Short mold for continuous casting

A short mold for use in forming and cooling a continuously cast elongated metal casting, said short mold comprising:

• a cooled casting die defining a taperless internal casting passage and a first plurality of cooling passages;
• a plurality of interengaging walls, having inwardly facing cooling surfaces, which cooperate to form a passageway through which said metal casting passes and which are arranged to engage the periphery of said metal casting, each of said walls defining a second plurality of cooling passages in a heat transfer relationship with said cooling surfaces of said walls, said walls being supported so as to permit said walls to move relative to each other to adjust the cross-sectional size of said passageway so as to maintain contact between all portions of the periphery of said metal casting and said cooling surfaces of said walls and thereby compensate for shrinkage of said metal casting as it cools;
• each of said interengaging walls defining a first end having a sealing edge configured to sealingly contact the cooling surface of the adjacent wall thereto and a second end wherein said walls are arranged relative to each other such that the sealing edge of each wall contacts the cooling surface of a first adjacent wall on one side through the abutment of its sealing edge with the cooling surface of such first adjacent wall and contacts a second adjacent wall on the other side by the abutment of its cooling surface with the sealing edge of said second adjacent wall;
• cooling means for circulating a cooling fluid through said first and second plurality of cooling passages;
• and
• force means for causing said walls to be moved inwardly to contact said casting and to maintain contact with the entire periphery of said metal casting as it passes through said passageway.