The deformation and the temperature field evolution within direct chiil (DC) and electromagnetic (EM) cast aluminum ingots have been measured in-situ using a simple experimental set-up. The deformation of the cross section of the cold ingots bas also been characterized as a function of the casting speed, alloy composition and inoculation condition. The pull-in of the lateral rolling faces has been found to occur in two sequences for DC cast ingots whereas that associated with EMC was continuous. The pull-in vas maximum at the center of these faces (about 7-9 %) and strongly depended upon the casting speed. The present resuits constitute a basis for the validation of the model presented in part II.