CONTINUOUS CASTING METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR

PURPOSE: To improve the productivity of a continuous casting apparatus and to reduce the energy cost of a heating furnace by executing continuous casting while repeating an operation for separating molten metal in non-perfectly solidified part on a mold side from the molten metal in the non-perfectly solidified part on the solidification completion point side. CONSTITUTION: The molten metal 7 poured into the mold 2 from an immersion nozzle 1 has a solidified shell 8 held with the mold 2 and a cast slab guide 3, and while cooling the surface of a cast slab with a spray, the solidified shell is grown. When the solidification completion point 9 reaches the end part 6 of a continuous casting machine, a solidification completion point is mechanically formed newly between the mold 2 and the solidification completion point 9 with a completely solidified cross section forming equipment 4 arranged between the mold 2 and the end part 6 of the casting machine. Since the hydrostatic pressure of molten metal on the side of the mold 2 with respect to the completely solidified cross section 10 is not transmitted to the molten metal 11 sealed in the cast slab on the side of the end part 6 with respect to the completely solidified cross section 10, the cast slab guide 3 for restraining the bulging is made to be unnecessary at the end part 6 side of the casting machine and the molten metal can further be cast until the completely solidified cross section 10 reaches the end part 6 of the casting machine.