Carbon electrode

Abstract: The present specification describes an electrode having an electrode joint for threadably joining two abutting carbon upper and lower electrode sections 10,20 with a locking pin 150 releasably held in the upper electrode section 10 which when released engages a groove 120 in the lower electrode section 20.

Description: The present invention relates to a carbon electrode formed by two interconnected sections. More particularly the present invention relates to an electrode formed by a threaded nipple which connects together contiguous, abutting upper and lower sections of carbon, including graphite, electrodes to provide a stable longitudinally extending electrode column for use in an electric arc furnace. In particular, the present invention is directed to an electrode joint fastening device which includes a tapered locking pin formed of carbon, including graphite, which is positioned in an upper electrode section and is releasable to partially descend into a recess in the lower electrode section and thereby lock together the upper and lower electrode sections to prevent the unthreading thereof. With state-of-the-art conventional carbon electrodes a pair of longitudinally extending vertically positioned electrode sections are coupled by means of a threaded graphite nipple which is threaded into correspondingly threaded opposed sockets of the electrode sections by relative rotation of the electrode sections, with the result that the respective opposing butt faces of the vertical electrode sections are brought into abutting contact. As an electrode section is consumed in the course of furnace operation, a new electrode section is randomly coupled in the same manner so that furnace operation can proceed continuously. That is, as the lower end of the column is consumed in the furnace, the entire column is lowered to maintain the operation and electrode sections are joined to the top of the column to replenish the consumed columns. However, there is occasional loosening of the threadably engaged joint by rotation of an electrode section in a direction opposite to its threading direction which can lead to increased electrical resistance and also to mechanical failure, i.e. breakage of a threaded nipple joint which requires the interruption of electric furnace operation. An early prior art effort to address this problem with respect to horizontally positioned carbon electrode sections is disclosed in U.S. Patent 1,572,534 - Hinckley which describes a variety of blade shaped metal implements which are forced into the electrode joint and act as a key to prevent loosening of the joint. Due to the temperatures experienced in modern electric arc furnaces, a metal key would melt and be ineffective as the electrode joint approached the high temperature electrode arc from above. Also, U.S. Patent 4,813,805 - Degata discloses the use of a graphite peg extending between upper and lower electrode sections which is held in place by coked pitch. An upper securing means secures the upper portion of the peg is a peg hole extending into an upper member after the lower portion of said peg has slid intra catch hole extending into a lower member. It has been found, as part of the present invention, that threaded nipple joint failures commonly occur when the coupled carbon, including graphite, electrode sections and/or nipple loosen and are not firmly in abutting contact. Observation of such electrodes during furnace operation and examination of a number of failed threaded electrodes in nipple joints has shown that the coupled electrode sections were significantly separated due to loosening, i.e. rotation of the threaded joint and thus subject to relative movement during furnace operation, which condition often led to the joint failures. It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a carbon electrode with means for ensuring the maintenance of a stable threaded joint for carbon electrode sections in order, to avoid electrode joint failure. In an embodiment of the present invention a downwardly tapered carbon, including graphite, locking pin is provided in a passage in the upper electrode section which overlies a slot shaped passage in the lower electrode section. The locking pin is releasably held in the passage in the upper electrode section and, upon release, slides downwardly in the passage and part of the locking pin extends in to the slot in lower electrode section wherein it wedges to restrain unthreading of the electrode sections. The present invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of joined electrode sections which incorporate the present invention; Figs. 2, 2A, 2B show an exploded, vertical cross-sectional view of the electrode joint of Fig. 1; Figs. 3A, 3B 3C are plan views of the annular butt faces of the electrode joint of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an elevation view, partly in section, showing details of the interlocking arrangement of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a bottom view along 5-5 of Fig 4; and Figs. 6, 6A, 6B show further details of the interlocking arrangement of the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a conventional carbon or graphite electrode joint arrangement for coupling a carbon or graphite upper electrode section 10 and lower electrode section 20. The opposed electrode sections 10, 20 are coaxially aligned and threadably engaged with threaded nipple 30 to be in abutting relationship at contact interface 35 between transverse annular butt faces 40,50 which have respective threaded sockets 60, 70 with their central longitudinal axes 75, 85 coincident as shown in Fig. 1 and also coincident with the central longitudinal axis 95 of double tapered threaded nipple 30 as shown. In the course of furnace operation, the joint comprising the threaded nipple and opposed electrode sections can be loosened and stresses are created which can result in breakage of the electrode sections. This condition has been found to significantly contribute to the stresses which result in electrode joint mechanical failure, i.e. breakage. With reference to Figs. 1, 3A, 3B, 3C this problem is avoided by providing a longitudinally extending passage 100 in the upper electrode section 10 which extends upwardly from an opening 110 in annular butt face 50 of upper electrode section 10. Passage 100 is suitably positioned about 1/4 to 3/4 of the radial distance from longitudinal axis 75 to the outer periphery 115 of upper electrode section 10, indicated at 76 in Fig. 3B. A slot 120 is provided in the annular butt face 40 of lower electrode section 20 underlying the passage 100 located in upper electrode section 10 as above described. With the thread design of nipple 30 and sockets 60,70 in accordance with NEMA STANDARDS PUBLICATION CG1-1993, as illustrated in Figs. 2, 2A, 2B, an internationally observed standard, the positioning of passage 100 to overlie slot 120 is routinely accomplished by keying the thread terminations 130, 132 of sockets 60,70 shown in Figs. 3A, 3B to physical locations on butt faces 40, 50 shown which are at arc segment 140 and at passage 100, 142 in Figs. 3A, 3B, respectively. Upon threading nipple 30 into upper socket 60, and then into lower socket 70, the locations 140,142 come into alignment with the passage 100 overlying a portion of slot 120 as shown in Fig. 5. With further reference to Fig. 1 in conjunction with Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 6A, a carbon, including graphite, elongate locking pin 150 is positioned in passage 100 of upper electrode section 10. The upper straight-sided portion 152 of locking pin 150 fits closely within passage 100 and locking pin 150 is releasably held within passage 100, suitably by a temperature responsive medium, e.g. a wax or paste 154 which will release locking pin 150 when the joined electrode sections 10, 20 are conducting electric current in electric arc furnace operation. Also, mechanical means for releasably holding the locking pin can be used as shown in Fig. 6B, a metal pin 202 passing through hole 204 in electrode 10, through hole 206 in locking pin 150 and into friction engagement with passage 208 in the upper electrode section 10. Pulling on handle 210 of metal pin 202 will remove metal pin from passage 208 and hole 206 and locking pin 150 is released. Upon release of locking pin 150, the straight-sided upper portion 152 of locking pin 150 slides downwardly and is guided through close fitting passage 100. The lower portion 156 of locking pin 150 is downwardly tapered and locking pin 150 comes to rest in slot 120 when its lower tapered portion 156 nests and wedges in the downwardly tapering side walls 160, 162 of slot 120 so that part of locking pin 150 is in slot 120, and part is in passage 100. Slot 120, as shown in Fig. 3A, is curved and extends radially equidistantly from the central longitudinal axis 85 of lower electrode section 20 as shown at 166, and is downwardly tapered at its sides 160, 162 to correspond to the taper of the lower portion 156 of locking pin 150. The width, w, of slot 120 is everywhere less than the width 170 of the straight-sided upper portion 152 of locking pin 150 and the width, w, of slot 120 decreases in the direction opposite to the threading rotation direction, indicated at 175, of lower electrode section 20. Accordingly, the release of locking pin 150 results in the wedging of tapered portion 156 of locking pin 150 at the tapered side walls 160, 162 of slot 120, and in the event of a slight unthreading of the electrode sections 10, 20, a bearing contact of the upper portion 152 against closely adjacent side wall 103 of passage 100 as shown at 178 in Fig. 6, occurs. Where the passage 100' overlies a wider portion of slot 120, as shown to the right in Fig. 6, the locking pin 150' wedges at a lower position, the slot 120 having a curved length sufficient to avoid the necessity of highly precise location of slot 120. The length of slot 120, indicated as arc segment 140 in Fig. 3A, is suitably 3 to 10 times the diameter 47 of passage 100; and the depth 102 of the slot 120 is suitably 10 to 20% more than the length 107 of tapered portion 156 of locking pin 150 so that the bottom 180, 180' of locking pin 150, 150' is above the bottom 185 of slot 120.

