Base plate, melting and casting device, and ingot manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a base plate capable of suppressing the leakage of a coolant from an internal coolant flow passage and hard to be deformed even upon a repeated use for continuous casting, a melting and casting device and an ingot production method.SOLUTION: A base plate 11 is located in a bottom part side of a continuous casting mold 31 and holds an ingot material Mi formed at the inside of the continuous casting mold 31 to draw the ingot material Mi from the inside of the continuous casting mold 31, and comprises: a plate part 12 made of copper or a copper alloy in which a surface Sf is arranged so as to face the side of the ingot material Mi and the side of a rear surface Sr is formed with a groove part 12a for a coolant flow passage 14; and a plate part 13 made of steel which is pressure-welded to the rear surface Sr of the plate part 12 made of copper or a copper alloy, where both of an inflow port 13b and an outflow port 13c communicated with the coolant flow passage 14 are provided at the plate part 13 made of steel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a base plate, a melting and casting apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an ingot. [Background technology]

[0002] To produce ingots of titanium-based or other materials such as pure titanium or titanium alloys, raw materials may be melted, for example, in an electron beam melting furnace or a plasma arc melting furnace to produce a molten metal, which is then poured into a continuous casting mold.

[0003] In the continuous casting mold, the molten metal is cooled and solidified from the bottom side to form an ingot material, which is then continuously withdrawn from the mold. This produces an ingot with a cylindrical shape or a prismatic shape with a polygonal cross section. Prismatic ingots include slabs with a rectangular cross section that can be subjected to hot rolling.

[0004] Here, a base plate is disposed on the bottom side of the continuous casting mold to cool the molten metal and hold the ingot material. A withdrawal mechanism such as a withdrawal rod is attached to the back side of the base plate, opposite the ingot material side. For example, by moving the base plate via this withdrawal rod, the ingot material held by the base plate can be withdrawn from the continuous casting mold.

[0005] Patent Document 1 describes an electron beam melting furnace that "forms ingots of a predetermined size by depositing metal material heated and melted by an electron beam on the upper surface of an ingot base, cooling and solidifying the molten metal material using cooling molds arranged around the ingot base, and sequentially pulling downward connecting fittings attached and fixed to the bottom surface of the ingot base, characterized in that a fixing plate for fixing the connecting fittings to the ingot base is attached to the bottom surface of the ingot base, and this fixing plate is fixed to the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the ingot base by a plurality of fixing means arranged on its outer periphery."

[0006] Patent Document 2 also describes "a metal melting apparatus comprising a hearth for melting raw metal and a mold into which the molten metal is poured to produce a metal ingot, characterized in that a base for extracting the ingot is provided at the bottom of the mold, a recess is provided at any position on the surface of the base, and the part of the base surface surrounding the recess is inclined toward the recess." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-274957 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2007 / 052433 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the above-mentioned continuous casting, a base plate made of copper or a copper alloy, which has a coolant flow path for a cooling medium such as water therein and has excellent thermal conductivity, is sometimes used. Using a base plate made of copper or a copper alloy that comes into contact with the ingot material is considered appropriate because it can quickly remove heat from the molten metal and the ingot material and quickly form the outer shape of the ingot material.

[0009] In fabricating such a base plate, for example, a plate member made of copper or a copper alloy may be drilled from the side surface toward the inside of the plate member to form multiple holes. Then, a copper or copper alloy blocking member is inserted into the opening on the side surface and welded to close the opening, thereby forming a refrigerant flow path formed by combining the multiple holes inside.

[0010] However, copper and copper alloys have very high thermal conductivity, and preheating is unstable due to heat diffusion and other factors, making welding difficult. Therefore, welding defects such as so-called blowholes are likely to occur at the welded portion between the plate member and the blocking member, both of which are made of copper or copper alloys. If a base plate with a welding defect is used in continuous casting, refrigerants such as cooling water flowing through the refrigerant flow path will be mixed into the ingot material, resulting in contamination of the final ingot with oxygen and other contaminants. In light of the above-mentioned difficulty in welding copper and copper alloys, holes have traditionally been drilled from the peripheral side of the plate member made of copper or copper alloy toward the inside in order to reduce the weld area.

