Patent ID: 7618519

Claim:
A cathode element suitable for use in a pot of an electrolytic cell intended for production of aluminum, said element comprising: a cathode block comprising a carbonaceous material with at least one longitudinal groove along a side face thereof; at least one steel connection bar comprising at least one external segment capable of being located outside the pot, and a first portion of said bar being housed in said groove, and a second portion of the bar having a length E emerges at least at one end of the block, and said first portion is sealed in the groove by a conducting sealing material inserted between the bar and the block, and wherein the connection bar comprises at least one metal insert with length Lc, having an electrical conductivity that is higher than the electrical conductivity of said steel in said connection bar, said metal insert being arranged longitudinally inside the bar and being located at least partly in said external segment and extending a portion of a length of the bar; and further wherein the connection bar is not sealed to the cathode block in at least one unsealed zone with a surface area S located at the end of the groove at said at least one end of the block.