Permanent-magnetic hydrodynamic methods and apparatus for stabilizing a casting belt in a continuous metal-casting machine

摘要

Permanent-magnetic hydrodynamic methods and apparatus stabilize a moving, flexible, thin-gauge, heat-conducting, magnetically soft ferromagnetic casting belt against thermal distortion while moving along a mold cavity being heated at its front surface by heat coming from molten metal being cast while being cooled at its reverse surface by flowing pumped liquid coolant. Hydro-magnetic devices are arranged in an array wherein flows of pumped coolant pass through fixedly throttling passageways feeding pressure pockets facing the belt's reverse surface. These pockets are shown rimmed by magnetic pole faces. Coolant issues from the pressure pockets as fast-moving films radiating therefrom and travelling in gaps between the belt's reverse surface and the pole faces. These films cool the belt and apply hydrodynamic forces levitating the belt spaced from the pole faces while the belt is stabilized in even condition by powerful reach-out magnetic attraction forces reaching out from these pole faces and extending across the gaps to the moving belt. Pumped liquid coolant is twice throttled: once in feeding into the pressure pockets and once again in flowing out from the pockets escaping over the pole faces which rim the pockets. A hydro-magnetic array includes powerful permanent magnets formed of unique permanent-magnetic material in magnetic circuits in the array providing reach-out magnetic attraction having unusual characteristics critical to successful operation of disclosed embodiments of the invention. A hydro-pillow array without magnets may be positioned downstream from the hydro-magnetic array.