[0011] Furthermore, repeated use of a copper or copper alloy base plate can cause deformation such as warping of the periphery due to thermal expansion and contraction, which can make it difficult to fix the base plate to the extraction rod and may even render it unusable.

[0012] Neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2 pays any attention to such a problem.

[0013] An object of the present invention is to provide a base plate, a melting and casting apparatus, and an ingot manufacturing method that can suppress leakage of refrigerant from the internal refrigerant flow path and that is less likely to deform even when used repeatedly in continuous casting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] After extensive research, the inventors came up with the idea of ​​constructing a base plate by pressure-welding a copper or copper alloy plate portion and a steel plate portion. By forming a groove for a refrigerant flow path on the back side of the copper or copper alloy plate portion, which is placed with its front surface facing the ingot material, and providing an inlet and an outlet communicating with the refrigerant flow path in the steel plate portion superimposed on the back side, it is possible to eliminate welds in the copper or copper alloy plate portion. Furthermore, by fixing the copper or copper alloy plate portion and the steel plate portion by pressure welding such as explosive welding, the high-strength steel plate portion is sufficiently tightly attached to the copper or copper alloy plate portion, thereby suppressing deformation of the base plate even when the base plate is repeatedly used in continuous casting.

[0015] The base plate of this invention is located on the bottom side of a continuous casting mold, holds an ingot material formed in the continuous casting mold, and is used to withdraw the ingot material from the continuous casting mold. It comprises a copper or copper alloy plate portion arranged with its front surface facing the ingot material and having a groove for a refrigerant flow path formed on its back surface, and a steel plate portion pressed against the back surface of the copper or copper alloy plate portion, and both an inlet and an outlet communicating with the refrigerant flow path are provided in the steel plate portion.

[0016] In the above-mentioned base plate, it is preferable that a groove portion is formed on the joining surface of the steel plate portion on the copper or copper alloy plate portion side, and the refrigerant flow path is partitioned by the groove portion of the copper or copper alloy plate portion and the groove portion of the steel plate portion.

[0017] In this case, it is preferable that the steel plate portion has a plate-shaped component having a through hole formed therethrough in the plate thickness direction, and a lid-shaped component that is fitted into the plate-shaped component from the back side opposite the joining surface, covering the through hole and defining the groove portion.

[0018] In the above-mentioned base plate, the inlet and the outlet are preferably open on the back surface of the steel plate portion opposite to the joining surface on the copper or copper alloy plate portion side.

[0019] In the base plate, it is preferable that the corner between the bottom surface and the inner side surface of the groove of the copper or copper alloy plate portion is formed into a curved surface.

[0020] In the above base plate, the copper or copper alloy plate portion is preferably an integral piece.

[0021] In the above-mentioned base plate, the copper or copper alloy plate portion may have a recess on the surface thereof that is used to hold an ingot material.

[0022] The melting and casting apparatus of the present invention comprises any one of the above-described base plates, a continuous casting mold, and an electron beam melting furnace or a plasma arc melting furnace.

