Steel production plant to obtain long products such as rods, bars or sections, with overall productivity comprised between 0.7-3.0 Mton/year, preferably between 1.0 and 3.0 Mton/year, comprising at least two co-rolling lines (11a, 11b).

An apparatus for producing and further processing slabs of a metal, preferably steel, comprises: a continuous casting apparatus, which is designed to produce at least one cast strand and to transport it in a transport direction; a cutting device, which is arranged behind the continuous casting apparatus, as seen in the transport direction, and is designed to cut the cast strand into slabs; at least a first route and a second route, which implement, at least in some portions, different process lines for the further processing of the slabs; and a process control system, which is designed to make a route decision on a slab-specific basis as a function of at least one measured or calculated process parameter, which route decision assigns one of the plurality of routes to the respective slab, and to initiate the further processing of the corresponding slab along the assigned route.

To achieve a substantially uniform microstructure across a continuously cast thin metal strip, it is beneficial to cool a width of the strip to a substantially constant temperature before further cooling the strip to reach any desired phase transformation temperature. Accordingly, methods of continuously casting a thin metal strip may include moving the thin strip to a cooling section, the cooling section having a plurality of coolant discharge ports configured to discharge a flow of coolant along the thin strip; initially sensing the temperature of the thin strip to determine a temperature distribution across the width of the thin strip, and producing a sensor signal corresponding to a sensed temperature at each of the first plurality of locations; and individually controlling the cooling across a width of the thin strip by way of the plurality coolant discharge ports in each zone of a first row using the determined temperature distribution.

Crystallizer for the continuous high-speed casting of a metal product (P), which has a casting cavity (13) defined by walls (14) connected to each other in correspondence with edges (15) and provided with cooling means (16).

A method for improving center segregation and surface crack of continuous casting medium-thick slab of peritectic steel reduces the cooling intensity at the earlier stage of solidification and enhancing the cooling intensity at the final stage of solidification. For example, the cooling water amount of the wide face of the mould is 3400-3600 L/min, and the cooling water amount of the narrow face of the mould is 480-530 L/min. The cooling water amount of the wide face of the foot roller section is 239-298 L/min, and the cooling water amount of the narrow face of the foot roller section is 61-65 L/min. The total cooling water amount of the sector segment is 1517-2166 L/min.

A casting-rolling integrated plant that is capable of producing, from a steel melt, in a cost-effective manner and with high productivity, a hot-rolled finished strip having a thickness of ≤0.6 mm, an excellent flatness, and an excellent profile by dividing the thickness reduction into at least three stages (roughing, intermediate and finishing train), measuring the actual profile after the roughing, intermediate and finishing train, and equipping the stands in the roughing, intermediate and finishing train with actuators for influencing the strip profile and/or the strip flatness.

A method for continuously casting steel capable of reducing center segregation that occurs in a slab. In a section in a continuous casting machine in a slab withdrawal direction, a section from a start point at which the average value of solid phase ratios along a thickness direction at a widthwise center of a slab is within a range of 0.4 or more and 0.8 or less to an end point at which the average value of solid phase ratios along the thickness direction at the widthwise center of the slab is greater than the average value of solid phase ratios at the start point and is 1.0 or less is set as a first section. The slab is cooled by water in the first section at a water flow rate per surface area of the slab within a range of 50 L/(m.sup.2×min) or more and 2,000 L/(m.sup.2×min) or less.

A method for continuously casting steel capable of reducing center segregation that occurs in a slab. In a section in a continuous casting machine in a slab withdrawal direction, a section from a start point at which the average value of solid phase ratios along a thickness direction at a widthwise center of a slab is within a range of 0.4 or more and 0.8 or less to an end point at which the average value of solid phase ratios along the thickness direction at the widthwise center of the slab is greater than the average value of solid phase ratios at the start point and is 1.0 or less is set as a first section. The slab is cooled by water in the first section at a water flow rate per surface area of the slab within a range of 50 L/(m.sup.2×min) or more and 2,000 L/(m.sup.2×min) or less.

A device and method for producing a continuous strip-shaped composite material including a base material of metal, which is unwound in the form of a metal strip by a first coil-unwinding apparatus, and at least one cladding material of metal, which is unwound in the form of a metal strip by a second coil-unwinding apparatus. The metal base and cladding metal strips unwound by the respective coil-unwinding apparatuses are brought together in the hot state of at least 720 degrees Celsius. The unwound base and cladding metal strips brought toward each other and are joined by hot-rolling such that a single continuous strip-shaped composite material is thereby formed by roll cladding such that the composite material includes the base material and the cladding material.

Crystallizer for the continuous high-speed casting of a metal product (P), which has a casting cavity (13) defined by walls (14) connected to each other in correspondence with edges (15) and provided with cooling means (16).