Patent GB-805430-A (GB)
Title: Electrode holder construction
Inventor: BORON EUGENE FRANCIS
IPC: H05B7/101
Filed: 1956-10-01
Abstract: 805,430. Electrode holder. MALLORYSHARON METALS CORPORATION, [formerly MALLORY-SHARON TITANIUM CORPORATION]. Oct. 1, 1956, No. 29891/56. Class 39(3) An electrode holder for supporting an electrode vertically, especially a titanium electrode in an arc melting furnace comprises a supporting unit 20 and a clamping unit 21 removably connected to the supporting unit by a first connection means 36 and provided with means 42 for clamping an end portion of an electrode 74, and second connection means 38 between the clamping and supporting units 20, 42 adapted to transmit all of any load carried by the clamping unit 42 to the support 20. The load is carried by the outer vertical cooling pipe 22 from which water passes to an inner co-axial outlet tube 23. In the lower end of the pipe 22 is welded at 27 a metal plug 26 with a threaded recess on its underside to receive a bolt 38 having an enlarged head and a washer 40 through which the load is transmitted to the pipe 22 from a rectangular metal block 29 having a threaded recess 36 in which the pipe 22 is removably threaded. The threads 36 however carry no load. Over the rectangular block 29 (Fig. 3) are slid downwardly depending L-shaped arms 49, 50 for supporting the electrode. Preferably integral with the arms 49, 50 is a cylindrical metal body 43 slotted at the top to receive the bolt head 38 and recessed on its underside to receive a ring 61 surrounding the end of the electrode. Removable bolts 57 pass through the top flanges 53 of the L-shaped arms 51 into the block 29 to hold them in place. Screws 63 engage radially threaded inserts 62 in the lower part of the body 43 and in the ring 61 to bear on and clamp the electrode. Depending spaced vertical arms 65 are held by screws 66 in grooves in the body 43 and support at their lower end an electrode clamp 42, preferably of split ring construction and comprising four segments 69 welded to the arms at 68 and further secured by studs 67. Each segment has outwardly extending arms 70 with bracing members 72, and bolts 71 passing through adjacent arms 70 tighten the segment on the electrode. In a modification Fig. 8, L- shaped arms 149, 150 are secured to a metal block 129 by bolts 157 passing therethrough and through brackets 178 on the arms, which carry at their lower ends 181, 182 and inner interchangeable face plates 183 grooved vertically to abut on the electrode, on which they are tightened by transverse screw rods 186 on opposite sides of the vertical electrode. In a third embodiment (Fig. 12), no bolt 38 is used, but the plug 226 welded in the pipe 222 is tapered downwardly and has a ring 294 attached circumferentially to its lower reduced part 293; and two halves of split washer 298 are placed on the ring 294 and transmit any load to the pipe 222 through the plug 226. By securing the pipe 222 upwardly in the metal block 292a, the washer 298 bears on the surface of a recess 297 in the block and thus transfers the load to pipe 222. The block 292a has welded thereto a cylindrical part 300 with a lower circular flange 246 in which the end of an electrode is held by clamping screws 263 passing radially through threaded holes in the flange 246. L- shaped arms 265 rest on a ring 292 welded to the block 292a and depend to support two semi-circular segments 269 tightened on the electrode by screws 271 passing through end flanges on the segments. The L-shaped arms may be attached to the flange 246 by screws. The inner pipe 223 may terminate short of the plug 293, or as in Fig. 3, the pipe 23 may be perforated near its end and enter the plug 26. The metal parts are mainly of copper. Current is supplied to the pipe 20.