[0023] The method for producing an ingot according to the present invention involves using the above-described melting and casting apparatus to withdraw an ingot material from a continuous casting mold while cooling it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The base plate of the present invention has the advantage that it can suppress leakage of refrigerant from the internal refrigerant flow passages and is less likely to deform even when used repeatedly in continuous casting. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a melting and casting apparatus in which a base plate according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base plate of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the base plate of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a base plate according to another embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a base plate according to yet another embodiment. [Figure 6]3 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the base plate of FIG. 2 along the plate thickness direction. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view schematically showing a base plate of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view schematically showing a base plate of a comparative example. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing coolant flow paths provided in base plates of an example and a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. A base plate 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention is used in a melting and casting apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. 1. The melting and casting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a melting furnace 21 that melts raw material Ms, including titanium sponge and the like, to form molten metal Mm, a continuous casting mold 31 that processes the molten metal Mm into ingot material Mi and finally forms an ingot, and a base plate 11 that is disposed on the bottom side of the continuous casting mold 31. Note that the location of the base plate 11 can be changed as appropriate as long as it can hold the ingot material Mi. In the illustrated example, the base plate 11 is disposed inside the bottom side of the continuous casting mold 31. Alternatively, a base plate 11 having a surface Sf area larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the interior of the bottom side of the continuous casting mold 31 may be disposed outside the bottom side of the continuous casting mold 31.

[0027] Here, the melting furnace 21 can be an electron beam melting furnace (so-called EB furnace), a plasma arc melting furnace, etc. In the illustrated example, the melting furnace 21 as an electron beam melting furnace is configured to include one or more electron guns 22 that irradiate the raw material Ms with an electron beam to melt the raw material Ms, a hearth 23 that stores or flows the molten metal Mm obtained by melting the raw material Ms with the electron gun 22, and a feeder 24 that is used to charge the raw material Ms into the hearth 23.

[0028] 1 shows one hearth 23, but multiple hearths may be provided. The hearth may include a dispensing hearth, in which case multiple continuous casting molds may be provided according to the number of pouring ports of the dispensing hearth. 1 shows one feeder 24 as an example, multiple feeders may be provided. This is because rod-shaped raw materials can be extended to the upper part of the hearth upstream and irradiated with an electron gun to form a molten metal.

[0029] The continuous casting mold 31 has a casting space of a desired shape formed therein, into which the molten metal Mm is poured from the hearth 23 of the melting furnace 21. A base plate 11 is disposed on the bottom side (the lower side in FIG. 1 ) of the interior of the mold. When the molten metal Mm is poured from the hearth 23 into the continuous casting mold 31, the molten metal Mm is cooled and solidified on the base plate 11 to become an ingot material Mi, and this ingot material Mi is held by the base plate 11 on its surface Sf side.

[0030] A withdrawal rod 41 is connected to the back surface Sb of the base plate 11. When the molten metal Mm is poured from the hearth 23 into the continuous casting mold 31, the molten metal Mm cools and solidifies from the inner surface of the continuous casting mold 31 and the surface Sf of the base plate 11, and an ingot material Mi begins to form. This ingot material Mi is held on the surface Sf side by the base plate 11. Then, by moving the base plate 11 holding the ingot material Mi downward via the withdrawal rod 41, the formed ingot material Mi can be withdrawn from the continuous casting mold. This allows for the continuous casting and production of long ingots made of pure titanium, titanium-based titanium alloys, or other materials.

[0031] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the base plate 11 includes a copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 with its front surface Sf facing the ingot material Mi, and a steel plate portion 13 press-welded to the back surface Sr of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12. The copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 are bonded together by pressure welding (i.e., solid-state welding). By press-welding the steel plate portion 13, which has higher strength than copper or copper alloy, to the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12, deformation such as warping caused by thermal expansion and contraction of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 during repeated use of the base plate 11 is suppressed by the steel plate portion 13. Conventional base plates made entirely of copper or copper alloys can warp at their peripheral edges when repeatedly used in continuous casting, but this embodiment can prevent such defects from occurring.

[0032] Furthermore, if the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 are fixed together by bolts or fitting rather than by pressure welding, the adhesion between them will be insufficient, and there is a risk that deformation of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 will not be suppressed.

[0033] Methods for pressure-welding the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 include gas pressure welding, friction welding, resistance welding, diffusion bonding, ultrasonic pressure welding, pressure welding using a rolling mill or the like, and explosive welding. Among these, explosive welding is preferred because the pressure-welded portion between the components exhibits a fine wavy shape, increasing the bonding area. When a cross section of the base plate 11 in which the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 are pressure-welded by explosive welding is observed along the thickness direction, the joint interface between the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 has a wavy, ripple-like shape.

