Continuous metal casting process

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS METAL CASTING PROCESS COMPRISING INTRODUCING MOLTEN METAL INTO ONE END OF AN OPEN-ENDED MOLD HAVING AN UNCOOLED SECTION AND A FIXED COOLED SECTION OF HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY DIVIDING THE MOLD INTO AN UNCOOLED ZONE AND A CHILL ZONE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO SAID UNCOOLED ZONE WITH EACH OF SAID ZONES SURROUNDING THE METAL CONTAINED THEREIN, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID UNCOOLED ZONE ABOVE THE MELTING POINT AND THE TEMPERATURE OF THE INSIDE SURFACE OF SAID CHILL ZONE BELOW THE FREEZING POINT OF THE METAL CONTAINED IN THE RESPECTIVE ZONES, SAID MOLTEN METAL BEING INTRODUCED INTO THE END OF THE MOLD CONTAINING THE UNCOOLED ZONE AT A RATE WHICH IN RELATION TO THE RATE OF CAST METAL WITHDRAWN FROM THE MOLD IS SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN MOLTEN AND NON-TURBULENT METAL IN THE UNCOOLED ZONE OF THE MOLD IN THE VICINITY OF PLANE WHICH INTERSECTS SAID ZONES AND IN WHICH PLANE THE METAL REMAINS ENTIRELY MOLTEN, MAINTAINING THE METAL STATIONARY WITH RESPECT TO THE MOLD IN THE CHILL ZONE UNTIL AT LEAST THE OUTERSURFACE OF THE METAL EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO SAID PLANE IS FROZEN INTO A SHELL OF SUFFICIENT THICKNESS AND STRENGTH TO OVERCOME THE SURFACE FRICTION FORCES BETWEEN THE MOLD AND THE SHELL TO PERMIT MOTION OF THE SHELL WITH RESPECT TO THE MOLD WITHOUT RUPTURE OF THE SHELL, SAID SHELL BEING FORMED BY WITHDRAWING AT LEAST A MAJOR PORTION OF THE SENSIBLE AND LATENT HEAT REQUIRED TO FREEZE SAID SHELL SUBSTANTIALLY LATERALLY FROM THE METAL THROUGH THE SURFACE OF SAID CHILL ZONE, THEREAFTER WITHDRAWING A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF CAST METAL FROM THE OTHER END OF THE MOLD, STOPPING SAID CAST METAL WITHDRAWAL BEFORE SHELL FORMATION TAKES PLACE ON A MAJOR PORTION OF THE OUTERSURFACE OF THE MOLTEN METAL MOVING BEYOND SAID PLANE INTO SAID CHILL ZONE DURING SAID METAL WITHDRAWAL, AND REPEATING SAID SHELL FREEZING AND SAID CAST METAL WITHDRAWAL STEPS UNTIL A CASTING OF DESIRED LENGTH IS OBTAINED, WHEREBY A MAJOR PROPORTION OF THE SHELL OF THE THUS WITHDRAWN METAL IS FORMED WITHIN THE MOLD WHILE STATIONARY WITH RESPECT THERETO THEREBY ENHANCING THE SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS ON THE SAID WITHDRAWN CASTING.