Patent attributes
Apparatus and method of co-casting metal ingots in direct-chill casting apparatus. The apparatus and method employs at least one divider (divider member or divider wall) that separates a casting mold into two or more chambers for receiving molten metal that is combined into a single ingot. The divider may be moved, angled and/or flexed during casting to produce ingots that are designed primarily for rolling into thin plate or sheet. The ingot has at least one outer layer that is thicker adjacent to the side (width) edges than in the center, and/or thicker adjacent to the butt or head regions. This compensates for wiping of the outer layer from the ingot core during rolling. Also, the divider may be outwardly bowed outwardly towards one of the mold walls during the casting run.
