In a first cooling zone (21) on an upper side of a vertical section (20), an air-water ratio A.sub.1/R.sub.1 defined by an amount of water R.sub.1 (L/min) and an amount of air A.sub.1 (L/min) per one cooling spray nozzle is set to 10 or more, an impinging pressure of cooling water colliding with the surface of a slab (1) from the cooling spray nozzle is set to 12 gf/cm.sup.2 or more, a cooling intensity W.sub.1×t.sub.1 defined by a cooling water density (W.sub.1) (L/min/m.sup.2) and a passing time t.sub.1 (min) of the first cooling zone (21) is 350 or more, and a recuperating time from having passed through the first cooling zone (21) until reaching a bent section (30) is set to 0.5 min or more.

In a first cooling zone (21) on an upper side of a vertical section (20), an air-water ratio A.sub.1/R.sub.1 defined by an amount of water R.sub.1 (L/min) and an amount of air A.sub.1 (L/min) per one cooling spray nozzle is set to 10 or more, an impinging pressure of cooling water colliding with the surface of a slab (1) from the cooling spray nozzle is set to 12 gf/cm.sup.2 or more, a cooling intensity W.sub.1×t.sub.1 defined by a cooling water density (W.sub.1) (L/min/m.sup.2) and a passing time t.sub.1 (min) of the first cooling zone (21) is 350 or more, and a recuperating time from having passed through the first cooling zone (21) until reaching a bent section (30) is set to 0.5 min or more.

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.

The mould contains a casting wheel, on the outer surface of which an open channel is made, a continuous tape adjacent to the casting wheel from its outer surface in such a way as to close the specified open channel, as well as a cooling system able of adjustable supply of coolant to the casting wheel and the continuous tape at least on the outer surface, on the inner surface and on both side surfaces of the wheel, in which the ratio of the coolant flow on the inner surface of the wheel to the coolant flow on the outer surface of the wheel is 1.9-3.0, and the ratio of the total coolant flow on the side surfaces of the casting wheel to the coolant flow on the inner surface of the casting wheel is 1.3-1.7.

The mould contains a casting wheel, on the outer surface of which an open channel is made, a continuous tape adjacent to the casting wheel from its outer surface in such a way as to close the specified open channel, as well as a cooling system able of adjustable supply of coolant to the casting wheel and the continuous tape at least on the outer surface, on the inner surface and on both side surfaces of the wheel, in which the ratio of the coolant flow on the inner surface of the wheel to the coolant flow on the outer surface of the wheel is 1.9-3.0, and the ratio of the total coolant flow on the side surfaces of the casting wheel to the coolant flow on the inner surface of the casting wheel is 1.3-1.7.

A method for open-loop and/or closed-loop control of a heating of a cast or rolled metal product, includes the steps of determining the total enthalpy of the metal product from a sum of the free molar enthalpies (Gibbs energy) of all phases and/or phase fractions currently present in the metal product; determining a temperature distribution within the metal product by means of a dynamic temperature calculation model using the total enthalpy determined; and open-loop and/or closed-loop controlling of the heating of the metal product as a function of at least one output variable of the temperature calculation model.

A method for open-loop and/or closed-loop control of a heating of a cast or rolled metal product, includes the steps of determining the total enthalpy of the metal product from a sum of the free molar enthalpies (Gibbs energy) of all phases and/or phase fractions currently present in the metal product; determining a temperature distribution within the metal product by means of a dynamic temperature calculation model using the total enthalpy determined; and open-loop and/or closed-loop controlling of the heating of the metal product as a function of at least one output variable of the temperature calculation model.

A production apparatus for short-process metal composite plate manufacturing, the apparatus including a metal supply device including an uncoiler (1), pinch roll (2), shot blasting machine (3), welding device (4), welding pinch roll (5), induction heating apparatus (6), metal delivery machine (7), two crystallization cooling rolls (8), secondary cooling leveling roll (9), rolling mill pinch roll (10), rolling mill (11), on-line cooling apparatus (12), straightener (13), and at least one of a dividing shear (14) and a recoiling machine (15). Also disclosed is a production method for short-process metal composite plate manufacturing. The apparatus and method combine continuous casting, rolling, and heat-treating means for single material production with continuous and large-scale production of composite plate strips, and production efficiency of composite plates is sharply improved. Single-sided or double-sided composite plate production having different thickness specifications can be performed, the optional range of a base layer or cladding material is wide.

A caster assembly configured to process and store a material includes a reaction chamber, a storage assembly configured to store material processed in the reaction chamber, and a blower configured to process and store the material. The reaction chamber includes a vessel configured to hold the material in a melted state prior to processing and a powder generating assembly configured to receive the material from the melting vessel. The powder generating assembly includes a feeding chamber and a feeding device disposed at least partially within the feeding chamber. The feeding device includes at least one nozzle configured to inject inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two into the feeding chamber and a material inlet through which the material is configured to flow into the feeding chamber to be exposed to the inert fluid, where the fluid is a gas, liquid, or combination of the two.

This method for balancing a flow of liquid steel into a casting mold, in which the steel is introduced into the casting mold from a tundish through a protective nozzle which opens below the steel level into the casting mold, comprises the following steps: a) acquiring a set of characteristics of the flow in the casting mold, b) comparing the flow characteristics acquired in the previous step with a predefined model and determining the adjustment actions to take in order to balance the flow, and c) adjusting the flow.