Mannesmann Aktiengesellschaft

Licentia Patent-verwaltungs Gmbh

Gerhard Stadtfeld

Ewald Feuerstacke

Peter Monheim

Jorg Weber

Burkhard Christmann

An inert gas flow is introduced into a molten metal bath at a location in a vessel. The absolute pressure of the gas flow through the molten metal other than zero flow is determined. The pressure acting on the surface of the bath is measured and the difference between the surface pressure and the absolute pressure is determined. The difference in converted into a distance measurement that reflects the actual distance between the surface of the bath and the location of introduction of the gas flow into the bath. The distance measurement is compared with a predetermined desired distance value and a resultant measurement is formed therefrom. The level of the bath is regulated as a function of the resultant measurement. The resultant measurement is converted into an electric setting signal and sent to a setting member for regulating the level of the bath and/or the amount flowing out of or withdrawn from the vessel.

Method for determining and regulating the level of a bath of molten metal

A mold for continuous casting is changed for changing the dimensions of the casting, by, selecting a casting speed during a change of the mold dimensions which is not lower than the one prior to the change; one or both small mold walls are tilted each about an axis below the low end of the respective wall, the mold wall is then parallel shifted, the shifting to begin before the final tilting is completed; thereafter the mold wall is tilted back about an axis coinciding with a surface level of molten material in the mold, the back tilting begins before the lateral shifting ends.

Width adjustment of molds for continuously casting slab ingots

An apparatus for determining the wear of a mold wall during continuous casting of metal by using at least one distance measuring sensor disposed in the mold wall to measure the instantaneous distance from the sensor to the casting. The surface of the casting adjacent the mold wall may be irregular, so the minimum value of the distance between the sensor and casting is stored and used as the current distance between the sensor and the inner mold wall. Mold wear is determined by subtracting the current distance between the sensor and the inner mold wall from the original distance, before the abrasive casting process began. The sensor signals are also used to determine when the mold geometry should be adjusted to compensate for the wear. This is accomplished by storing the maximum distance between the sensor and casting and subtracting the current distance from this maximum, since the maximum distance increases as the casting shrinks away from the mold wall.

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Duisburg, Germany

Gerhard Stadtfeld