Patent ID: 8176969

Claim:
An apparatus for continuously casting thin strip comprising: a. a caster having a pair of counter-rotated casting rolls having a nip there between capable of delivering cast strip downwardly from the nip, b. a metal delivery system capable of forming a casting pool supported on casting surfaces of the casting rolls above the nip with side dams adjacent ends of the nip to confine the casting pool, c. a first enclosure beneath the casting capable of forming a protective atmosphere into which the strip can be delivered from the casting rolls to form a loop, then onto a roller table and through counter rotating pinch rolls, d. a device for determining strains in the cast strip in at least two locations selected from the group consisting of a location adjacent the nip, a location adjacent bottom portions of the loop, and a location adjacent entry to the roller table, and e. a control system capable of comparing the determined strains and controlling loop height, rotation of the casting rolls and rotation of the pinch rolls to maintain the strain in the strip in the first enclosure below a predetermined value.