Method for producing ingots of nonferrous metals by continuous casting

Abstract

An apparatus for producing ingots of nonferrous metals, comprising a continuous casting machine provided with a moving casting shell composed of a plurality of segments arranged in succession, each segment having a portion, with bottom and side walls, of the casting shell formed therein and being open on the sides directed toward the contiguous segments. The segments are movable along a closed path that has at least one substantially straight portion at the casting region. The segments, along the at least one portion of path, are substantially aligned and form a casting shell that is continuous and substantially straight and is closed, along at least one portion of path downstream of the casting region, by closure means at its side that is arranged opposite with respect to the bottom.

1 - 18 . (cancelled)  
   
   
       19 . A method for producing, by continuous casting, ingots of nonferrous metals, comprising the steps of: 
 continuously casting the molten metal within a continuous and substantially rectilinear moving casting shell that is composed of a sequence of concatenated segments of an ingot mold;    cooling said casting shell for the at least partial solidification of the cast metal;    extracting continuously the bar produced by the solidification of the metal from said casting shell without producing plastic deformations of said bar;    cropping said bar into segments.    
   
   
       20 . The method according to  claim 19 , comprising continuously casting the molten metal with said segments which are each supported by a respective link of a moving chain that is closed in a loop.  
   
   
       21 . A method for producing, by continuous casting, ingots of nonferrous metals, comprising the steps of: 
 providing a chain with a plurality of casting shell segments and a plurality of mutually interconnected links each supporting a respective casting shell segment of said plurality of said casting shell segments such that in a straight portion of said chain a plurality of mutually continuous casting shell segments of said plurality of said casting shell segments are arranged so as to form a straight portion of a casting shell;    moving said chain in a loop so as to form and move said straight portion of said casting shell; and    casting molten metal into said moving straight portion of said casting shell.    
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising extracting a bar of cast metal directly downstream of said straight portion of said casting shell.