface area to volume ratio between 10 m.sup.−1 and 18 m.sup.−1, made of at least one metal, having longitudinal faces extending between two end faces and including at least one hole extending from one of the longitudinal faces, the maximum distance between any point of the hole periphery, to its closest longitudinal face, noted MaxL, the at least one hole being configured such that said maximum distance MaxL is smaller than the minimal distance, noted MinE, between any point of the hole periphery and its closest end face.

Provided is an apparatus for cooling a metal material, the apparatus comprising: a spray cooling unit for spraying a cooling medium onto the surface of a metal material; and a spray amount control unit which regulates the rate of passage of the cooling medium sprayed from the spray cooling unit onto the edge region of the metal material, and controls the spray amount of the cooling medium.

Provided is a method of producing a hot-dip metal coated steel strip with which a hot-dip metal coated steel strip of high quality can be produced by sufficiently suppressing edge overcoating. The method comprises spraying gas from a pair of gas wiping nozzles 20A and 20B onto a steel strip S while being pulled up from a molten metal bath 14, to adjust a coating weight of molten metal on both sides of the steel strip S, wherein a pair of baffle plates 40 and 42 are respectively placed outside of both transverse edges of the steel strip, and a height B of a lower end of each of the pair of baffle plates 40 and 42 with respect to a bath surface of the molten metal bath is set to +50 mm or less, where an upper side in a vertical direction is positive.

A device for coating a metal strip with a liquid coating material comprises a coating container filled with, for example, liquid zinc. After the metal strip exits the coating container, liquid coating material adheres to the metal strip. Excess coating material is blown away from the surface of the metal strip by a blowing device. Thereafter, the metal strip runs through an electromagnetic stabilization device which is supported on the blowing device. Disturbing influences may cause the metal strip to no longer run centrally through a slot of the blowing device. A displacement or re-alignment of the blowing device is then required to guide the metal strip back to the set middle position. A first displacing device displaces the electromagnetic stabilization device relative to the blowing device in the plane transverse to the direction of transport of the metal strip to avoid an undesirable displacement of the electromagnetic stabilization device.

The invention relates to a device for the hot-dip galvanizing of components, comprising a galvanizing tank for holding the zinc melt in a tank interior formed by a wall of the galvanizing tank, according to the invention a monitoring apparatus being provided for monitoring the wall thickness of the wall of the galvanizing tank during the galvanizing operation. The invention further relates to a corresponding method for hot-dip galvanizing.

A method for operating a coating device for coating a metal strip. The corresponding coating device has an electromagnetic strip-stabilizing device having a plurality of electromagnetic actuators or coils for applying forces to the metal strip. In order to ensure that the strip-stabilizing device is operated only within the operating limits thereof, the magnitudes of the set currents for the actuators or the coils are compared with a specified current threshold value or the forces applied to the metal strip by the actuators are compared with a specified force threshold value and the correction roller is moved into such an adjustment position that the magnitudes of the set currents are below the current threshold value or the magnitudes of the forces are below the force threshold value.

A tube pump includes a tube having a closed off lower end portion and an open upper end portion. The upper end portion of the tube is adapted to be fastened to support structure. The lower end portion is adapted to be submerged in molten metal. The tube includes an inlet opening and an outlet opening. A pump shaft is adapted to be connected to a motor driven drive shaft and has upper and lower end portions. The pump shaft extends inside the tube. An impeller is fastened to the lower end portion of the pump shaft and disposed near a lower end portion of the tube. Inlet and outlet conduits are connected to the tube inlet and outlet openings adjacent to a top or bottom of the impeller so that a conduit inlet opening is disposed near the surface of the bath and a conduit outlet opening is disposed remote from the conduit inlet opening. The tube pump removes dross from the galvanizing bath to produce galvanized parts having improved properties.

A method and a device for coating a metal strip with a coating material which is at first still liquid. A first displacing device for displacing an electromagnetic stabilisation device relative to a blowing device in the plane transverse to the direction of transport of the metal strip is provided.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of manufacturing a hot dipped galvanized steel sheet that is excellent in corrosion resistance and has no linear defects, thereby being available for automobile bodies, household appliances, construction materials, and the like which need aesthetic surfaces. The apparatus for manufacturing a hot dipped galvanized steel sheet includes: a plating pot filled with a galvanizing bath for coating of a steel sheet; a sink roll; a wiping device adjusting the thickness of the coating on the steel sheet; a top roll; an oxidation process chamber; and an air cooling device. According to the present invention, after an excess molten coating solution attached to the steel sheet is evenly removed, an oxide film is made to be 0.1 m to 0.3 m thick before a coating layer starts to solidify. Thus, linear defects can be prevented.

A shape measurement device for a metal plate includes a plurality of distance sensors including one or more first sensors disposed on a first side and a plurality of second sensors disposed on a second side, of the metal plate with respect to a thickness direction of the metal plate, across a pass line of the metal plate. The one or more first sensors are positioned, with respect to a width direction of the metal plate, between a pair of second sensors disposed adjacent to each other in the width direction.