A continuous casting apparatus for thin slabs comprising:
- a crystallizer (1);
- a discharger (3), having an outlet section (27), adapted to discharge liquid metal into said crystallizer (1),
- a device for controlling the flows of liquid metal in said crystallizer (1), said device comprising a plurality of electromagnetic brakes (11’, 12’, 13’, 14’, 15’), each of which is activatable to generate a corresponding braking zone (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) in a liquid metal bath delimited by two front walls (16, 16’) of said crystallizer (1) which are opposite to each other, and by two sidewalls (17, 18) of said crystallizer (1), which are opposite to each other and orthogonal to said front walls (16,16’), said electromagnetic brakes (11’,12’,13’,14’,15’) comprising a pair of magnetic poles symmetrically arranged with respect to a symmetry plane (B-B) of said crystallizer (1), which is substantially parallel to said front walls (16,16’), each magnetic pole comprising a core and a coil supplied by direct current, said magnetic poles being configured so as to generate a magnetic field which cross said bath (4) according to directions substantially orthogonal to said front walls (16, 16’) of said crystallizer (1),
wherein said apparatus comprises a pair of reinforcing walls (20,20’), each externally adjacent to one of said front walls (16,16’) of said crystallizer, said apparatus comprising a pair of ferromagnetic plates (21,21’) each arranged parallel to one of said removing walls (20,20’) so that the magnetic poles, arranged on a same side with respect to said symmetry plane (B-B) are comprised between one of said reinforcing walls (20,20’) and on of said ferromagnetic plates (21, 21’) and wherein:
- - a first electromagnetic brake (11’), if activated, generates a first braking
zone (11) in said central portion (41) of said bath (4) in a position under said
outlet section (27) of said discharger (3)
- a second electromagnetic brake (12’), if activated, generates a second
braking zone (12) in a first side portion (42) of said bath (4) between said

central portion (41) and a first perimetral sidewall (17) substantially comprised between said front walls (16,16’);
- a third electromagnetic brake (13’), if activated, generates a third braking zone (13) within a second side portion (43) of said bath (4) which is symmetric to said first central portion (41) of said bath (4) with respect to a symmetry plane (A-A) substantially orthogonal to said front walls (16, 16’);
- a fourth electromagnetic brake (14’), if activated, generates a fourth braking zone (14) in said first side portion (42) of said bath (4) in a position mainly underneath said second braking zone (12);
- a fifth electromagnetic brake (15’), if activated, generates a fifth braking zone (15) in said second side portion (43) of said bath (4) in a position mainly underneath said third braking zone (13)
and wherein said electromagnetic brakes (11’,12’,13’,14’, 15’) are activated and deactivated independently from one another or in groups. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic brakes (12’,14’,13’, 15’) generating braking zones (12,13,14,15) located in a first of the side portions (43,42) of said bath are activated if the flow rate of liquid metal directed towards said first of the side portions (43,42) is higher than the flow rate directed towards a second of the side portions (42,43). An apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein said electromagnetic brakes (13’,15’) generating said braking zones (13,15) related to the side portion (43) with the highest flow rate of liquid metal are activated so as to develop a higher braking action with respect to the braking zones (12,14) related to the other side portion (42) with the lowest flow rate.
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic brakes (12’, 14’, 13’, 15’) generating braking zones (12, 14, 13, 15) related to the side portions (43, 42) of said bath (4) are activated when the speed and waviness of said liquid metal in proximity of a surface (7) of said bath (4) exceed a predetermined reference value, said second electromagnetic brake (12’) and said third electromagnetic rake (13’) being activated so as to develop a higher braking action with respect to said fourth electromagnetic brake (14) and fifth electromagnetic brake (15).

