Improvements in or connected with Electric Furnaces.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left. 2nd May, 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Furnaces.
I THOMAS PARKER Works Manager to The Electric Construction Corporation
Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to overcome the objections which apply to
electrical furnaces on account of the difficulty of providing large carbons of
sufficient homogeneity and of making efficient contact with the conductors.
This invention may be applied with advantage to such a furnace as is described
in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 17060 of 1889 granted to me but is not
limited thereto.
I
According to this invention I provide at each side of the furnace a trough-like
projection and into the said trough I bring the conductors of the current termi-
nating them in metal blocks in the said trough preferably at each end thereof.
then introduce into the trough carbon in a powdered or divided form and I
compress this in the troughs and around the terminals therein which give a large
surface of contact with the carbon. may combine pitch or like cementing
material with the divided carbon (bedded in which may be blocks of gas retort or
like carbon) and compress it.
In order to maintain a proper compression of the carbon in the troughs I may
provide them with covers capable of being screwed or forced down upon the carbon
as required.
If the outside of the furnace be covered with metal it will of course not be
allowed to be in electric contact with the conductors and electrodes.
Dated this 1st done of Au 1901
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Electric Furnaces.
I, THOMAS PARKER, Works Manager of The Electric Construction Corporation
Limited of Wolverhampton in the County of Stafford, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to overcome the objections which apply to electric
furnaces on account of the difficulty of providing large carbons of sufficient
homogeneity and of making efficient contact with the conductors.
This invention may be applied, with advantage, to such a furnace as is described
in the Specification of Letters Patent No. 17060 of 1889, granted to me, but it is
not limited thereto.
According to my invention I employ conglomerate carbon into which the
conductors for the current are embedded, as hereinafter more fully described with
reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
Figure is a vertical section and Figure 2 is a horizontal section of a furnace
provided with electrodes according to what I consider the best form of my
invention.
I provide at each side of the furnace A, a trough like projection, or container B,
for the conglomerate carbon, and into the said trough I bring the conductors C, of
the current, which conductors preferably consist of strips, or plates (of sheet iron,

page_text: or of any other suitable conductive material) as shewn, and are connected to the
metal blocks D, in, or between, the outer projecting portions of the troughs.
These blocks may be connected with the troughs in any suitable position, or
manner; for instance, the projecting portions of the trough, the ends of the
conductors C, and the blocks, may be connected by rivets as at d. I then
introduce into the troughs, carbon in a powdered, or divided, condition, (such as
powdered coke for instance), and I compress this in the troughs and around the
terminals C, therein which afford a large surface of contact with the carbon.
I can effect the conglomeration of the carbon by means of pitch, or like cementing
material, and there may be, bedded in the conglomerate mass, blocks, or com-
paratively large pieces of carbon, such for instance as gas-retort carbon. A
proportion of 15 parts by weight of pitch to 85 parts of ground, or powdered coke,
will give good results as the conglomerate mass. I may compress the carbon to
any required degree of compression around or between the conductors and I may
maintain this compression by means of covers capable of being secured upon the
troughs by screwing, or otherwise, forcing them down upon the carbon as required.
c, are holes for the introduction of the wires, or conductors, of the current, from,
and to, the generator; and c², are screws for securing them.
If the outside of the furnace be covered with metal the covering of metal
will of course not be allowed to be in electric contact with the conductors and
electrodes.
I do not limit myself to the precise form of the trough, or container, of the
carbon, or shape, and arrangement, of the conductors.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In electric furnaces; electrodes formed of conglomerate carbon in which
are embedded the conductors for the current, substantially as hereinbefore
explained.
2. Electrodes for electric furnaces constructed, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 2nd day of May 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.