Patent ID: 11904384
Assignee: HAZELETT STRIP-CASTING CORPORATION
Field: Materials, metallurgy (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A horizontal continuous casting apparatus for casting a metal strip, said apparatus comprising:
a first belt carried by a first upstream pulley and a first downstream pulley;
a second belt carried by a second upstream pulley and a second downstream pulley; and
a mold region into which molten metal is supplied, the mold region being defined by a first mold support section arranged behind the first belt intermediate the first upstream pulley and the first downstream pulley, and a second mold support section arranged behind the second belt intermediate the second upstream pulley and the second downstream pulley;
wherein the first mold support section and the first belt are arranged vertically above and spaced from the second mold support section and the second belt;
wherein the first mold support section supports the first belt and defines a shape of the first belt in the mold region;
wherein the second mold support section supports the second belt and defines a shape of the second belt in the mold region;
wherein at least one of the first mold support section and the second mold support section includes a transition portion configured to receive a horizontal stream of molten metal from a metal feeding device, and a downstream portion configured to maintain contact with the metal strip as it cools;
wherein the transition portion is located upstream from the downstream portion and has a radius that increases progressively throughout its extent from an upstream end of the transition portion to the downstream portion such that every point along the transition portion has a radius that is greater than the radius of every other point on the transition portion upstream from such point;
wherein the at least one of the first mold support section and the second mold support section further includes a first radiused portion;
wherein the transition portion is located intermediate the first radiused portion and the downstream portion;
wherein the transition portion has a larger radius than the first radiused portion over an entire extent of the transition portion from a point adjacent to the first radiused portion to a point adjacent to the downstream portion; and
wherein the first radiused portion, the transition portion and the downstream portion are all located downstream of a plane extending through respective tangent points of the first upstream pulley and the second upstream pulley.