Claims: A carbon electrode comprising two vertically positioned longitudinally coaxially aligned abutting upper and lower electrode sections (10, 20) each said electrode section (10, 20) having an annular butt face (40,50) transverse to its longitudinal axis (75) and a threaded socket (60,70) in its annular butt face (40,50), and a correspondingly threaded nipple (30) longitudinally coaxially aligned with and joining said electrode sections (10, 20) in an abutting relationship by threading rotation of the respective electrode sections (10, 20) to define an annular contact interface, characterised in that a Passage (100) is provided in the upper electrode section (10) extend from an opening (110) in its annular butt face (40) substantially parallel to and spaced from the longitudinal axis (75) of the upper electrode section (10); a tapered carbon, locking pin (150) positioned in said passage (100) in said upper electrode section (10) having an upper straight-sided portion (152) which has a width (170) such that it is slidably engaged with said passage (100) and having a lower downwardly tapered portion (156), means (154, 202) for releasably holding said locking pin (150) in said passage (100) in said upper electrode section (10); a slot shaped passage (120) in the lower electrode section (20) extending from an opening in its annular butt face (50) which is less than the width (170) of the straight-sided portion (152) of said locking pin (150), at least a portion of said shaped passage (120) being directly below the opening (110) of said shaped passage (100) in the annular butt face (40) of the upper electrode section (10), said slot shaped passage (120) being curved and extending radially equidistantly from the longitudinal axis (85) of the lower electrode section (20), said opening of said slot shaped passage (120) in the annular butt face (50) of the lower electrode section (20) having a width (W) which decreases in the direction opposite to the threading rotation direction (175) of the lower electrode section (20) and a depth which is downwardly tapered (160, 162) to correspond to the downwardly tapered portion 156 of said locking pin (150) whereby upon release of the locking pin (150), the downwardly tapered lower portion (156) thereof will enter said slot shaped passage (120) and engage with the downwardly tapered portion (160, 162) of said slot shaped passage (120). An electrode as claimed in claim 1, in which said locking pin (150) is releasably held in said passage (100) by a temperature responsive medium(154) which will release the locking pin (150) when the upper electrode section (10) and the lower electrode section (20) are conducting electric current in an electric arc furnace operation. An electrode as claimed in claim 1, in which said locking pin (150) is releasably held in said passage (100) by a removable pin element (202) which passes through the upper electrode section (10) and the locking pin (150). An electrode as claimed in claim 1, in which the said slot shaped passage (120) has a depth which is 10% to 20% greater than the downwardly tapered portion (156) of the locking pin (150). An electrode as claimed in claim 1, in which the tapered carbon locking pin (150), includes graphite.

Inventors: FRASTACI MICHAEL, FRASTACI, MICHAEL
Applicants: UCAR CARBON TECH, UCAR CARBON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Application year: 1996
Main classification: H05B7
IPC codes: H05B7