Patent ID: 8096344

Claim:
Apparatus for casting a composite metal ingot, comprising: an open-ended generally rectangular mold cavity having an entry end portion, a discharge end opening, cooled mold walls surrounding the mold cavity to form opposed side walls and opposed end walls of the mold, and a movable bottom block adapted to fit within the discharge end and to move axially of the mold in a direction of casting; at least one cooled divider wall at the entry end portion of the mold to divide the entry end portion into at least two feed chambers; a conduit for feeding metal for an inner layer to one of the at least two feed chambers and at least one conduit for feeding metal for at least one outer layer to at least one other of the feed chambers, to thereby form a generally rectangular ingot at the discharge end opening having opposed side surfaces and opposed end surfaces and comprising an inner layer and at least one outer layer; equipment for controlling the feeding of metal through said conduits to maintain upper surfaces of metal in different feed chambers at different vertical levels, and secondary cooling equipment adjacent to the discharge end opening having parts positioned adjacent to each of said side walls and end walls of the mold, wherein parts of said cooling equipment adjacent to said end walls are arranged to commence said secondary cooling at a different position along said ingot in the direction of casting relative to said parts of said secondary cooling equipment adjacent to at least one of said side walls.