Improvements in or connected with the Arrangement and Attachments of Electrolytic Anodes..
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 8th May. 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Arrangement and
Attachments of Electrolytic Anodes..
I, PIERRE EUGÈNE SECRÉTAN of 16 Rue Drouot, Paris in the Republic of
France, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The improvements which form the object of my invention relate partly to the
constitution of the anodes,-partly to the means employed for fixing them.
Hitherto the carbon anodes employed in the operations of electrolysis have
always had a cylindrical or rectangular smooth form, their dimensions being
determined according to requirements and to the place which they are intended to
occupy in the basins or baths.
By reason of the slight conductibility of the carbon anodes the passage, of the
necessary current was obtained with difficulty.
In order to obviate this inconvenience I have invented an arrangement of anodes
in question with wings of various forms and dimensions capable of varying with
the form of the anodes, themselves whether round or flat, and I thus obtain a much
greater surface of action and consequently a greater conductibility.
These wings or ridges in question may be obtained by any suitable means by a
tool or drawing plate and the number of such wings, or projections and the form
thereof may be varied as. desired according to requirements.
i
As regards the connections or attachments for the current, these anodes have
hitherto been placed in communication with the electric current by means of wires
or flat or round bars of copper of small dimensions which are attached to the
carbon either by means of a screw. or by means of collars of iron, cast metal or the
like. None of the means hitherto employed appear rational, and the contacts
instead of being real, were only apparent and ensured the passage of the necessary
In fact the
current only at the cost of a great resistance and a great loss of force.
carbons, more particularly when they are of a cylindrical form, are of an imperfect.
circular section, because they are always more or less deformed when emerging
from the mould either through handling or re-heating, from whence it results that
the collars fitted thereon do, not grip the carbon and only ensure contact on the'
eccentric or projecting parts, the result of which is great resistance and great loss
of force.
In order to remedy this defective state of affairs I have designed various
arrangements forming a novel application of known means, and consisting partly in
causing the irregular shape of the carbon to disappear by turning, and then
threading its end so as to fit by screwing into a metallic socket; and partly by
making use of grips, jaws or spring or hinged clips 'which grip the carbon at a series
of points of its periphery thus ensuring a perfect contact.
I will now describe several ways of carrying out this part of my invention.
The upper end of the anode which has been previously turned and threaded, is
screwed into a socket made of bronze, preferably aluminium bronze, threaded
internally in order to receive, on the one hand, the anode and on the other hand, a
bar of red copper serving to bring current. Plates or discs of red copper to

page_text: ensure an absolute contact and to increase the surfaces are placed on or against the
conducting bar at each end of the part of the socket into which the bar is.
screwed.
In another form of attachment for anodes threaded or otherwise which allows of
the differences of diameter of threading and differences in expansion being
compensated, the attachment proper is composed of 6 jaws or grips screwed in
order to receive the anode and hinged on a piece screwed on the conducting bar
and bearing lugs for the hinges of the grips." By screwing the anode firmly up,
pressure is applied to a connecting piece within the socket and the grips are
thereby drawn and caused to turn on their pivots. This movement presses the
grips on the anode until they bend slightly. This bending allows of no possible
unscrewing of the anode through expansion.
In order to obtain a threaded system of attachment for smooth ends of the
anodes and such as are not turned at the parts in contact the attachment proper
may be composed of six clutches hinged to a part of aluminium bronze which is
fixed permanently, to the end of the conducting bar and a nut provided to work on
the threaded bar and engage the clutches or grips in such a way as to effect the
closing up of the grips on the anode. A slightly oval piece may be screwed up
tight by continuing to cause the nut to revolve until the clutches at the smallest
diameter grip the anode whilst the clutches or grips which are opposite the largest.
diameter, bend. This bending allows the differences of expansion between the
carbon and the metal to be compensated. This system of attachment as well as
those hereinafter described may also be employed with square and rectangular
anodes.
Another arrangement may be adopted which does not differ as regards the
method of tightening. The nut in this case presses on a bevelled piece which.
causes the grips to open at their upper ends and close at their lower ends and grip
the anode.
