Apparatus for the vertical multiple continuous casting of aluminum and aluminum alloys

Claim 1

Apparatus for the vertical multiple continuous casting of aluminum and aluminum alloys comprising a common refractory lined distributing launder for the casting metal, a plurality of water-cooled short continuous casting mold, a common lowering platform movably arranged in a pit, said lowering platform carrying the stopping dummies of all said molds, a common cooling box, said mold being disposed in fluid-tight manner in said common cooling box, said distributing launder including openings which approximately match the cross section of the mold, said mold being disposed below said openings, thermal insulation means insulating the upper part of the molds and making contact with the refractory material of the distributing launder, a jacket surrounding each mold, each jacket together with the exterior side of the associated mold forming a chamber for the cooling water, said jacket having apertures in its upper part for the inlet of the cooling water from said common cooling water box into said chamber, said jacket having further apertures in its lower part for the outlet of the cooling water from said chamber.

Claim 3

An apparatus for the vertical multiple continuous casting of aluminum and aluminum alloys comprising in combination a common refractory lined distributor of a casting metal and having a base defining a plurality of apertures, one for each casting, a corresponding plurality of short continuous castIng molds connected to said base throughout their entire cross-sectional area thereby restricting the entire apparatus to have but a single metal lever within the distributor and above all the molds so that the molten metal mass is continuous from the lever in the distributor downwards into the mold filling the mold entirely, thermal insulation means insulating the upper part of the mold and making contact with the refractory material of the distributor, a starting dummy disposed in each mold, a platform movably arranged below all of said molds for lifting and lowering said dummy, a cooling box surrounding all of said molds and being operable to be supplied with a cooling fluid, a plurality of jackets disposed within said cooling box and each surrounding the wall of a mold and defining with the mold wall a cooling chamber, the outer portion of each cooling chamber having near the top openings to provide for a substantially uniform flow of the cooling fluid from said cooling box to said chamber and including radially off-set lower ends having outlets near the bottom close to the molds so that, in use, the cooling fluid will flow from the cooling box into the chambers to cool indirectly the castings formed in the mold and will exit and be directed by said outlets from the chambers towards the casting emerging from the mold, thereby directly cooling the discharged casting.

Claim 4

An apparatus for the vertical multiple continuous casting of aluminum and aluminum alloys comprising in combination a common refractory lined distributor of a casting metal and having a base defining a plurality of apertures, one for each casting, a corresponding plurality of short continuous castIng molds connected to said base throughout their entire cross-sectional area thereby restricting the entire apparatus to have but a single metal lever within the distributor and above all the molds so that the molten metal mass is continuous from the lever in the distributor downwards into the mold filling the mold entirely, thermal insulation means insulating the upper part of the mold and making contact with the refractory material of the distributor, a starting dummy disposed in each mold, a platform movably arranged below all of said molds for lifting and lowering said dummy, a cooling box surrounding all of said molds and being operable to be supplied with a cooling fluid, a plurality of jackets disposed within said cooling box and each surrounding the wall of a mold and defining with the mold wall a cooling chamber, the outer portion of each cooling chamber having near the top openings to provide for a substantially uniform flow of the cooling fluid from said cooling box to said chamber and including radially off-set lower ends having outlets near the bottom close to the molds so that, in use, the cooling fluid will flow from the cooling box into the chambers to cool indirectly the castings formed in the mold and will exit and be directed by said outlets from the chambers towards the casting emerging from the mold, thereby directly cooling the discharged casting.