US1552619A - Electrode holder - Google Patents

Description

Sept 8, 1925.

B. G. KLUGH ELECTRODE HOLDER Filed March 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 8, 1925. 1,552,619

B. G. KLUGH ELECTRODE HOLDER Filed March 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

ZAZK ug/z Guam Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BETHUNE G. KLUGH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO FEDERAL PHOSPHOB'O'S COMPANY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

ELECTRODE HOLDER.

Application filed larch 25, 1922. Serial N'o. 546,896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BETHUNE G. KLUGH, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrode Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in holders for the electrodes of electric furnaces, and has for its object to provide more positive electrical contact between the holder and electrode, more rigid gripping of the electrode, better distribution of clamping pressure over the surface of the electrode at the holder, greater facility for slipping the electrode even with current on, a more simplified mechanical design, accessibility to all functioning parts, ease of replacement of parts with minimum delay of furnace operation, and more efiicient distribution of electric current to electrode.

To those skilled in the art is well known the difficulty of maintaining positive electrical contact between holder and electrode, and that occasional burning or heating in the region of the holder is a prevalent trouble in electric furnace operation.

In my present invention I'show a complete holder of obviously practical design adapted to the various ends above set forth.

It is well known to those familiar in this art that surface contact between electrode and holder is extremely difficult to obtain, although that is the principle almost universally employed. No electrode has an'accurately smooth circumferential surface in the present state of the art of electrode production. I refer to round electrodes, to which this holder is more specifically, though not exclusively, adapted. This electrode holder although adapted to any electric furnace operation is especially advantageous for phosphatic smelting in enclosed furnaces, in which unusually long electrodes are required in service, and the joining of electrode sec-- tions and the continuous feeding down of the sectional electrode is desirable.

Since smooth surfaces of electrodes rarely exist, it is obvious that a smooth or accurately radial contacting surface of any rigid metallic holder will rarely coincide with the electrode surface for suflicient area to provide perfect conduction of electric current from the holder to the electrode. The

frequent condition is a few points of contact producing very limited area of contact and resulting in arcing or heating between the holder and the electrode, causing burning of either or both holder and electrode. I correct this difficulty positively in my heremdescribed invention by providing a serrated contacting electrode holder clamping surface, so that I obtain a positive multi-line contact between holder and electrode, same taking place along the line of each serration edge. I cause each elongated edge to produce de nite contact by forcing it through any uneven surfaces or minute protrusions that otherwise would hold a smooth surface away from the electrode. I provide these serrations of such small size and multiplicity that I always obtain an actually greater area of contact than is practicable with smooth surface holders almost universally employed on so called slip electrodes.

I further provide in my hereindescribed invent-ion, a simplified arrangement of the clamping members provided by more positive functioning of elements involved in its operation. 1

I will now describe what I regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, like numerals referring to like parts in all figures.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section to the right and vertical elevation to the left of my improved holder.

Fig. 2 is a complete horizontal cross-section of the holder taken on the line AA in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section of the clamping member taken on the line B-B in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line CC in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a Vertical section taken on the line DD in Fig. 2.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Electrode 1 has clamps 2 engaging therewith serrated contacting surfaces 3, and supported on a ring 4 through a lug 5, friction eing reduced by means of ball bearin s 6 in radial co-relating ball races 7 an 8, which also hold the clamps accurately spaced around the ring.

The clamps 2 are forced against electrode 1, uniformly by means of screws 9, each engaged in a threaded opening 10 in each clamp. The screw 9 is screwed against axial movement in ring 4 by typical means such as vertical pins 11 which engage an annular groove 12 around the portion of screw 9 disposed in the ring 4. Each screw is allowed slight play vertically in its respective space 13 in the ring 4 to compensate for slight differences in relative height of the supporting ball races 8 and center line of the screw seat 10, and to prevent the Weight of the clamp and electrode being transmitted to screw 9, such weight being supported by the ring 4.

By turning a screw 9 in one direction its respective clamp 2 is forced against the electrode 1, and by turning it in the opposite direction its clamp is forcibly drawn away from the electrode. Free movement and ease of manipulation is provided by the great leverage of the screw, which can be turned by any suitable wrench, and also by the minimized friction provided by the preferable means of ball bearing load surfaces.

I arrange the screw location at or near a central point of the clamp, thus obtaining best distribution of clamping pressures and releasing pull. I further provide an addi; tional advantage and simplified arrangement in that the supporting ring 4 carrying the full load of the electrode 1, through clamps 2, also distributes the electric current to the several clamps. The incoming current from the bus bars, not shown, is conducted through cables 14, substantially joined to a lug 15 on the ring 4, and then passes through ring 4 and is delivered to each clamp through an individual bus connection 16 for each clamp, which connection is attached to ring 4 by studs 17 and to its respective clamp by means of studs 18. The loop 19 in these bus connections provides ease of movement of the clamps 2 relative to the ring 4.