In another modification for smooth anodes, a piece of aluminium bronze divided.
into four or six equal sections is placed over the bar and anode and a piece of iron
or steel placed as a sleeve over same. In the case of a' turned anode, the latter
need not be divided like the aforesaid piece. If the anode is not turned the sleeve
must be divided in order that the part gripping opposite the greatest diameter may
beud until the parts opposite the smallest diameter grip the anode. A nut on the
conducting bar engages the sleeve and closes the sectional piece by sliding over it,
the parts being bevelled for the purpose.
A further modification.consists of a piece of aluminium bronze divided in four or
six equal sections and a steel ring placed over it. Wedges or keys are placed
between the two and the gripping of the anode is thus obtained. If the anode be
oval the keys are driven in more or less according as they are placed opposite a
wide or narrow part of the anode.
In another form of construction, the gripping is obtained by means of a piece
of aluminium bronze divided into four or six equal sections and a steel split collar
or metal strap serving to hold the whole together, the ends being bolted.
In some cases the latter arrangement may be modified by the use of wedges or
keys instead of the bolts for adjusting the size of the steel collar or strap.
Dated this 30th day of June 1896.
'
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or connected with the Arrangement and
Attachments of Electrolytic Anodes.
I, PIERRE EUGÈNE SECRÉTAN of 16 Rue Drouot, Paris, in the Republic of
Frauce, Manufacturer, 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 improvements which form the object of my invention relate partly to the
constitution of the anodes,-partly to the means employed for fixing them.
Hitherto the carbon anodes employed in the operations of electrolysis have always
had a cylindrical or rectangular smooth form, their dimensions being determined
according to requirements and to the place which they are intended to occupy in
the basins or baths.
By reason of the slight conductibility of the carbon anodes the passage of the
necessary current was obtained with difficulty.
In order to obviate this inconvenience I have invented an arrangement of
anodes in question with wings of various forms and dimensions capable of varying
with the form of the anodes themselves whether round or flat, and I thus obtain a
much greater surface of action and consequently a greater conductibility.
These wings or ridges in question may be obtained by any suitable means by a
tool or drawing plate and the number of such wings or, projections and the form
thereof may be varied as desired according to requirements.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and
Figure 1 a plan view of a round anode provided with such wings and screwed
for the attachment,
and
Figure 2 is a.sectional elevation and
Figure 21 a sectional plan of a modification of the connections for these anodes
Figures 3, 31, 4, 41, 5, 51, 6, 61, 7, 7, 8, 8' are similar views respectively of other
modificatious of the attachments.
As regards the connections or attachments for the current, these anodes have
hitherto been placed in communication with the electric current by means of wires
or flat or round bars of copper of small dimensions which are attached to the carbon
either by means of a screw or by means of collars of iron, cast metal or the like.
None of the means hitherto employed appear rational, and the contacts instead of
being real, were only apparent and ensured the passage of the necessary current
only at the cost of a great resistance and a great loss of force. In fact the
carbons, more particularly when they are of a cylindrical form, are of an imperfect
circular section, because they are always more or less deformed when emerging
from the mould either through mishandling or re-heating, from whence it results
that the collars fitted thereon do not grip the carbon and only ensure contact on
the eccentric or projecting parts, the result of which is great resistance and great
loss of force.
In order to remedy this defective state of affairs I have designed various
arrangements forming a novel application of known means, and consisting partly
in causing the irregular shape of the carbon to disappear by turning, and then
threading its end so as to fit by screwing into a metallic socket; 'and partly by
making use of grips, jaws or spring or hinged clips which grip the carbon at a series
of points of its periphery, thus ensuring a perfect contact.
I will now describe several ways of carrying out this part of my invention. The

page_text: upper end of the anode A which has been previously turned and threaded, Figure 1,
is screwed into a socket D made of bronze, preferably aluminium bronze, threaded
internally in order to receive, on the one hand, the anode and on the other hand, a
bar B of red copper serving to bring current. Plates or discs C C of red copper
to ensure an absolute contact and to increase the surfaces are placed on or against
the conducting bar at each end of the part of the socket into which the bar is
screwed.
