Provided herein is a system, apparatus, and method for venting a direct chill casting mold by venting excess casting gas and retaining oxide from atop a casting during the direct chill casting process. Methods of venting casting gas from a direct chill casting mold include: supplying the direct chill casting mold with molten metal through a transition plate; supplying a casting gas through a casting surface of the direct chill casting mold; venting the casting gas from a gas pocket in the transition plate, wherein venting the casting gas from the gas pocket in the transition plate is performed in response to a pressure of the casting gas in the gas pocket reaching a predetermined pressure.

A method for combined rolling and extruding of cast billet is proposed. When implementing the method for combined rolling and extruding of metals or alloys, a cast billet with a predetermined temperature is fed to the working gauge, in which it is rolled and then to the die, through which the cast billet is extruded. When the cast billet is fed into the working gauge, a cladding layer of metal or alloy is created on the surfaces of the rolls by extruding the cast billet through the gaps formed between the surfaces of the rolls and the die. This invention makes it possible to improve the quality of the resulting products, as well as to increase the efficiency of the process as a whole.

A horizontal continuous casting apparatus includes a fluid supply pipe for supplying a lubricating fluid to the hollow portion of the mold, which is arranged on one end side of the mold; and, a cooling water cavity for accommodating cooling water cooling an inner peripheral surface of the hollow portion of the mold, which is formed outside the inner peripheral surface, wherein the inner peripheral surface and the inner bottom surface of the cooling water cavity facing the inner peripheral surface form parallel surfaces with each other, and a cooling wall of the mold between the inner peripheral surface and the inner bottom surface is formed so that the heat flux value per unit area from the molten aluminum alloy to the cooling water is 10×10.sup.5 W/m.sup.2 or more.

A continuous casting and rolling line for casting, rolling, and otherwise preparing metal strip can produce distributable metal strip without requiring cold rolling or the use of a solution heat treatment line. A metal strip can be continuously cast from a continuous casting device and coiled into a metal coil, optionally after being subjected to post-casting quenching. This intermediate coil can be stored until ready for hot rolling. The as-cast metal strip can undergo reheating prior to hot rolling, either during coil storage or immediately prior to hot rolling. The heated metal strip can be cooled to a rolling temperature and hot rolled through one or more roll stands. The rolled metal strip can optionally be reheated and quenched prior to coiling for delivery. This final coiled metal strip can be of the desired gauge and have the desired physical characteristics for distribution to a manufacturing facility.

Process control of intense stirring along a solidification front and adjustments in casting speeds during direct chill casting of 7xxx series alloys can decrease an ingot’s cracking susceptibility. Intense stirring control is used to reduce the thickness of the solidification front, promote agglomeration of hydrogen gas rejected at the solidification front, remove impurities rejected at the solidification front, and improve grain size. Intense stirring control is used to operate at faster casting speeds without risk of increasing the thickness of the solidification front. Optional reheating during casting to promote dispersoid formation is used to generate a high-strength zone of dispersoid-strengthened solidified metal in the outer periphery of the ingot, which can further decrease the ingot’s susceptibility to cracking.

A method for reducing target surface features in continuously cast articles is described. The method can remove a target surface feature, such as a compositional variation or casting defect, from the continuously cast article by removing, before cold rolling, material from the continuously cast article surface.

Described herein are 7xxx series aluminum alloys with unexpected properties and novel methods of producing such aluminum alloys. The aluminum alloys exhibit high strength and are highly formable. The alloys are produced by continuous casting and can be hot rolled to a final gauge and/or a final temper. The alloys can be used in automotive, transportation, industrial, and electronics applications, just to name a few.

An aluminum alloy for casting into a component, such as a vehicle component, is provided. The aluminum alloy includes silicon, zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese, iron, and strontium. After the casting step, the cast aluminum alloy has a yield strength of at least 105 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of at least 180 MPa, and an elongation of 8% to 10%.

A sliding element, such as a bearing, and a method of manufacturing the sliding element, is provided. The sliding element is formed of an aluminum alloy material which includes zinc in an amount of 5 wt. % to 83 wt. %. The sliding element may also include silicon and/or magnesium. The sliding element is typically formed by casting, heat treating at a temperature of 400° C. to 577° C., and cooling at a rate of less than 50° C. per hour to a temperature ranging from 400° C. to 200° C. The aluminum alloy material is then heat treated at a temperature of 100° to 275° C. for at least 5 hours to form a soft phase consisting essentially of the zinc. The second heat treatment, or possibly both heat treatments, may not be required when the aluminum alloy material includes the magnesium.

A continuous casting and rolling line for casting, rolling, and otherwise preparing metal strip can produce distributable metal strip without requiring cold rolling or the use of a solution heat treatment line. A metal strip can be continuously cast from a continuous casting device and coiled into a metal coil, optionally after being subjected to post-casting quenching. This intermediate coil can be stored until ready for hot rolling. The as-cast metal strip can undergo reheating prior to hot rolling, either during coil storage or immediately prior to hot rolling. The heated metal strip can be cooled to a rolling temperature and hot rolled through one or more roll stands. The rolled metal strip can optionally be reheated and quenched prior to coiling for delivery. This final coiled metal strip can be of the desired gauge and have the desired physical characteristics for distribution to a manufacturing facility.