ES357874A1 - Machine with caterpillar mold for casting strips from nonferrous metals, especially aluminum and aluminum alloys - Google Patents

Abstract

In a continuous casting machine of the type having a mould cavity defined by a co-operating pair of endless sets of mould blocks which are driven at the same speed so that over a portion of their run they engage with each other and define between them a moving mould cavity, the rear surfaces of the mould blocks 10 are connected to but spaced from a guide member 11 by supporting means constructed so that the blocks 10 are thermally insulated from the member 11 to the extent that the heat conductance from the casting wall to the rear surface of the blocks is at least 200 times the conductance of the path provided by the supporting means between the rear surface and the member 11. The mould blocks 10 are fastened to the guide member 11 by a steel bolt 15 which is pulled against the member 11 by means of a nut 16 with interposed cup springs 17, and are spaced from the member 11 by steel bolts 12 which have rounded ends and rest on hardened steel backings 13. Guide pieces 21, (22) and (23) fixed to the member 11 are slidably received in grooves 18, [19) and (20) in the block 10 and maintain a fixed point H of each block in a fixed position relative to the guide member 11 whilst allowing expansion and contraction of the block. The thickness of the mould blocks 10 is such that the rear portions of the blocks remain cool and thus restrain the casting wall from appreciable expansion or contraction. A reflective metal sheet 24 is arranged between each mould block and guide member. In another embodiment, Fig. 10 (not shown), the mould blocks are made from a number of plates (44) held together by tie rods (45). The plates may be made of different materials e.g. steel and copper, and may be spaced from each other by layers of heat-resistant material.