Patent ID: 6536506
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: B22D

Abstract:
A method of casting metal strip comprising:assembling a pair of cooled casting rolls having a nip between them and confining closures adjacent the ends of the nip, introducing molten metal between said pair of casting rolls to form a casting pool between the rolls with the closures confining the pool adjacent the ends of the nip, rotating the rolls such that shells of metal solidify from the casting pool to form onto the casting rolls and are brought close together at the nip to produce a solidified strip delivered downwardly from the nip, biasing at least one of the pair of casting rolls toward the other roll of the pair under a biasing force between substantially the same and slightly more than that required to balance the hydrostatic pressure of the casting pool and the mechanical friction involved in moving the casting rolls in biasing them toward each other such that a substantially constant gap is maintained between the rolls at the nip sufficient to provide separation between the solidified shells at the nip, and passing molten metal between the solidified shells through the nip so that at least a portion of said molten metal may be solidified in the strip below the nip.