[0034] 3, the base plate 11 is provided with a coolant flow path 14 through which a coolant such as cooling water flows to cool the molten metal Mm. In this embodiment, a groove 12a is formed on the back surface Sr of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12, which is pressed against the steel plate portion 13, such that the groove 12a is recessed from the back surface Sr and extends in a desired shape on the back surface Sr. Furthermore, a groove 13a is formed on the joining surface Sp of the steel plate portion 13, which is pressed against the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12, such that the groove 13a is recessed from the joining surface Sp and extends in a shape corresponding to the groove 12a of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12. When the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the steel plate portion 13 are pressed against each other, the groove 12a and the groove 13a join together to define a coolant flow path 14.

[0035] Here, the inlet 13b and outlet 13c, which communicate with the refrigerant flow path 14 inside the base plate 11 and through which the refrigerant flows into and out of the refrigerant flow path 14, are both provided in the steel plate portion 13. The illustrated base plate 11 has only one inlet 13b and one outlet 13c, but the number of inlet 13b and outlet 13c can be selected as appropriate. By forming a groove 12a for the refrigerant flow path 14 in the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and providing the inlet 13b and outlet 13c for the refrigerant flow path 14 in the steel plate portion 13, it is not necessary to drill holes in the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 or to weld the openings formed by the drilling. For example, as in the illustrated embodiment, the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 can be made into a single piece without any welds. This reduces welding defects caused by welding the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12, which is difficult to weld. As a result, leakage of the coolant such as cooling water from the coolant flow passage 14 due to poor welding is prevented, and contamination of the ingot with oxygen and the like originating from the cooling water can be suppressed.

[0036] Furthermore, since the grooves 12a for the coolant flow paths 14 are formed in the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12, the molten metal Mm in contact with the surface Sf of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 in the continuous casting mold 31 can be efficiently cooled by the coolant flowing through the coolant flow paths 14.

[0037] The inlet 13b and the outlet 13c can be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the steel plate portion 13, but in this embodiment, they are provided on the back surface Sb of the steel plate portion 13, opposite to the joining surface Sp on the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 side. This makes it easy to fit the base plate 11 and the continuous casting mold 31 together.

[0038] 4, the coolant flow path 14 is defined between the groove 12a formed on the back surface Sr of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 and the joining surface Sp of the steel plate portion 13. The steel plate portion 13 is provided with holes 13d extending in the thickness direction so as to connect the inlet 13b and the outlet 13c on the back surface Sb to the groove 12a of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12.

[0039] The steel plate portion 13 can also be constructed by combining multiple components. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the steel plate portion 13 includes a plate-shaped component 13e and a lid-shaped component 13f fitted into the plate-shaped component 13e. The plate-shaped component 13e has a through-hole 13g formed therein, which extends in a shape corresponding to the shape of the groove 13a and penetrates through the plate in its thickness direction. Meanwhile, the lid-shaped component 13f has a shape corresponding to the through-hole 13g of the plate-shaped component 13e and is fitted into the through-hole 13g from the rear surface Sb side. Since both the lid-shaped component 13f and the plate-shaped component 13e are made of steel, they can be easily joined by welding. A groove 13a is defined between the through-hole 13g of the plate-shaped component 13e and the lid-shaped component 13f.

[0040] The grooves 12a formed in the copper or copper alloy plate 12 preferably have corners 12b between the bottom surface and the inner surface of the grooves 12a formed as curved surfaces, as shown in Fig. 6. This reduces stress concentration at the corners 12b, and suppresses the occurrence of cracks originating from these corners.

