Process Capability Analysis for a Skewed Population Data

A starting bar for a flow-through continuous casting mold is curved lengthwise in a vertical plane and has a trailing end for joining to a metal strand issuing from the mold, and a leading end portion provided with a row of rack teeth extending along the bar. A storage housing spaced laterally from the mold has a vertical passage through it for receiving the leading end portion of the bar when the bar is moved lengthwise from a strand-receiving position to the storage housing and up into its passage where a vertical gear will be engaged by the rack teeth. An overrunning clutch operatively connected with the gear permits it to free wheel as the rack teeth move upwardly across the gear, but rotation of the clutch in the opposite direction when the bar, freed from a strand, is moving downwardly through the passage and turning the gear is controlled by driving means that include means for preventing rotation of the clutch in that direction by the gear while the driving means is idle, whereby the starting bar can be supported from the housing by means of the gear. A latch tooth for meshing with the gear to hold it stationary when the downwardly moving uppermost rack tooth leaves the gear is supported by means engageable by the leading end of the rising starting bar for disengaging the latch tooth from the gear just before the uppermost rack tooth rising in the housing passage reaches the gear, whereby the uppermost rack tooth will mesh with the gear and start turning it.