Process for the continuous casting of tubular products

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS CASTING OF HOLLOW METAL PRODUCTS, WHICH COMPRISES POURING MOLTEN METAL INTO THE TOP END OF A GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING OPEN-ENDED MOLD OF A DESIRED INTERNAL CONFIGURATION TO CONTINUOUSLY FORM THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE METAL AS IT IS POURED INTO A CASTING IN CONFORMITY WITH THE INTERNAL CONFIGURATION OF THE MOLD, WITHDRAWING SUCH CASTING HAVING A SOLIDIFIED SKIN AND A LIQUID CORE FROM THE OTHER END OF THE MOLD, MOVING SAID WITHDRAWN CASTING FROM THE MOLD IN AN ARCUATE PATH ALONG AN INITIALLY DESCENDING AND A SUBSEQUENTLY ASCENDING, CURVED PATH EXTENDING UPWARDLY TO A LEVEL BAROMETRICALLY EQUIVALENT TO THE LEVEL OF THE MOLTEN METAL IN THE MOLD, AND ESTABLISHING A BAROMETRIC EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN THE SURFACE OF THE MOLTEN METAL IN THE MOLD AND THE MOLTEN METAL IN THE CORE IN THE ASCENDING PATH TO PROVIDE A LIQUID-GAS INTERFACE AT THE TOP OF SAID LIQUID CORE IN SAID CASTING IN THE ASCENDING PORTION OF SAID PATH, THE CASTING FED BEYOND SAID INTERFACE BEING HOLLOW.