Apparatus for horizontal, continuous metal casting

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR HORIZONTAL, CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METAL: A MOLD FOR CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVING MOLTEN METAL AND RELEASING SOLID METAL, INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVE MEANS CONNECTIBLE TO THE SOLID METAL FOR INTERMITTENTLY ADVANCING THE METAL AWAY FROM SAID MOLD, CLAMP MEANS FOR FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING THE SOLID METAL FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH IN A FIRST DIRECTION, ABUTMENT MEANS FOR LIMITING THE EXTENT OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CLAMP MEANS TO PERMIT SLIDING OF THE METAL RELATIVE TO SAID CLAMP MEANS DURING MOVEMENT OF THE METAL IN SAID FIRST DIRECTON, AND POWEER ACCUMLATING MEANS ENGAGED BETWEEN SAID CLAMP MEANS AND SAID ABUTMENT MEANS FOR ABSORBING POWER DURING MOVEMENT OF SAID CLAMP MEANS IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION, SAID POWER ACCUMULATING MEANS RELEASING POWER TO RETURN THE METAL TOWARD SAID MOLD WHEN SAID INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVE MEANS IS INACTIVE WHEREBY THE METAL IS MOVED TOWARD SAID MOLD A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE AMOUNT OF INTERMITTENT MOVEMENT IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION TO PERMANENTLY WITHDRAW CONTINUING LENGTHS OF METAL FROM SAID MOLD.