Figures 2 and 21 show another form of attachment for anodes threaded or
otherwise which allows of the differences of diameter of threading and differences
in expansion being compensated; the attachment proper is composed of 6 jaws or
grips E screwed in order to receive the anode A and hinged at G on a piece F
screwed on the conducting bar B and bearing lugs for the hinges of the grips.
C are the copper plates. By screwing the anode firmly up, pressure is applied to a
connecting piece D within the socket and the grips E are thereby drawn and
caused to turn on their pivots G. This movement presses the grips on the anode
until they bend slightly at h. This bending allows of no possible unscrewing of the
anode through expansion.
In order to obtain a threaded system of attachment for sinooth ends of the anodes
and such as are not turned at the parts in contact, the form shown in Figures 3, 3
may be employed. Here again A is the anode, B the copper bar bringing the
current and C the copper plates, whilst the attachment proper may be composed of
six clutches E hinged at G to a piece of aluminium bronze D which is fixed
permanently to the end of the conducting bar B and a nut F provided to work on
the threaded bar and engage the clutches or grips in such a way as to effect the
closing up of the grips on the anode. A slightly oval piece may be screwed up
tight by continuing to cause the nut F to revolve until the clutches at the smallest
diameter grip the anode whilst the clutches or grips which are opposite the largest
diameter bend at the point h. This bending allows the differences of expansion
between the carbon and the metal to be compensated. This system of attachment
as well as those hereinafter described forming the object of Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8
may also be employed with square and rectangular anodes.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 4 and 4' an attachment may be adopted
which does not differ as regards the method of tightening. The nut in this case
presses on a bevelled piece K which causes the grips E to open at their upper ends
and close at their lower ends and grip the anode.
In another modification shown in Figures 5 and 51 also suitable for smooth
anodes, a piece D of aluminium bronze divided into four or six equal sections is
placed over the bar and anode and a piece E of iron or steel placed as a sleeve over
same. In the case of a turned anode, the piece E need not be divided like the
piece D. If the anode is not turned, the sleeve E must be divided in order that
the part gripping opposite the greatest diameter may bend until the parts opposite
the smallest diameter grip the anode. A nut F, preferably of bronze on the
conducting bar, engages the sleeve E and closes the sectional piece by sliding over
it, the parts being bevelled for the purpose.
A further modification, shown in Figures 6 and 6', consists of a piece D of
aluminium bronze divided into four or six equal sections and a steel ring E placed
over it.
Wedges or keys F are placed between the two and the gripping of the
anode is thus obtained. Six or eight keys F of this kind being preferably
employed held by the ring E. If the anode be oval the keys are driven in
more or less according as they are placed opposite à wide or narrow part of the
anode.
In another form of construction shown in Figures 7 and 7', the gripping is
obtained by means of a piece D of aluminium bronze divided into four or six equa
sections and a steel split collar E or metal strap serving to hold the whole together
the ends being bolted.
In Figures 8 and 81, the latter arrangement is modified by the use of wedges o
keys instead of the bolts for adjusting the size of the steel collar or strap.

page_text: 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. The improvement herein before specified in or connected with electrolytic
anodes consisting in providing them with ridges or wings obtained by any suitable
means and intended to increase their active surface, substantially as hereinbefore
described and shown in the accompanying drawings.
2. A system of attachments for electrolytic anodes characterised by the
combination with an anode previously threaded or otherwise by turning, of either
a metallic socket, also threaded, connected with the rod which carries it by a
thread or otherwise fixed by screwing on the anode itself, or of a grip or jaw
formed of several rigid or elastic parts completely insulated one from another or
simply separated by a partial longitudinal slot, which grip is approached to the
anode by an energetic compression produced either by means of a nut acting
directly on these parts or by the intermediary of elastic jaws, or by means of a
tightening ring which is wedged by grips or keys, the absolute contact between
the rod, socket or jaw and the carbon being obtained by means of metal washers
interposed between the carbon and these parts, substantially as hereinbefore-
described and shown as an example in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day of March 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.