Apparatus for continuous casting of bars of different sizes

An apparatus for the continuous casting of metal bars of varying sizes as selected based on interchangeably mounted mold units wherein a first mold unit for casting at least two metal bars of smaller cross-section comprises

• a water tank to provide cooling;
• a support construction attached to the water tank and to support the parts to provide a chilling surface to the metal bar extruded;
• narrow side walls and wide side walls;
• copper plates at the wide side walls adjoining said narrow side walls and subdivided by a recess in the longitudinal direction of the strand;
• an intermediate narrow side wall disposed opposite to the narrow side wall and supported within the recesses at the support constructions of the copper walls at the wide side walls.

A method for continuous casting of metal bars of standard or smaller sizes comprising

• providing a first mold unit where metal slabs are to be cast including:
• mounting a support structure onto the water tank to hold mold plates for the metal slab to be cast,
• attaching copper plates as wide side walls for the mold to the support construction together with a cooling medium connection to the water tank,
• mounting narrow side walls to the support construction to provide confinement for the cast metal slab;
• providing a second mold unit where at least two metal bars of smaller cross-section are to be cast including:
• mounting a support structure onto the water tank to hold mold plates for the metal bar to be cast,
• attaching copper plates having a recess at their middle directed in the direction of the advance of the cast metal bar as wide side walls for the mold to the support construction together with a cooling medium connection to the water tank for casting at least two metal bars of smaller size,
• mounting narrow side walls to the support construction to provide confinement for the cast metal bar;
• setting into the recesses intermediate narrow side walls to provide more than one parallel mold for the continuous casting apparatus;
• installing the mold unit selected;
• and
• feeding hot metal to the mold to provide a continuous casting.

Apparatus for continuous casting of metal bars selectable as to slab bloom cross-section or of at least two metal bars of smaller cross-section comprising an interchangeable mold unit for casting metal bars with slab bloom cross-section including:

• a water tank,
• narrow side walls of the mold supported by the water tank;
• wide side walls for the mold supported by the water tank and comprising copper plates;
• and
• an interchangeable mold unit for casting at least two metal bars of relatively smaller cross-section including:
• a water tank,
• narrow side walls of the mold supported by the water tank;
• wide side walls of the mold supported by the water tank and comprising copper plates separated in their shape by a recess in the direction of the advancing metal bar, and
• intermediate narrow side walls disposed between the narrow side walls and having surfaces disposed opposite to the narrow side walls and where the intermediate narrow side walls are in each case inserted into the recesses and are supported within the recesses by the support constructions of the copper plates of the wide side walls.

An apparatus for the continuous casting of metals bars of varying sizes as selected comprising in the case where it is selected to cast a single slab an interchangeably mounted mold unit including:

• a water tank to provide cooling,
• a support construction attached to the water tank and to support the parts to provide a chilling surface to the metal bar extruded;
• and
• in the case where it is selected to cast at least two metal bars of smaller cross-section an interchangeably mounted mold unit including:
• a water tank to provide cooling,
• a support construction attached to the water tank and to support the parts to provide a chilling surface to the metal bar extruded,
• copper plates at the wide side walls adjoining narrow side walls and subdivided by a recess in the longitudinal direction of the strand,
• an intermediate narrow side wall disposed opposite to the narrow side wall and supported within the recesses at the support constructions of the copper walls at the wide side walls.