Process for cooling hot castings and apparatus for carrying out the process

For cooling hot castings, these are in general subjected to air and/or water cooling on a conveyor path. The castings lie in a heap on a conveyor and are acted on by the air and/or water cooling from above. In order to markedly improve the cooling action as a whole, but to carry out the whole cooling with the smallest possible temperature differences in the castings in order to achieve the most balanced possible temperature behaviour at the castings and to avoid the feared internal stresses in the castings, it is proposed to undertake the air and/or water cooling alternately from below to above and from above to below, so that the direction of the cooling action relative to the castings constantly changes or reverses and the castings can meanwhile be relieved of stress.