An apparatus according to Claim 4, wherein the first electromagnetic brake
(11’) is also activated.
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic brakes
(12’, 14’, 13’, 15’) generating braking zones (12, 14, 13, 15) related to the
side portions (43, 42) of said bath (4) are activated when the speed of said
liquid metal in proximity of a surface (7) of said bath (4) exceeds a
predetermined reference value.
An apparatus according to Claim 6, wherein the first electromagnetic brake
(11’) is also activated.
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second electromagnetic
brake (12’) and said third electromagnetic brake (13’) generating
respectively said second braking zone (12) and said third braking zone (13)
are activated when the speeds (V) at the meniscus are higher than a
predetermined value.
An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein also the first electromagnetic
brake (11’) generating said first braking zone (11) is activated.
An apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic brakes
(12’,14’) generating braking zones (12,14) in said first side portion (42) of
said bath are activated in group and or wherein the electromagnetic brakes
(13’,15’) generating braking zones (13,15) in said second side portion (43)
of said bath (4) are activated in group.
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein only said first electromagnetic
brake (11’), said second electromagnetic brake (12’) and said third
electromagnetic brake (13’) are installed.
An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one or more of said
electromagnetic brakes (11’,12’,13’,14’,15’) can not be installed according
to a specific casting condition.
An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said fourth electromagnetic
brake (14’) and said fifth electromagnetic brake (15’) are activated when the
flow rate of liquid metal in the central portion (41) of said bath (4) exceeds a
predetermined value.
An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein also said first brake

electromagnetic brake (11’) is activated.
A process for controlling the flows of liquid metal in a continuous casting of
thin slabs, wherein there are provided:
- a crystallizer (1) comprising perimetral walls (16, 16’, 17, 18), which define a containment volume for a liquid metal bath (4);
- a discharger (3), having an outlet section (27), centrally arranged in said bath (4) to discharge said liquid metal; ),
- a first electromagnetic brake (11’) for generating a first braking zone (11)
in said central portion (41) of said bath (4) in a position under said outlet
section (27) of said discharger (3);
- a second electromagnetic brake (12’) for generating a second braking zone (12) in a first side portion (42) of said bath (4) between said central portion (41) and a first perimetral sidewall (17) substantially orthogonal to said front walls (16,16’);
- a third electromagnetic brake (13’) for generating a third braking zone (13) within a second side portion (43) of said bath (4), which is symmetric to said first side portion (42) of said bath (4) with respect to a symmetry plane (A-A) substantially orthogonal to said front perimetral walls (16,16’);
- a fourth electromagnetic brake (14’) for generating a braking zone (14) mainly in said first side portion (42) of said bath (4) in a position mainly underneath said second braking zone (12);
- a fifth electromagnetic brake (15’) for generating a fifth braking zone (15) in said second side portion (43) of said bath (4) in a position mainly underneath said third braking zone (13);
wherein said process includes activating said braking zones (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) either independently or in groups according to characteristic parameters of the fluid-dynamic conditions of said liquid metal in said bath (4).
A process according to claim 15, wherein the activation of the braking zones (12, 14, 13, 15) located in a first of the side portions (43, 42) of said bath (4) is provided if the flow rate of liquid metal directed towards the first of the side portions (43, 42) is higher than the flow rate directed towards a

second of the side portions (42, 43).
A process according to claim 16, wherein the braking zones (13, 15) related
to the side portion (43) with the highest flow rate of liquid metal are
activated so as to develop a higher braking action with respect to the
braking zones (12, 14) related to the other side portion (42) with the lowest
flow rate.
A process according to claim 15, wherein the activation of the braking
zones (12, 14, 13, 15) related to the side portions (43, 42) of said bath (4) is
provided when the speed and waviness of said liquid metal in proximity of a
surface (7) of said bath (4) exceed a predetermined reference value, said
second braking zone (12) and said third braking zone (13) being activated
so as to develop a higher braking action with respect to said fourth braking
zone (14) and said fifth braking zone (15).
A process according to claim 18, wherein the activation of said first braking
zone (11) is provided.
A process according to claim 15, wherein the second braking zone (12) and
the third braking zone (13) are activated when the speeds (V) at the
meniscus are higher than a predetermined value.
A process according to claim 20, wherein the activation of said first braking
zone (11) is provided.
A process according to claim 15, wherein said fourth braking zone (14) and
said fifth braking zone (15) are activated when the flow rate of liquid metal
in the central portion (41) of said bath (4) exceeds a predetermined value.
A process according to claim 23, wherein also the first braking zone (11) is
activated.
A process according to claim 15, wherein it is provided the activation:
- of a group of braking zones (12, 14) activatable in said first side portion (42) of said bath (4); and/or
- of a group of braking zones (13, 15) activatable in said second side portion (43) of said bath (4).