Strip casting apparatus with improved side dam

A method of continuously casting metal strip comprising steps:

• (a) assembling a pair of counter-rotatable casting rolls to form a nip there between through which thin strip can be cast;
• (b) assembling a pair of confining side dams adjacent the ends of the casting rolls capable of confining a casting pool of molten metal supported on casting surfaces of the casting rolls above the nip such that each side dam has a surface capable of contacting the molten metal of the casting pool during casting with an unraised portion and a raised portion to form a trough with the unraised portion of the side dam as base between the raised portion of the side dam and the casting surfaces of the casting rolls,
• (c) assembling a metal delivery system disposed above the nip and capable of discharging molten metal to form the casting pool supported on casting surfaces of the casting rolls
• (d) counter rotating the casting rolls so as to cause the formed troughs to guide the flow of molten metal adjacent the casting surfaces of the casting rolls to form solidified shells of the casting surfaces and form cast strip discharging downwardly from the nip.