METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DIRECT CASTING OF METAL STRIP

摘要

A method of direct casting molten metal into strip by providing a melt (20) of the metal to be cast, providing a continuously driven metal chill surface (14), flowing a layer of the melt onto the moving chill surface and extracting heat from the layer of melt to solidify and temporarily bond the layer of melt to the chill surface and to shrink the solidified layer and cause it to be released from the chill surface, withdrawing the released solidified layer as a continuous metal strip (16), establishing a natural oxide layer (52) on said chill surface to provide an interface between said layer of melt and said chill surface (14), and maintaining said natural oxide in a smooth layer (52) of substantially uniform thickness.