Device for hydrodynamic stabilization of a continuously travelling metal strip

A facility for dip-coating a metal strip with a coating of a liquid-metal in a continuous motion, comprising:

• a liquid-metal bath from which the metal strip exits with an upward movement;
• a bottom roll and a decambering roll all immersed in the liquid-metal bath;
• gas knives at an exit of the liquid-metal bath, the gas knives being configured to inject a compressed gas in order to remove an excess coating of the liquid-metal that has not yet solidified so as to create a downward return stream of the liquid-metal;
• and
• a dissipating hydrodynamic-stabilization device placed between the gas knives and a last immersed roll from a top of the liquid-metal bath, the dissipating hydrodynamic-stabilization device comprising a plurality of pads, the plurality of pads comprising hydrodynamic pads configured to apply a load to at least one side of the metal strip and mounted so as to pivot around hinges so as to self-align and accommodate the plurality of pads to a local shape of the metal strip as the metal strip exits the liquid-metal bath, the plurality of pads extending transversely across a width of the metal strip, each of the plurality of pads having a front which faces the metal strip exiting the liquid-metal bath and a back opposite the front, the back facing away from the metal strip exiting the liquid-metal bath, and positioned such that, when in use, the downward return stream of the liquid-metal flows at least in part over backs of the pads,
• where at least a portion of the plurality of pads are located on a same side of the metal strip and are parallel to one another and separated by an interval in a direction transverse to the upward movement of the metal strip, and
• wherein the portion of the plurality of pads located on the same side of the metal strip are in interleaved lateral contact.