In the event any clamp section requires replacement, it may easily be done by removing pins 11, screwing out screw 9, disconnecting its bus connection at 18, and lifting out of the ring section without disturbing other elements of the holder.

The clamp sections are cooled by means of a circulation of water through chamber 20 communicating through nipples 26 and hose connections 27 to the indicated openings 21 on each side of a baflle The entire load of electrode 1 and clamps 2 on the ring 4 is supported from three equidistant lugs 22 provided with suitable insulation thereon, not shown, and through which pass cables 23 which are: operated by drums on a suitable hoist, not shown.

I preferably make the bus ring 4 hollow, thereby providing a water cooling chamber 28 which is interrupted by cross partitions 29 radially disposed and having formed therein the spaces 13 for the screws 9. The chambers in the bus rings on either side of these partitions are connected by a pi 30 so as to form a continuous circulating c a her for the water.

The serrations in their preferred form are closely associated and extend from top to bottom of the clamp parallel with the axis of the electrode. I prefer to have the serrations continuous but it is within the contemplation of my invention that they may have any suitable shape, but where slip electrodes are to be used their arrangement should be such as to permit the electrode to sli Though I have described with great particularity the details of the embodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto as changes in arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus descrlbed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electrode holder having its electrode engaging surface provided with serrations disposed parallel with the axis of the electrode.

2. An electrode holder having a plurality of electrode engaging clamps, and a ring surrounding and directly sup orting said clamps and carrying means independent of said supporting means for positively'moving the clamps towards the electrode.

3. An electrode holder having a plurality of electrode engaging clamps, and a, ring surrounding and direc ly supporting said clamps carrying means independent of said supporting means for positively moving the clamps towards and from the electrode.

4. An electrode holder having a plurality of electrode engaging clamps, a common. ring surrounding said members, means to mount the said members free for radial movement on said ring, and individual radially disposed actuators for adjusting said members radially in said ring.

5. An electrode holder com rising a plurality of electrode engaging c amps having supporting lugs, a common rin surrounding said members and adapte to engage and support said clamps by said in s, and radially disposed actuators mounted ree for a limited vertical play only in said ring and adapted to engage and move said members radially in the ring.

6. An electrode holder comprising a plurality of electrode engaging clamps, a ring surrounding and supporting said clamps, said clamps and ring having co-acting means for maintaining radial position of said clamps relative to said ring, and clamp actuating means mounted on the ring.

7. An electrode holder in accordance with claim 6, in which said bearings are formed members relieved of supportin by balls mounted in radial eqlllii-distantly spaced races formed partly in t e ring and partly in the clam s.

8. Anelectrode older having an integral supporting ring provided with incoming current connections, ring supporting means, clamp members -mounted within and supported directly by the ring, clamp thrust load of clam members, and current distributing mem ers from-the ring to the several clamps.

9. 'In an electrode holder a ring, a plurality of electrode enga g 'clamps surrounded by said ring, ra ial thrust means working between the clamps and ring to apply the clamps to and release them from the electrode, said thrust means ,and said clamps being designed to permit the several clamp members when released to be individually removed and replaced when the electrode is in place relative to other clamp members.

10. An electrode holder having a plurality of electrode engaging clamps, a ring surrounding said clamps, radial screws mounted in the rin and adapted to engage the clamps, said 0 amps havin members adapt- -ed to engage the ring, an means to secure said screws in the ring free for rotation and limited vertical play therein.

11. An electrode holder having 'a plurality of electrode engagin clamps, a common ring surrounding an supporting I said clamp and radial clamp actuating thrust members rotatably mounted in the ring and adapted to screw into the threaded openings in said clamps and free from any supporting loads or strains.

12. An electrode holder in accordance with claim 11, in which the clamps are vertically elongated and have outer shoulders which overhang and rest on the ring.

13. An electrode holder havin a lurality of clamps, a common ring or irectly supporting said clamps independently about ment, there being threaded sockets near the center of the clamps to receive said screws,

individual yieldable bus connections from said ring to each clamp, and incoming cur rent connections on the ring, substantially as described.

15. An eleetrodeholder having a series of hollow clamps, connections for the circulating of water through said clamps, acommon bus ring surrounding the clamps and adapted to support them free for individual adjustment and removal, and clamp meanscarried by the ring and adapted to thrust the clamps to their work.

16. An electrode holder comprising a bus ring, a series of electrode clamps mounted on the bus ring, there being comm anicating chambers formed within the bus rin for the circulation of a cooling medium, ra 'al partitions separating the bus ring chambers and having vertically elongated openings therethrough, vertical guide. pinsintersecting the sides of said openings, a radial screw having its head circumferentially grooved and rotatably held between said pins free for a limited vertical play and disposed .to en age and operate its respective clam mem ers, and electrical connections from t e bus ring to the clamp members, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofIaflix my signature.

BETHUNE G. KLUGH.

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