Method and apparatus for the casting of fusible materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR THE CONTINUOUS UPWARDLY CASTING OF A FUSIBLE MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A REFRACTORY CONTAINER FOR A FUSIBLE MATERIAL IN ITS FUSED STATE; (B) AN ELONGATED MOLD EXTENDING IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION WHICH COMPRISES A BACKING MATERIAL HAVING A HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY AND ON INTERNAL CHNNEL HAVING THE CROSS-SECTION SHAPE AND SLIGHTLY LARGER DIMENSIONS THAN THE CROSS-SECTION OF AN ELONGATED CASTING WHICH IS TO BE PRODUCED BY THE USE OF THE APPARATUS; (C) A MEANS FOR COOLING THE SAID BACKING MATERIAL WHICH PROVIDE MEANS FOR CONTACTING A SURFACE THEREOF OTHER THAN ITS INNER SURFACE WITH A CIRCULATING COOLING FLUID; AND (D) A SOLID LAYER ON THE INNER SURFACE OF THE BACKING MATERIAL WHICH FORMS THE INTERNAL CHANNEL OF A RETAINING MATERIAL WHICH HAS A THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE SAID BACKING MATERIAL AND A MELTING POINT LOWER THAN THAT OF THE MATERIAL TO BE CAST IN THE MOLD; (E) A CONTAINER FOR A FUSED BODY OF THE RETAINING MATERIAL POSITIONED ABOVE THE SAID MOLD WITH AN ORIFICE IN ITS BOTTOM OF THE SAME SHAPE AND DIMENSIONS AS THE UPPER END OF THE CHANNEL FORMED BY THE BACKING MATERIAL OF THE MOLD; (F) A MEANS ABOVE THE SAID CONTAINER FOR THE FUSED BODY OF RETAINING MATERIAL FOR CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING UPWARDLY A CASTING FROM THE CHANNEL OF THE SAID MOLD FORMED BY ITS INTERNAL LAYER OF SOLIDIFIED RETAINING MATERIAL, THROUGH THE SAID UPPER CONTAINER; AND (G) A MEANS FOR INTRODUCING THE FUSED MATERIAL FROM THE REFRACTORY CONTAINER FOR THE FUSED MATERIAL INTO THE LOWER END OF THE MOLD CHANNEL WITH SUFFICIENT HYDRAULIC ENERGY TO CAUSE THE FUSED MATERIAL TO FLOW UPWARDLY INTO SAID MOLD CHANNEL.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF STEEL IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION WHICH COMPRISES (A) CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING A STREAM OF MOLTEN STEEL INTO THE LOWER END OF AN INTERNAL CHANNEL OF A MOLD WHICH EXTENDS GENERALLY IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION AND WHICH COMPRISES (B) A LINING LAYER OF BARIUM CHLORIDE SUPPORTED BY A BACKING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER AND COPPER ALLOYS HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE WHICH FORMS AN INTERNAL CHANNEL WHICH HAS THE SAME CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE BUT SLIGHTLY LARGER DIMENSIONS THAN DESIRED IN THE ELONGATED CASTING BEING PRODUCED; (C) PASSING THE MOLTEN STEEL UPWARDLY THROUGH THE MOLD CHANNEL FORMED BY THE LAYER OF THE BARIUM CHLORIDE ON THE SAID BACKING MATERIAL WHILE WITHDRAWING HEAT FROM THE MOLTEN STEEL AS IT PASSES UPWARDLY TO CAUSE ITS SOLIDIFICATION; (D) AT A RATE WHICH KEEPS A LAYER OF BARIUM CHLORIDE ADJACENT THE BACKING MATERIAL IN THE SOLID STATE WHILE PERMITTING A LAYER THEREOF ADJACENT THE MOLTEN STEEL TO MELT, WHILE CONTINUOUSLY PULLING THE SOLIDIFIED CASTING FROM THE UPPER END OF THE MOLD CHANNEL.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF STEEL IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION WHICH COMPRISES (A) CONTINUOUSLY FLOWING A STREAM OF MOLTEN STEEL INTO THE LOWER END OF AN INTERNAL CHANNEL OF A MOLD WHICH EXTENDS GENERALLY IN AN UPWARDLY DIRECTION AND WHICH COMPRISES (B) A LINING LAYER OF BARIUM CHLORIDE SUPPORTED BY A BACKING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF COPPER AND COPPER ALLOYS HAVING A CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE WHICH FORMS AN INTERNAL CHANNEL WHICH HAS THE SAME CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE BUT SLIGHTLY LARGER DIMENSIONS THAN DESIRED IN THE ELONGATED CASTING BEING PRODUCED; (C) PASSING THE MOLTEN STEEL UPWARDLY THROUGH THE MOLD CHANNEL FORMED BY THE LAYER OF THE BARIUM CHLORIDE ON THE SAID BACKING MATERIAL WHILE WITHDRAWING HEAT FROM THE MOLTEN STEEL AS IT PASSES UPWARDLY TO CAUSE ITS SOLIDIFICATION; (D) AT A RATE WHICH KEEPS A LAYER OF BARIUM CHLORIDE ADJACENT THE BACKING MATERIAL IN THE SOLID STATE WHILE PERMITTING A LAYER THEREOF ADJACENT THE MOLTEN STEEL TO MELT, WHILE CONTINUOUSLY PULLING THE SOLIDIFIED CASTING FROM THE UPPER END OF THE MOLD CHANNEL.