A tooling for producing a metal product by feed casting, including a mold having a preheater, an ingot mold (10), a movable bottom that moves in a main direction X and a transition ring interposed between the preheater and the ingot mold (10). The tooling has a clamping ring (12) transmitting a clamping force (F1) to the transition ring (11) oriented towards the ingot mold (10), a holding mechanism that positively locks the clamping ring (12), and an axial relief mechanism configured to vary between an inactive state in which the holding mechanism exerts a holding force (F2) on the clamping ring (12) such that the clamping ring (12) exerts the clamping force (F1) on the transition ring (11) and an active state in which the axial relief mechanism resists the action applied by the holding mechanism on the clamping ring in the inactive state.

A transition plate for use in a direct chill (DC) casting system comprises a substantially annular body having an upper face and a lower face. At least a lower part of the body adjacent the lower face is made of a gas permeable refractory material, whereby gas can pass through the gas permeable refractory material and escape from the transition plate through at least the lower face.

The present invention relates to a method, system, and apparatus for improving the efficiency of a continuous casting operation. A continuous casting mold component described herein includes: a mold wall substrate defining a groove proximate a bottom of the mold wall substrate; a graphite liner having a bottom edge defining a first angled surface and a top edge defining a second angled surface, where the bottom edge is received into the groove of the mold wall substrate; and a clamping element defining an angled clamping surface attached to the mold wall substrate with at least one fastener, where the bottom angled surface of the graphite liner is driven into the groove defined in the substrate in response to the angled clamping surface of the clamping element engaging the second angled surface of the graphite liner and the fastener pressing the clamping element toward the mold wall substrate.

The apparatus for continuous slab casting having a nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism capable of moving a submerged nozzle at the exchange of the nozzle through a moving-connecting space D of a base under a slide valve mechanism and keeping the connection between the submerged nozzle and the slide valve mechanism during the operation, and a rotation mechanism to rotate the base of the nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism, which is characterized by a fixing mechanism that fixes the submerged nozzle in the nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism by pressing the submerged nozzle toward one or both inner sides of the moving-connecting space D of the base in one or both directions perpendicular to the moving direction of the submerged nozzle during the nozzle exchange.

A tooling for producing a metal product by feed casting, comprising a mold comprising a preheater, an ingot mold (10), a movable bottom that moves in a main direction X and a transition ring interposed between the preheater and the ingot mold (10). The tooling has a clamping ring (12) transmitting a clamping force (F1) to the transition ring (11) oriented towards the ingot mold (10), a holding mechanism that positively locks the clamping ring (12), and an axial relief mechanism configured so as to vary between an inactive state in which the holding mechanism exerts said holding force (F2) on the clamping ring (12) such that the clamping ring (12) exerts said clamping force (F1) on the transition ring (11) and an active state in which the axial relief mechanism resists the action applied by the holding mechanism on the clamping ring in the inactive state.

Provided is a device for preparing a large-sized high-quality aluminium alloy ingot, which is mainly composed of a uniform cooler, a hot top, an oil-gas lubrication mold, an induction coil and a dummy ingot, wherein the hot top is arranged above the oil-gas lubrication mold, the induction coil is arranged outside the oil-gas lubrication mold, the uniform cooler is arranged inside the oil-gas lubrication mold, and the dummy ingot is arranged below the oil-gas lubrication mold. Further provided is a method for preparing a large-sized high-quality aluminium alloy ingot. The device combines a partitioned gas supply mold with the uniform cooler and an electromagnetic stirrer, and the effective coupling of the three achieves forced and uniform solidification forming of a melt under gas pressure contact conditions, such that a stable and continuous gas film is formed between the melt and the mold. The ingot has a smooth surface, and a fine and uniform internal structure.

A distribution device for use with a vertical casting system includes a body made of a refractory material, which includes a base and a peripheral wall. The base and the peripheral wall enclose a trough for containing and distributing liquid metal. A thermally insulating layer is located in a recess beneath the base. The refractory material of the body has a first thermal conductivity and the thermally insulating layer is made of a material having a second thermal conductivity that is less than the first thermal conductivity.

The apparatus for continuous slab casting having a nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism capable of moving a submerged nozzle at the exchange of the nozzle through a moving-connecting space D of a base under a slide valve mechanism and keeping the connection between the submerged nozzle and the slide valve mechanism during the operation, and a rotation mechanism to rotate the base of the nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism, which is characterized by a fixing mechanism that fixes the submerged nozzle in the nozzle exchanging-holding mechanism by pressing the submerged nozzle toward one or both inner sides of the moving-connecting space D of the base in one or both directions perpendicular to the moving direction of the submerged nozzle during the nozzle exchange.

The invention provides rotating a submerged nozzle during casting to arbitrarily change the discharge angle of molten metal, causing the molten metal in the mold for slab to be rotated and stirred. A slab continuous casting apparatus according to the invention supplies molten metal from a tundish to a water-cooled mold for slab through at least an upper nozzle, a slide valve and a submerged nozzle and solidified the molten metal and provided with a submerged-nozzle quick replacement mechanism. The slab continuous casting apparatus further includes a discharge-direction changing mechanism capable of arbitrarily changing discharge angle of the molten metal as viewed in a horizontal cross section, during casting, the discharge-direction changing mechanism being provided between a slide valve device for opening and closing the slide valve and the submerged nozzle.

Method for producing ingots made of metal having cross-sectional areas of at least 0.10 m.sup.2 of a round, square or rectangular shape through casting of metal or molten steel either directly from the casting ladle (1) or using a fireproof lined intermediate vessel (3) in a short, water-cooled ingot mold open downwards (4) and withdrawing of the solidified ingot (6) from the same downwardly movable withdrawing tool (8), wherein the casting process is continued with a casting rate determined in accordance with the casting cross-section for as long as the desired or maximum ingot length determined by the height of lift of the withdrawing tool (8) is reached, and additional liquid metal is fed at the end of the regular casting process to an extent that at least the contraction of the metal and steel melt occurring during solidification is balanced during, and whereby after completion of the regular casting process and completion of the ingot withdrawal, the casting process is continued with a casting rate reduced by at least the Factor 10 from the heatable casting ladle (1) or the heatable intermediate vessel (3) or a distribution container, and is reduced progressively or continuously at the end of the solidification to 10% the rate at the start of the additional casting.