Patent ID: 6357637
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: B22D

Abstract:
A method of starting to cast a metal strip close to its final dimensions, comprising the steps of:leading a melt via a melt feed vessel into a pouring chamber of a siphon vessel; leading the melt from the pouring chamber onto a cooled transport belt via a casting nozzle and a main chamber of the siphon vessel which can be put under vacuum; filling the pouring chamber and the main chamber of the siphon vessel with the melt up to a top of the siphon; before the melt flows over the top of the siphon, inducing a vacuum in the main chamber by actuating a vacuum device connected to the main chamber; after the melt has flowed over the top of the siphon, leading the melt stream through the casting nozzle so that the nozzle cross section closes in a manner of a plug; increasing the vacuum, depending on position of the plug in the casting nozzle, until there is in the melt stream a hydraulic connection between the stream inlet and the stream outlet, and adjusting the vacuum so that melt flows out of the opening of the casting nozzle; and keeping the melt level in the pouring chamber at a value at which an inflowing melt stream is equal to an outflowing melt stream.