[0041] Although the shape of the coolant flow passage 14 is not particularly limited, a shape that meanders and extends throughout the interior of the base plate 11 while curving or bending at multiple locations is preferred from the viewpoint of effectively cooling the molten metal Mm on the surface Sf side. In this embodiment, the coolant flow passage 14 includes at least grooves 12a formed on the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 side, thereby achieving an excellent cooling effect on the surface Sf side. Furthermore, the steel plate portion 13 is also cooled by the coolant passing through the coolant flow passage 14, making it easier to maintain the shape of the base plate 11.

[0042] A recess 15 used to hold an ingot material can be provided on the surface Sf of the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12. In the illustrated example, the opening of the recess 15 has a generally trapezoidal or other rectangular shape in a plan view, and the space becomes wider as it approaches the depth due to an inclination, but the shape of the recess 15 is not limited to this and can be modified as appropriate. During continuous casting, the molten metal Mm supplied from the hearth 23 into the continuous casting mold 31 enters the recess 15, and the recess 15 functions to catch and hold the ingot material Mi formed by cooling the molten metal Mm.

[0043] Of the above-described base plates 11, the base plate 11 shown in FIG. 5 can be fabricated, for example, as follows. First, a flat copper or copper alloy plate member and a flat steel plate member are prepared. Next, the copper or copper alloy plate member and the steel plate member are pressure-welded by explosive bonding or the like to form the base plate material. Note that a clad material in which a copper or copper alloy plate member and a steel plate member are already pressure-welded may also be used.

[0044] Thereafter, through holes 13g are formed in the steel plate member, which is the base plate material, from the back side by cutting or the like, and further processing is continued toward the back (interior) to form grooves 12a in the copper or copper alloy plate member. As a result, the steel plate member becomes the plate-shaped constituent member 13e of the steel plate portion 13, and the copper or copper alloy plate member becomes the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12.

[0045] Thereafter, a separately prepared lid-shaped component 13f is fitted into the through-hole 13g of the plate-shaped component 13e from the rear side of the base plate material, and the lid-shaped component 13f and the plate-shaped component 13e are joined by welding or the like. In this manner, the base plate 11 is produced.

[0046] Here, the base plate 11 has been described in detail as an example in which the out-of-plane contour shape is a perfect circle, ellipse, oval, or the like, and the outer shape is substantially disk-shaped. However, the shape of the base plate 11 can be appropriately changed to match the shape of the ingot to be produced by continuous casting and the shape of the continuous casting mold 31. Although not shown in the drawings, the base plate may also be a plate-shaped base plate in which the out-of-plane contour shape is a rectangle or other polygon.

[0047] Although not shown, the base plate may be a detachable type in which some components are detachably attached to the remaining components in a plan view. In this case, after continuous casting, the base plate holding the ingot on the surface side is separated and the individual components are disassembled, allowing the ingot to be easily separated from the surface of the base plate. In this case, it is sufficient that at least one of the separable components of the base plate has the above-described configuration in which a copper or copper alloy plate portion and a steel plate portion are pressure-welded together. All of the separable components of the base plate may have this configuration. It is preferable that the refrigerant flow paths 14 are not exposed on the opposing surfaces of the components constituting the base plate (i.e., the refrigerant flow paths are completed within each component and do not extend between the components).

[0048] The steel plate portion 13 may be made of stainless steel, carbon steel, or the like. When the copper or copper alloy plate portion 12 is made of a copper alloy, it may be made of a high-copper alloy, etc. This high-copper alloy contains alloy elements, and may have a copper content of, for example, 96 mass% or more. [Example]

[0049] Next, a prototype base plate of the present invention was manufactured and its effects were confirmed, which will be described below. However, the description here is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting.

[0050] In the example, a base plate was used in which a stainless steel plate portion and a copper plate portion were explosively welded together, as shown in Fig. 7. This base plate had a refrigerant flow path defined inside by grooves provided in the copper plate portion and the steel plate portion, with the inlet and outlet provided on the back surface of the steel plate portion. Furthermore, the steel plate portion was composed of a plate-shaped component and a lid-shaped component, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0051] In the comparative example, a base plate made entirely of copper was used, as shown in Fig. 8. This base plate had a refrigerant flow path inside, which was formed by drilling holes from the surrounding side surface toward the inside and welding a blocking member to the opening on the side surface.

