Dummy bar for continuous casting equipment

摘要

An elongated dummy bar has one end secured to a closure plug arranged within an open ended, continuous casting mold for supporting the plug within the mold and for endwise movement for removing the plug from the mold and guiding it along a curved path away from the mold. Molten metal cast in the mold forms a continuous cast strand whose lead end joins to the closure plug so that endwise movement of the bar and plug guides the cast strand along the curved path. The bar is formed of parallel rows, of rigid links which are arranged end to end. Pivot pins transversely extend across all the rows between the adjacent ends of the links. The pins are pivotally journalled within opposing sockets formed in the facing ends of adjacent links in each row. Flexible cables are arranged between and parallel to the rows of links and pass through openings extending diametrically through the pins. The flexible cables are tightly secured to the opposite ends of the dummy bar under sufficient tension to apply a compressive force upon the rows of links. Thus, the links are held against their pivot pins, but may pivot to a limited extent about their respective pivots for bending the bar as the bar moves endwise in the curved path.