Patent ID: 8499820

Claim:
Apparatus for continuously casting metal strip comprising: (a) a pair of counter-rotatable casting rolls laterally positioned to form a nip there between through which thin strip can be cast, and a pair of confining side dams adjacent the ends of the casting capable of supporting a casting pool of molten metal formed on the casting surfaces above the nip, (b) an elongated metal delivery system with a plurality of moveable metal delivery nozzles disposed axially along and above the nip and capable of discharging molten metal to form the casting pool supported on the casting supports of the casting rolls, (c) a carriage assembly including delivery nozzle actuators each capable of axial movement of the delivery nozzles relative to the adjacent side dam separate and independent from the movement of the adjacent side dam and further including side dam actuators each capable of axial movement of the side dams separate and independent from the movement of the delivery nozzles during casting, and (d) a control system capable of actuating delivery nozzle actuators and actuating delivery nozzle actuators to control the distances between the side dams and the delivery nozzles nearest the side dams by separate axial movement of the delivery nozzle actuators and side dam actuators.