[0052] Each base plate has a meandering coolant flow path formed inside as shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, and also has a recess as shown in FIG. 2 on the surface facing the ingot material.

[0053] Using each of the above base plates, 150 or more titanium ingots were produced for each of the examples and comparative examples in a melting and casting apparatus equipped with an electron beam melting furnace and a continuous casting mold.

[0054] In the comparative example, immediately after starting to use the base plate, cooling water leaked from the coolant flow path three times, and including these leaks, the leaks occurred in 0.2% of the ingots produced on a number basis. In addition, in the comparative example, in almost 100% of the ingots produced on a number basis, the base plate warped by 4.5 mm to 5.0 mm at the periphery compared to the center, requiring replacement.

[0055] On the other hand, in the example, the occurrence rate of cooling water leakage from the refrigerant flow path was 0 (zero)%, and no warping of the base plate occurred.

[0056] From the above, it has been found that the present invention can suppress leakage of refrigerant from a base plate having a refrigerant flow path therein, and also has the effect of making it less likely to deform even when used repeatedly in continuous casting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1 Melting and casting equipment 11 Base Plate 12 Copper or copper alloy plate 12a Groove 12b corner 13 Steel plate section 13a Groove 13b Inlet 13c Outlet 13d hole 13e Plate-shaped components 13f Lid-like component 13g through hole 14 refrigerant flow path 15 recess 21 Melting furnace 22 Electron gun 23 Hearth 24 Feeder 31 Continuous casting mold 41 Pulling rod Ms raw material Mm molten metal Mi ingot material science fiction surface Sb back Sr back side Sp joint surface

Claims

1. A plate-like base plate is located on the bottom side of a continuous casting mold in the production of titanium-based ingots, and is used to hold an ingot material formed in the continuous casting mold and to extract the ingot material from the continuous casting mold, a copper or copper alloy plate part arranged so that its front surface faces the ingot material and having a groove part for a coolant flow path formed on its back surface, the groove part extending on the back surface; and a steel plate part pressure-welded to the back surface of the copper or copper alloy plate part, a base plate in which both an inlet and an outlet communicating with the refrigerant flow path are provided in the steel plate portion;

2. a groove is formed on the joining surface of the steel plate portion on the side of the copper or copper alloy plate portion, 2. The base plate according to claim 1, wherein the coolant flow path is defined by the groove in the copper or copper alloy plate portion and the groove in the steel plate portion.

3. 3. The base plate according to claim 2, wherein the steel plate portion comprises a plate-shaped component having a through hole formed therethrough in the plate thickness direction, and a lid-shaped component that is fitted into the plate-shaped component from the back side opposite the joining surface, covering the through hole and defining the groove portion.

4. The base plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inlet and the outlet are opened on the back surface of the steel plate portion opposite the joining surface of the copper or copper alloy plate portion.

5. 5. The base plate according to claim 1, wherein the corner between the bottom surface and the inner surface of the groove of the copper or copper alloy plate portion is formed into a curved surface.

6. The base plate according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the copper or copper alloy plate portion is an integral piece.

7. 7. The base plate according to claim 1, wherein the copper or copper alloy plate portion has a recess on the surface thereof that is used to hold an ingot material.

8. The base plate according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a pull-out rod is connected to the back surface of the base plate.

9. A melting and casting apparatus comprising: the base plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a continuous casting mold; and an electron beam melting furnace or a plasma arc melting furnace.

10. The melting and casting apparatus of claim 9 further comprising a pull rod connected to a rear surface of the base plate.

11. A method for producing an ingot, comprising using the melting and casting apparatus according to claim 9 or 10 to withdraw an ingot material from a continuous casting mold while cooling it.

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