METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS CASTING OF METAL UNDER CONTROLLED LOAD CONDITIONS

An improvement in continuous metal casting machines of the type having a pair of flyable, moving casting belts which revolve along endless paths for defining a casting region therebetween and moving side dams which revolve along with the casting belts for confining the east strip, slab or bar laterally. The casting belts are individually supported by upper and lower carriage means. The machine is provided with sensors such as load cells for sensing the displacement forces existing between the upper and lower carriages at selected points along the path of belt travel, and for sensing the side pressures exerted upon the side dams by the cooling, solidifying metal. This sensing permits the maintenance of predetermined, desired contact pressures along the length of the solidifying metal to thereby improve the physical characteristics of the cast product. The sensor outputs may be utilized to manually adjust the pressure points or, alternatively, may be employed in an automatic feedback system for providing automatic control of the various casting parameters affecting mold contact pressures and pressure distribution.