Km-kabelmetal Ag

Km-kabelmeteal Aktiengesellschaft

Andreas Krause

Horst Gravemann

To continuously cast thin slabs or round ingots from copper alloys, which slabs or ingots have a thickness of 8 to 40 mm, the present method electromagnetically agitates the melt found inside the ingot mold. By properly dimensioning the agitator coil, the agitation power inside the melt is limited to within a range of about 0.5 to 100 W/cm3, while the pull-off rate of the casting strand is limited to within a range of 0.05 to 1.3 m/min. The copper alloys contain up to a maximum of 1% of one element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, manganese, zinc, zirconium, chromium, molybdenum and niobium.

Method for continuously casting copper alloys

To continuously cast thin slabs or round ingots from copper alloys, which slabs or ingots have a diameter of 8 to 40 mm, the present method electromagnetically agitates the melt found inside the ingot mold. By properly dimensioning the agitator coil, the agitation power inside the melt is limited to within a range of about 0.5 to 100 W/cm3, while the pull-off rate of the casting strand is limited to within a range of 0.05 to 1.3 m/min.

The trouble free operation of a continuous casting process utilizing a moving electromagnetic field for levitation requires information of sufficient accuracy concerning the position and extent of the solidification front inside the continuous casting die. The method and structure according to the invention for monitoring the solidification process employs signals from at least two sensor coils arranged concentrically around the continuous casting die. These signals are fed to a measuring transducer and processed in an appropriate manner. The configuration of the sensor coils inside the levitation coil generating the moving field is particularly preferred.

Growing community of inventors

Osnabruck, Germany

Andreas Krause