Apparatus for strip casting

An apparatus for continuously casting strip material comprising:

• a tundish having an internal cavity for receiving and holding molten metal, and an orifice passage through which the molten metal is delivered from the cavity to a casting surface, located within about 0.020 inch from the orifice passage and movable past the orifice passage at a speed of from 200 to 10,000 linear surface feet per minute,
• said tundish having at least one molten metal resistant upper block, one molten metal resistant lower block and at least one molten metal resistant intermediate block vertically aligned and clamped sufficiently to prevent molten metal in the cavity from passing through the interface of the secured blocks, and
• said orifice passage formed between the lower block and an inside surface with respect to the orifice passage, of a boron nitride plate disposed within an intermediate block adjacent said lower block, said orifice passage having a substantially uniform width dimension of about 0.030 to 0.050 inch through the longitudinal extent thereof,
• said cavity consisting of at least one tubular introductory cavity extending from the upper block through the intermediate blocks in communication with the base cavity formed in a section of the lower block with the majority of a bottom surface of the base cavity disposed below the height of the orifice passage and extending upwardly toward the orifice passage at an angle of at least about 30.degree. from horizontal, and
• at least one heating lance directed through a portion of the tundish for directing heating gases against a graphite coating on an outside surface, with respect to the orifice passage, of the boron nitride plate to heat said plate, and at least one aperture in the tundish through which combustion products from the lance may escape the tundish.