Process for heating a semifinished product produced by continuous casting or deformation

In a process for the production of rolled products wherein:

• a succession of relatively hot semifinished bodies forming a first group are produced by continuous casting;
• the semifinished bodies of said first group are subjected to rough rolling to produce a second group of semifinished bodies;
• are
• the semifinished bodies of said second group are finish rolled to produce a third group of bodies, the bodies of each group having temperatures different from the bodies of the remaining groups, the improvement which comprises controlling the temperature of the bodies of one of said groups by the steps of:
• moving the bodies of one of said groups along a transport path in a generally horizontal plane;
• moving the bodies of another of said groups along a transport path in a generally horizontal plane and in spaced relationship from but in horizontal plane and in spaced bodies of said one of said groups as to effect heat transfer by radiation and convention between the bodies of said one of said groups and said other of said groups during the movement thereof;
• and
• regulating the temperature of the bodies of said one of said groups by controlling the heat transfer between the bodies of said one of groups and said other of said groups.