Process and apparatus for casting a continuous metal strand

A continuous casting apparatus for casting continuous metal strands, comprising a mold and downstream thereof oppositely disposed stand parts;

• a plurality of bearings mounted in said strand parts;
• guide rollers rotatably mounted in said bearings;
• tie-rods and actuators connected to said tie-rods for infinitely variably setting of a gap between respectively ones of said oppositely disposed rollers;
• a plurality of measuring and controlling elements;
• and a computing unit connected to said measuring and controlling elements for carrying out the process of
• a) sending a value of a compressive force occurring in the bearings and feeding said value to the computing unit;
• b) comparing individual measured values of a roller or of a pair of oppositely arranged rollers with respect to the value of said compressive force;
• and
• c) utilizing at least the relatively highest value measured as a command variable for controlling at least one of the gap, a casting rate, an amount of cooling water, a melt feed, a casting powder feed, and a mold oscillation;
• and further comprising at least one measuring element associated with said bearings (24, 25) for sensing said compressive force.